Chapter 129: The Past Chained Him No Longer
Ruediger’s piercing gaze and the frostiness of his voice took Vincent aback. He unconsciously leaned his body backward, feeling pressured by his elder brother’s unyielding aura.
The two brothers remained standing outside the apartment building’s gate. The indistinct noises from their surroundings seemed to disappear into a void as the air between them thickened with tension.
The morning sun backlit Ruediger’s figure, casting faint shadows on his face. Trying to suppress his fury, he took two steps back from Vincent. He loosened his grip on the bouquet, afraid of holding it too tightly.
Exhaling a sigh, Ruediger tried letting go of his fuming wrath. Allowing his anger to mess with his emotions into turbulent waves wouldn’t do him any good.
Ruediger kept his sharp gaze locked on Vincent’s eyes. When he spoke, the iciness of his voice seemed to lower the temperature around them.
"Don’t waste your time coming to see me. Have you forgotten? I’m already dead."
Gripping his hands into fists, Vincent narrowed his eyes. Ruediger’s last remark struck a chord in his heart. The particular word jolted his mind to a memory when he was still very young.
Dead.
That was what their father, Matthew, declared before exiling Ruediger to another country close to two decades ago.
"He’s dead to me. Anyone else who dares challenge me, beware of the consequences."
Driven by his fresh grief and massive rage, Matthew announced Ruediger was no longer the heir of the Alvord nor his eldest son.