Chapter 212: Prove yourself
Riven stared at his father for a few seconds, he drummed his finger on the table a few times. The solution here would have been for him to accept his father’s apology and be at peace, but since his father had decided to speak now, he wasn’t allowing him off that easy.
"No, I do not forgive you." He said in a sharp tone. His father’s eyes widened when he heard that; he definitely did not expect that response, he thought Riven would accept and all would be good.
"W...why not?" His father asked.
"Because you didn’t come to ask for mercy out of the goodness of your heart. No, if that was the case, I would have forgiven you in a heartbeat." Riven said and got on his feet. He placed both hands on the table, looked his father dead in the eye and spoke.
"You apologized because I earned that apology. You didn’t do it because you found error in your ways or in the way that you raised me, you did it because you felt I had shown you that I wasn’t actually a problem child.
I had to show myself useful for you to see that you have been neglecting me for the longest time. And that’s not fair, that’s not what a father should do. A father should love in wrong and correct the mistakes I make, guiding me down the right path.
If this had been before, I would have accepted that apology because I felt I needed it. But now, I’ve come to know that I don’t really need anyone’s validation and that I’ll carve a way through everything for myself.
I still respect you and I always will. I acknowledge all wrongs and I have paid dearly for my sins as Riven Von Grave. I’ll continue to put the benefit of this family ahead and I’ll continue to fight till the death for this family because you are my family.
But as for your apology, I don’t want it, because it was birthed from the obligation to make peace once I showed my use." Riven said. He didn’t break eye contact even once as he spoke to his father.
His father was stunned by everything that Riven said, but he couldn’t say anything against it; it was all true. He bowed his head low.
"I’m sorry, my actions were wrong, and as a leader of people, I should be willing to take accountability and also do the right thing when the time comes.
So Riven Von Grave, my son, what would it take for you to forgive me, your father?" He asked.