Chapter 245 I Want to Get Engaged to Caroline
Armando's teacup froze halfway to his lips. His head snapped up, eyes locking onto Alexander. "Condition?"
"Yes." Alexander held his stare.
"This summer, I want to hold an engagement ceremony with Caroline."
The ceramic cup hit the hardwood floor and shattered. Tea and porcelain shards scattered everywhere. Hot liquid soaked through Armando's pant leg, but he didn't move, didn't even seem to notice.
"You!"
Armando shot to his feet, palm cracking against the table. He jabbed a finger at Alexander. "You... you're using this to negotiate with me?! Alexander, this is absurd! I won't agree. I will never agree! What do you think the family's future is? Some kind of game?! This so-called love makes people weak, distracted. It exposes fatal vulnerabilities, and you dare put it on the table as your price for power?! You've lost your mind!"
Alexander didn't even blink. He stepped forward.
"Father, the will Grandfather left before he died—I've seen it. You've seen it. Linus has seen it too."
At the mention of the will, Armando's face drained of color.
"It's very clear," Alexander continued, his voice flat.
"The final inheritance rights of the Hamilton family don't depend on age or bloodline. Only ability. Whoever can first control more than thirty percent of the family's core business shares and gain recognition from more than half the board's senior members—that person becomes the sole heir. This clause tests real ability, skill, and the power to command loyalty."
He paused, watching his father's expression sour.
"And you know better than anyone that in this family, besides you, the most capable person who also has the trust of those old bastards is Linus. When Grandfather established this supposedly fair rule, he was already stacking the deck in Linus's favor. After all, Linus spent far more time at Grandfather's side than you ever did—you were always too busy with outside affairs. So, Father, besides relying on me, your son, to fight for this—what other option do you have?"
"You!" Armando trembled with rage.
"Alexander, who the hell do you think you are?! You think a little cleverness makes you special?! Without me, you're nothing!"
"Whether I'm special or not, I couldn't say." Alexander's mouth curved into a faint smile.
"But I know that Grandfather would rather secretly funnel all his trust and resources to his younger son, nearly twenty years your junior, than hand over his power to you, his eldest, while he was still in relatively good health. What does that tell you?"
He leaned in, lowering his voice.
"It tells you that in Grandfather's eyes, when it came to controlling this family, you were never up to the task. He'd rather bet on the younger Linus than stake the Hamilton family's entire future on you alone."
Watching his father's face turn ashen, Alexander allowed himself a satisfied smile.
"So, Father, besides clinging to me—the son who once had Grandfather's personal endorsement—to take this gamble, what choice do you really have?"
Armando's hands shook at his sides. His mouth opened, but no words came out.
Alexander pressed on, driving the knife deeper into his father's most vulnerable spot. "In the future, if Linus takes control, the best outcome for you is being purged—completely removed from the family's core and shipped off to some remote estate to live out your days. The worst outcome..."
He didn't finish. Just gave Armando a meaningful look.
Though left unsaid, they both understood.
As one of Grandhaven's largest and most elite families, each successor had ruthless mechanisms in place for self-preservation.
Once that power changed hands, it would never be relinquished willingly, much less allowed to be taken back.
Armando would almost certainly face complete elimination by Linus.
The worst outcome might not even be a quick death, but being kept alive—a fate worse than death itself.
Armando stood frozen for a long moment before finally stepping back. "You... you're threatening me?!"
"No." Alexander straightened, slowly shaking his head.
"This isn't a threat, Father. This is just reality. A reality we both have to face."
Armando stared at him for what felt like an eternity before finally letting out a low, bitter laugh.
"Fine... what a fine reality." He dropped heavily onto the sofa, regarding Alexander with something complicated in his eyes.
"But don't forget, Alexander—you don't own a single share in the Hamilton family's core businesses. You have no actual power. Everything you have now—what you eat, what you wear, where you live, what you use, even the floor beneath your feet—it all belongs to me. As long as I don't agree, as long as I'm still head of this family, you answer to me. I decide who you marry. If I don't want you marrying Caroline, it won't happen."
He waved a dismissive hand, sinking back into the cushions.
"You might think I'm being cruel, but I'm helping you. Once a man has this so-called love in his heart, he has a weakness. A soft spot. If you can defy me for her today, willing to throw everything away rather than submit, tomorrow Linus can use her to threaten you, force you to compromise, force you to surrender. When that happens, all your ambitions, all your plans, will collapse because of one woman. Do you understand?!"
But Alexander stepped even closer, enunciating each word. "If a man can't protect the woman he loves, if he lets her be humiliated and hurt because of his own inadequacy—what kind of man is he?"
"I have one condition. Accept it or don't—your choice."
With that, under his father's shocked gaze, Alexander tossed the document envelope he'd been holding onto the coffee table.
"Inside is a draft statement where I unilaterally sever all legal and blood ties with the Hamilton family and renounce all inheritance rights. Also included are contact details for several major media outlets I've already reached out to.
"If you refuse, I'll release it publicly. Immediately. The happiest person then would be Linus, naturally. I think he'd choose to spare me—his sensible nephew who voluntarily stepped aside.
"After all, a powerless nephew who gives up his inheritance poses no threat. Keeping me alive might even demonstrate his so-called magnanimity. At least he won't have me killed right away. That would give me enough time to plan my next move. But as for your fate..."