Chapter 336: He is your brother.
Elijah said nothing. He couldn’t. The weight of his sins pressed down on him like a crushing force, his chest tightening. He finally understood the pain he had inflicted—the suffering he had caused.
"And this," Nicholas pointed at the scattered documents on the floor, "I’ll take the properties from you anyway. But I am not as cruel as you. Since we share the bond of father and son, I won’t let you die on the streets. I’ll send you abroad and make sure you have enough money to survive. But don’t expect me to forgive Luke."
Elijah’s throat bobbed as he swallowed, his gaze pleading.
As if Nicholas read his mind, he said, "Don’t worry. I won’t send Luke to prison. He’ll stay in that safe house. Forever."
Elijah felt a shiver crawl up his spine. He had convinced himself that Nicholas didn’t know where Luke was being hidden. He had thought of negotiating with Nicholas tonight and asking him for forgiveness.
His words sent a chill down Elijah’s spine. He had clung to the belief that Nicholas hadn’t found out where he had kept Luke. But he had also prepared a backup.
His men were already under orders: if this meeting failed, they were to extract Luke and move him somewhere Nicholas could never find him.
Yet, as he looked at Nicholas now—at the unshakable confidence in his stance, Elijah felt his stomach twist. He realized Nicholas had one step ahead of him.
"Don’t hurt him," Elijah pleaded. His throat went dry, his palms damp with sweat. "I’ll do anything you say. Just... just don’t hurt him. He is your brother."
"He never considered me his brother," Nicholas hissed. "Why should I? Why do you expect me to forgive him, who tried to kill me?"
Elijah realized that there was no changing Nicholas’s mind.