Everything originated from our parents handing over the management rights of the Aiken Group to my brother.
Nico Aiken was unwilling to accept it and began to take revenge on his brother. Why should everything good belong to his brother?
He wanted his brother to have a miserable life; he wanted his brother's family to fall apart!
Tom Aiken, in a fit of anger, shook off Lia Aiken, turned back, and wrestled with Nico Aiken again.
"Dad."
Lia Aiken quickly stepped forward, trying to hold back Tom Aiken. Ivan Horne, worried that the two fights might hurt Lia Aiken, was forced to intervene and pull the two apart. He held onto Nico Aiken, and Tom Aiken seized the chance to give his brother a few punches.
Nico Aiken thought Ivan Horne deliberately intervened, restraining him to let his brother beat him.
"This punch is on behalf of our parents to teach you a lesson." Tom Aiken landed another punch on his brother's stomach, his eyes bloodshot with rage, his face flushed red with anger. "Back then, our parents handed the company to me to manage, but they equally divided the Aiken Family shares between us. They didn't give the entire Aiken Family to me, and you misunderstand and question your own parents like this, you deserve a beating!"
As Tom Aiken spoke, he threw another punch.
Nico Aiken was still struggling, trying to break free from Ivan's grip. Hearing his brother's words, he stopped, incredulously asking, "What did you say? Mom and Dad divided shares with me too? Why didn't I know? Why didn't they tell me?"
As his voice fell, he received a slap to his face, naturally, from his own brother.
"You were nothing but a spoiled second-generation who squandered everything. If Mom and Dad had told you, you would have wasted your shares. Mom and Dad worried about your future until their deaths, and instead of being grateful, you resented me for taking over the company and blamed our parents for favoritism."
Tom Aiken never imagined that his brother's affair with his ex-wife was due to him taking over the company.
"Impossible, Mom and Dad favored you, despised me. Dad even said that he wouldn't leave me a penny after his death—impossible. You're lying to me!" Nico Aiken shouted in disbelief.
If their parents really divided shares for him, then his past actions truly revealed him to be a jerk.
He took revenge on his brother, caused the death of his sister-in-law, tampered with the paternity test, leading his brother to resent Lia Aiken, causing Lia to suffer for nineteen years.
He believed his family wronged him, owed him, and took revenge with satisfaction. Watching his brother and Lia become like strangers filled him with glee, but his brother told him how foolish and pitiful his revenge was—the truth was not as he imagined; their parents worried about his future until their deaths...
"Snap!"
Another slap landed harshly on Nico Aiken's face, followed by a punch to his abdomen.
Tom Aiken gritted his teeth and said, "This slap, this punch, are on behalf of your sister-in-law. Her death is primarily your responsibility; you caused her death!"
Nico Aiken suddenly broke free from Ivan's grip, stepped forward impulsively, grabbed Tom Aiken by the collar, shaking him violently, eyes red as he shouted, "Tom Aiken, you say you're lying, you're lying to me—it's a lie, all of it!"
Tom Aiken suddenly felt great sympathy for his brother.
He slowly pried his brother's hands off his collar, saying bitterly, "If you don't believe it, I'll show you the will that our parents left behind—plain black and white words, everything clearly written."
The Aiken Group's shares were inherited by the brothers, something even Ivan Horne found out.
Yet, Nico Aiken was completely unaware, never having investigated, instead only wasting time in resentment against their parents and brother, solely focused on revenge and harm, realizing far too late how grave his mistakes were.
He thought they had wronged him, only to discover he was the one who wronged them the most.
Ten minutes later.
Everyone sat on the couch in the room.
The air was thick with the smell of smoke; the ashtray on the coffee table was overflowing with cigarette butts, all smoked today by Tom Aiken.
Even now, he was still smoking.
Smoking while fully recounting the instructions their parents had left back then to his brother.
Nico Aiken was a prodigal second-generation, indulging in excessive spending and vice, refusing to change despite endless lectures from parents and brother, believing the Aiken Family had so much money they could never run out no matter how he squandered.
In hopes of improving him, their parents instructed Tom Aiken to strictly oversee his brother, not to give him excessive money, or let him know he owned shares in the Aiken Group. Tom also thought controlling his brother's economics would curb his indulgence, thus, collaborated with their parents.
Little did they expect that their well-meaning intentions led to misunderstandings, fueling resentment, and prompting acts of revenge against him.
After hearing his brother's explanation, Nico Aiken was stunned, memories flooding back to him, eyes turning ever redder, tears brimming.
Tom Aiken took out his wallet, retrieving two bank cards from it, placing them in front of his brother, saying, "The annual dividends from your shares, I saved them in these two cards for years, never spending a penny that belonged to you. I've carried these cards all along, thinking one day we might meet again and I'd return what's yours to you, even though I've hated you to the bone. But these belong to you; I would never usurp them."
"Our parents have been gone for years; you should visit their graves as they're unable to rest in peace because of you."
He then looked at Lia Aiken with guilt in his eyes, brimming with apology, saying, "Lia is your daughter… as a father, you've never fulfilled your duty for a single day. Now that you're back, it's time to make up for Lia."
"Over the years... the greatest injustice I've done is to this child." Tom Aiken was slightly choked up, appearing much older, telling Lia, "Lia, I'm sorry, no matter what, you're innocent. I shouldn't have placed the blame on you."
Lia's face looked grim. Now, she understood her mother's death entirely and learned about the grievances between her father and uncle. Her mother had an affair with her uncle but, based on Nico Aiken's words, was manipulated back then. Her mother carried immense pressure, ultimately ending her life when discovered.
After all, her mother was also pitiful, used as a tool in Nico Aiken's revenge on Tom Aiken.
"No…" Nico Aiken regretfully said, "Brother, Lia is not my daughter; she's your daughter. I tampered with the paternity test back then."
"What?"
The cigarette fell from Tom Aiken's hand onto his lap, quickly burning a hole in his pants, yet he remained oblivious.
