ALL NOVEL Chapter 652: TALKING SOME SENSE
BOTH Casey and Thomas turned to their father the moment he announced that he would be staying here indefinitely. Thomas looked like he wasn't sure if he heard that correctly, while Casey did not hesitate to look at their father as if he had gone crazy.
"Father, are you saying you'll be staying in Delryria, or on this farm specifically?" Thomas asked, needing to be certain.
Their father didn't seem bothered by the question and calmly replied, "On this farm."
"Ha! Old man, have you truly gone senile?" Casey burst out, his voice rising sharply in anger. "Emmy just forgave you two. She chose to be the bigger person and move on from whatever wrongs you did. And now, here you are, trying to force yourself back into her life. Did you even ask her permission? Or is this just another decision you made on your own, without considering anyone else involved? Seriously, have you learned nothing from your past mistakes?"
After saying all that, Casey felt like he should thump his chest just to release the frustration building up inside him. He had genuinely believed the old man had changed, that he'd learned from his mistakes. But now, seeing him pull something like this? It felt like a direct slap in the face.
Under normal circumstances, Thomas would have already reprimanded Cassius for speaking so disrespectfully to their father. But this time, he had to agree with his brother. It was a reckless decision that reeked of selfishness.
As Cassius had pointed out, Emmaline had only just forgiven them. Taking a step like this without asking for her permission—or even her opinion—could undo all the progress they had made. How could Thomas allow that to happen?
"Father, you should rethink this decision," he advised. "I understand you want to be part of Emmaline's life again, but this isn't the way to go about it."
"Tommy, stop sugarcoating it. Just call it what it is—a terrible idea," Casey scoffed.
Anthony glanced at his two sons. One stared at him as if he was making the worst decision of his life, while the other looked at him like he'd lost his mind. He couldn't blame them; they both had a point. But it wasn't as if he hadn't thought this through—he had a plan. Still, he had to admit to one unforgivable mistake: he hadn't asked for Emmaline's permission.
As his sons pointed out, he was falling into the same old patterns, repeating his past mistakes. Without their reminder, he might have severed the fragile thread they had only just managed to mend. Stay connected with m-v l|e'm,p| y- r
But there was one thing he needed to clarify. "I don't intend to stay here on the farm," he said firmly. "I'm planning to buy a house nearby so I can visit Emmaline from time to time."
Maybe he could even lend a hand with the farm work, hoping it would help rebuild their relationship. But as Thomas had pointed out, he was going about it all wrong. The most important thing was Emmaline's opinion. He had no right to make decisions like this without consulting her first. Acting on his own like this was nothing short of foolish.
"But I will ask for her permission first before I continued on with this plan," he added.
Thomas let out a sigh of relief hearing that, while Cassius scoffed once again as if saying 'you better'.
"Are you sure that's a good idea, though? Buying property on this planet could draw attention from the people in Lancaster who've been keeping an eye on us," Thomas said after a moment's pause.
"Don't worry," Anthony said, a hint of reassurance in his voice. "I've thought about that. I plan to buy the property under a different name, with no direct connection to us. That way, it won't raise any red flags with the people from Lancaster. I've already set up a few discreet channels to make sure the purchase goes unnoticed. They won't have a reason to suspect a thing."
Casey felt a wave of relief wash over him. If Emmy agreed, they wouldn't have to worry about the Lancasters showing up and discovering she was still alive. The last thing he wanted was for his sister's hard-won peace to be disrupted.
Wait—if Emmy agreed, and their father could stay nearby… A certain idea crossed Casey's mind, but he quickly shook his head and decided against it. As much as he wanted to spend more time with his sister, there was still too much work waiting for him back in the capital, especially with EMMA's new collection launching next month. And with Astrid as the face of the collection, he definitely couldn't leave the capital at that time.
If he left the collection in someone else's hands, there was a risk that some fool might think they could mess with Astrid. Just like that one executive who had tried to interfere when Casey first chose him as the ambassador for their perfume line.
No, he had to make sure everything was perfect for his nephew. That meant it would be a while before he could truly spend more time with Emmy, but that was okay. Things weren't like they used to be; now he could call his sister anytime he wanted. For now, that would be enough.
Thomas secretly wished he could stay here, too. But with their father leaving the capital, the responsibilities of the duke would inevitably fall on his shoulders. Besides, Nicol was still in school, and he couldn't just disrupt his son's life for his own selfish reasons.
In the end, both brothers could only exchange a weary sigh.
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On the other side...
Reas stopped in his tracks once he was sure they were far enough from the house to avoid being overheard. He then turned to face his parents, his expression serious.
"Dad, Mom, I need to tell you something," Reas began, his voice steady but tinged with nervousness. He took a deep breath, glancing between the two of them before continuing. "I'm dating someone."