Chapter 451 Oliver: You're Still Too Naive to Compete with Me!
Nicholas returned to the Moore Mansion.
After parking, he went straight to his private villa and pushed open the master bedroom door. Inside, Hestia was tidying up the room. She was usually graceful, handling both household matters and public appearances with poise.
Nicholas closed the bedroom door behind him.
Seeing his expression, Hestia took a step back, still holding a shawl in her hands.
"Nicholas, you've been gone for two days without caring about Isaac's condition... Have you come home just to lose your temper?" she asked, her bravado transparent.
Nicholas knocked the shawl from her hands and slapped her hard, sending her sprawling onto the bed.
Hestia lay there, unable to get up for some time, her ears ringing.
He threw a document beside her. "Look at this!" Nicholas hissed venomously. "They say even tigers don't harm their own cubs, but you, Hestia—you hurt Isaac for your own agenda. You pushed your own son just to get Jacob's blood... just to drive Sarah away from me, didn't you?"
Hestia remained face-down on the bedspread.
After a while, she found her voice. "Don't you dare accuse me like that, Nicholas! You're the one with improper intentions! You claim to care about Isaac? Then why are you never home? He was seriously injured, and you weren't even here—and now you have the audacity to falsely accuse me!"
Nicholas was furious.
The evidence was irrefutable, yet Hestia refused to admit it.
He grabbed her hair, about to slap her again when footsteps approached.
The door burst open.
Matthew and Vaughn came in with their wives. Matthew's face darkened at the sight of Nicholas and Hestia struggling. "What's going on here? Nicholas, are you taking out your frustrations on your wife because things aren't going well for you outside? Have you sunk this low?"
Nicholas didn't release his grip.
He handed the document to Matthew. "It clearly states that Isaac's injuries were caused by someone pushing him. Hestia obtained this report but kept quiet about it. Doesn't that prove she was the one who pushed him? She's lost her mind!"
"You're the one who's lost your mind!" Matthew slapped Nicholas hard enough to make his head ring.
Matthew's aged eyes were cold and calculating. "I slapped you at the hospital, but you still haven't come to your senses! Let me say this again, Nicholas—if you don't manage your household properly, you'll face endless problems. You failed as a husband; you can't blame Hestia!"
Nicholas stared in disbelief.
Just then, Isaac's voice came from the doorway, "Mommy pushed me! Mommy pushed me!"
Vaughn looked shocked.
But Matthew remained completely composed, as if he'd known all along.
Nicholas forgot to breathe. "Did you know and say nothing, or did you just guess? Why didn't you tell me earlier? Why did you insist on taking Jacob's blood?"
In the lamplight, Matthew's expression was almost cruel.
He called for a servant to take Isaac away, then looked at the disheveled Hestia before turning to Nicholas with a cold smile. "What would you have me do? The boy was already injured. Should I, as head of this family, have called the police to arrest Hestia? Should I have exposed this and destroyed your marriage? She made one mistake—does that mean I should tear your family apart? Nicholas, for the sake of the Moore family and your future, you must swallow this. Let it be a lesson to you about what truly matters!"
"The Moore family? My future?" Nicholas laughed through his tears as he smashed everything around him.
Pointing at Matthew, his lips trembling, he confronted the elder he once respected most, "Four years... isn't that enough? It's been four years, Grandfather... can't you let me go? Can't you give her a chance?"
Matthew's face remained expressionless. "Your delusion is what harmed her."
Nicholas laughed maniacally. "My delusion? Is it wrong to love someone? I simply couldn't control my feelings—I admired her, cared for her... You couldn't accept her. You drove her away and forced me to marry a woman I don't love. Sometimes I have to take medication before I can even be intimate with Hestia—I simply can't desire her otherwise."
"Nicholas, what are you saying?" Isabella cried, tears streaming down her face.
They all knew about what had happened years ago, but these were Nicholas's private thoughts he'd never voiced aloud. Now he was declaring them openly.
He had truly lost his mind.
Nicholas's gaze softened slightly when he looked at Isabella.
"I'm sorry, Mom. I can't live in this false world anymore," he said before walking out.
Behind him, Matthew called out in alarm, "You think you've grown so capable! Once you're out there, you'll learn how harsh life can be."
Nicholas paused.
He tilted his head back, his voice hoarse, "I'm ashamed to be part of the Moore family."
Matthew finally lost his temper.
For four years, he'd lain awake countless nights worrying about Nicholas, carefully elevating him to his current position. Nicholas had done well, but now Sarah's return had ruined everything.
"Get out!" Matthew roared.
Hestia chased after Nicholas.
But all he left her was darkness and the coming storm. She screamed into the night, "Nicholas, come back!"
Her cries echoed in the darkness.
But none of the echoes were Nicholas's voice.
He was gone—he had left the house, left her.
He didn't want her.
He'd said he needed medication to touch her.
For a well-bred lady like Hestia, this was the ultimate humiliation.
Later that night, Nicholas's car pulled up to a villa.
Eldon was already waiting there.
In the elegant living room, a young woman sat on the sofa, her eyes clear and bright, exuding a gentle innocence.
Nicholas entered the room and briefly surveyed the young woman. Eldon smiled. "A 20-year-old college student. Squeaky clean."
Nicholas's expression remained blank.
He looked at the young woman, unbuttoning the top two buttons of his shirt, then turned to Eldon. "You can go now. Have the driver pick me up in the morning."
Eldon smiled again. "Of course. Rest well, Mr. Moore."
He left, mission accomplished.
In the brightly lit living room, Nicholas poured himself a glass of red wine. After drinking half, he looked at the girl and spoke gently, "Come here, let me see you."
The girl thought he just wanted to look at her face.
To her surprise, as soon as she approached, Nicholas embraced her.
Outside the villa, under cover of night, a black Rolls-Royce Phantom was parked in a corner.
Having watched Eldon leave, Oliver stepped out of the car. Dressed in a black coat, he leaned against the car door, quietly smoking a cigarette, a cold smile playing on his lips.
The upstanding Nicholas Moore!
The noble heir Nicholas Moore!
Now indulging in wine, women, and wealth.
What would Matthew think if he knew?
Oliver snickered, extinguishing his cigarette between his long fingers before tossing it into the bushes.