Thaddeus''s gaze followed the man''s hand down to the namete. The name “Thaddeus, President” had been reced with "Chad." He was in such a hurry, as if he wanted to erase every trace of Thaddeus from the Abernathy Group


    overnight.


    "Yesterday morning, at the emergency board meeting, I won by an overwhelming majority to be the new president," Chad said, steepling his fingers under his chin. "Your secretary can begin the handover with mine shortly. I''ve already had all of your personal belongings packed and sent back to Windermere Estate. You''ve worked hard all these years, Thaddeus. You can leave the future of the Abernathy Group to me now."<fn9a4e> ???s ??????? ?s ?????? ?? find?novel</fn9a4e>


    The air was thick with a dead silence.


    Thaddeus''s longshes trembled, and then, unexpectedly, his lips curved into a faint smile. He casually slipped a hand into his pocket and sank into the sofa, his long legs spread in a rxed, almost reckless posture he had never before disyed. It was as if losing the presidency had unshackled him, bringing a dormant part of him to life.


    Chad watched him, his eyes half-closed.


    "Brother, you really didn''t have to go to all this trouble. If you had just told me from the start that you wanted this position back, I would have stepped down without a fight. After all, if it weren''t for the kidnapping that ruined your health, you, as the eldest son, would have been the rightful heir, wouldn''t you?"


    Thaddeus was a military man, known for his upright and disciplined demeanor. But in that moment, in Chad''s eyes, he seemed almost carefree, with a hint of wildness. It was as if the pressure had forced a different personality to the surface.


    "But you shouldn''t have schemed. You shouldn''t have used such underhanded methods to ruin my reputation and drag innocent people into this," Thaddeus said, narrowing his eyes, the hint of a smile turning into a sharp, cold glint. "For that, I can''t just let it go. Your position as president might not be as secure as you think."


    Chad smiled back, his tone low and menacing. "That is no longer for you to decide."


    and


    "The same goes for you. And this will be thest time I call you brother." Thaddeus rose to his feet his tall, imposing figure turning walking toward the door without backward nce, showing no sign of defeat.


    Chad''s expression darkened further, a bitter, unsettling feeling rising in his chest. Thaddeus had poured his lifeblood into the Abernathy Group, meticulously protecting his image and position. Now that it had all been stolen from him, his reputation" in tatters, he should have been crushed, enraged. How could he


    possibly be smiling?


    Suddenly, Thaddeus stopped, his back still to Chad. "I have one question for you,"


    he said, his voice deep.


    Chad raised an eyebrow, his face a mask of indifference.


    "If you''ve resented me all this time, if you''ve always wanted to take back everything I have, then why did you risk your life to help me escape. when we were kidnapped all those years ago? By your logic, if you were going to die, you should have taken me with you. Or if there was a chance to escape you should have taken it yourself and left me m that hell. Then, you would have been the only male heir, and there would have been no one left topete with you."


    Chad''s smile was unreadable. "You make a good point."


    "So, were you really trying to save me, or were you involved in the kidnapping and


    just wanted to drag me into it?"