Chapter 149
William looked at Clarence, his handsome face hard, his eyes cold as ice, and his voice devoid of warmth.
"Clarence, I'm not dead. Are you disappointed?"
His blunt question was like a knife twisting in Clarence's gut.
Clarence's expression changed instantly.
Disappointed? That was an understatement. He was devastated. He had poured every ounce of his energy and resources into that scheme, doing everything in his power to keep William trapped and out of the picture.
And yet, here he was—standing right in front of him, looking entirely untouched.
It was infuriating, but Clarence knew better than to let the truth slip.
His eyes darted around, unable to hold William’s piercing stare, as he scrambled for a believable lie.
"William, how can you even say that? You're my nephew. You're the future of this family. I’m relieved you’re back in one piece. Why on earth would I be disappointed?"
"Is that right?"
William let out a sharp, humorless laugh and took a deliberate step forward. The sheer weight of his presence forced Clarence to instinctively shuffle backward.
"Then how do you explain what you shouted at the door? 'Why aren't you dead yet?' What was that supposed to mean?
We’ve reached the end of the line, Clarence. How much longer are you going to keep up this pathetic act?"
William's eyes were sharp, as if they could see straight through him.
Clarence felt uncomfortable under his gaze, and the last bit of hope he had left was completely shattered.
He knew that since William was asking this way, he must have already found out something. Continuing to pretend would just be lying to himself.
But even at this point, he still refused to admit it.
In the next moment, Clarence's eyes reddened.
Not only that, but he squeezed out a few crocodile tears and spoke in a choked voice.
"William, I know. When you were in trouble, I was thinking about keeping the company running so you'd have less to worry about when you came back. Maybe my actions made you misunderstand. But my intentions were all for the Brown family, for you!"
He performed with heavy emotion, as if he had suffered a terrible injustice.
William looked at his act and just felt sickened.
The coldness in his eyes deepened, and he looked at Clarence as if he were looking at trash.
"For me, for the Brown family? Clarence, you'd better keep those schemes to yourself. I find them filthy."
The open contempt in his tone made Clarence's face tighten.
William's words made it impossible for him to keep pretending.
That bit of fake warmth completely fell away, revealing his ugly true face.
But Clarence knew well how ruthless William's methods were, so he didn't dare confront him head-on. He could only glare at him and finally say, teeth clenched.
"William, you win this time!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he turned and left.
Watching Clarence's retreating figure, a cold glint flashed in William's eyes.
How could he not see through Clarence's small games?
This time, when he came back, he would not only take back everything that belonged to him, but also make those with ill intentions pay the price.
Clarence practically vibrated with rage as he marched out of the Brown estate. He climbed into his car and slammed his fist against the steering wheel, the dull thud echoing his frustration. His eyes were dark with malice.
"You're not dead, and you brought two kids home with you. Fine," he hissed to the empty car. "But don't think you've won. Nobody stands in the way of what I want."
A sudden rap on the window made him jump.Clarence frowned and rolled the glass down to find a man standing there with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes—a look that made Clarence's skin crawl.
It was James.
Clarence blinked, momentarily thrown. He knew of James, of course—the Smith family carried plenty of weight—but they weren't close.
He had no idea why the man would be loitering outside the Brown gates.
Smoothing his features into his practiced business persona, Clarence forced a smile. "Mr. Smith? This is a surprise. What brings you out here?"
Clarence had a smile on his lips, but his eyes carried a trace of wariness.
James leaned down, peerng into the car with an unreadable expression. "I was waiting for someone, but I didn't expect to catch you. You look like you're having a rough day."
Hearing this, a shadow passed through Clarence's eyes.
He knew his state had been seen by James.
He hadn't planned to hide it anyway.
Clarence wasn't only playing small games; he was also thinking bigger.
If word got out that William couldn't tolerate his own family members as soon as he came back, the Brown Group's stock price would definitely be affected.
Then, he could use his own connections to stir things up, and maybe Raymond would be disappointed in William.
Of course, he wasn't about to let an outsider see any of that.
Clarence snorted coldly and subtly smeared William.
"It's all because of William. He just got back, and he's already turned the whole place upside down. It's really too much."
His words sounded like casual complaints, but only he knew his real purpose.
Hearing this, a knowing look flickered through James's eyes, and he spoke slowly. "Seems like you and Mr. Brown have some real friction."
Clarence looked up at him, and a thought suddenly arose in his mind.
Why did he feel like there seemed to be some conflict between William and James?
Otherwise, why would someone from the Smith family come near the Brown estate?
Thinking about this, Clarence's smile returned.
If he could join forces with James to take William on, wouldn't that be twice as effective?
He licked his lips and said tentatively.
"Mr. Smith, to be honest, I've been annoyed with William for a long time. He's dictatorial and doesn't take any of us seriously at all. Now that he's back, if he finds out I've been holding things together for him, he definitely won't let me off the hook. I wonder if you'd be interested in joining forces with me to deal with him?"
His tone carried a bit of urgency and a bit of anticipation.
Clarence's eyes were locked on James, waiting for his answer.
James looked at him, the smile on his lips deepening, giving nothing away.
He didn't speak for a long time, and Clarence felt a bit disappointed.
It seemed this path wasn't going to work.
But just as he was about to look away, James suddenly spoke.
"Your suggestion does tempt me a bit. Let me think about it."
He didn't agree, and he didn't refuse, either.
A spark of hope immediately lit in Clarence's heart, and he nodded quickly.
"Alright, Mr. Smith, I'll wait for your news. As long as you're willing to join forces, you'll definitely get your share of the upside."
James nodded and turned to leave.
Clarence sat alone in his car, his eyes full of calculation. At this moment, he seemed to already see William brought down.