Chapter 416 Daniel's Compromise
Chapter 416 Daniel's Compromise
Daniel's head snapped up at Eric's words. He surged to his feet and lunged down the stairs toward him. "You bastard—what are you planning to do to my son?"
His hands shot for Eric's throat, but Eirlys moved faster. She drove her boot into his chest, sending him sprawling back into the stairs. He clutched his ribs, his face drained of color.
Eric hadn't moved an inch. He stood there with his hands in his pockets, watching Daniel with a look of pure contempt. "A man who slept with his brother's wife, got her pregnant, and then murdered that same brother... I thought someone like you wouldn't care about family. Imagine my surprise to find you so protective of your two sons."
He stepped forward, planting his foot hard on Daniel's chest. The earlier blow from Eirlys had cracked a rib; now the weight drove a sharp, breath-stealing pain through him. Daniel gritted his teeth, too proud—or too afraid—to cry out.
"Theron still has no idea, does he? That you are his real father. That you were supposed to be dead—Daniel. You faked your death, had Daniel take your place, and then you took his identity to become head of the Stewart Family. Tragic, isn't it? He spent his whole life yearning for a father, never knowing that the man was watching him from the shadows."
Eric's laugh was low and cutting. Daniel's lips trembled, but no words came.
Eric pulled out his phone, tapped a number, and held the screen in front of Daniel's face. Daniel's pupils shrank to pinpoints. "What are you doing? Please—please don't. He's my only son. I'm begging you."
The man who had once ruled the Stewart Family like a king now looked like nothing more than a desperate old man.
On the screen, Theron sat in his office, backlit by the window, flipping through a medical file. The angle was from across the street, from high up in another building. If a phone camera could get that shot, so could a sniper scope.
Eric glanced down at Daniel's pleading face, his mouth curving into a cruel smile. "I wish Patricia could see you now. You forced her to marry Harold for the Berkeley Family's benefit, just because she wasn't your blood. You only give a damn about your own bloodline, and you've never given your brother's a second thought."
His eyes flashed with sudden rage, and he slammed his heel into Daniel's chest. Daniel coughed violently, blood spotting his lips.
"Patricia ruined everything. Even if Harold had played her little scandal at the wedding, I could have ignored it, even pretended to believe her. But poison? She couldn't wait? If she'd just given me time—time to harvest those three children's organs and restore my health—I could have wiped Gerald and Harold off the face of the earth."
The pressure on his chest grew unbearable, the voice above him dripping venom. Daniel cried out, shoving Eric's foot away. Eric stumbled, nearly falling, but Eirlys caught his arm.
"So, you are afraid of losing control," Daniel rasped. "You were planning to take over the Stewart Family completely, then stand before me as the victor. Patricia forced your hand."
Eric's jaw tightened. She had indeed forced him to move early—her attack on Harold had given the police evidence, leaving him no choice.
"You want the Stewart Family... and my life," Daniel said flatly.
After a moment's silence, he conceded. "If you promise not to harm Theron, I'll give you both."
Eric studied him, surprised. He knew Daniel would do anything for his son, but to hand over everything so openly?
"How?" he asked.
Daniel swallowed his pride. "I'll write a suicide note, leaving all my shares to Theron. The note will say that after tragedy struck both children in succession broke me. It will tell Theron to side with you against the board. That way, you'll control the Stewart Family."
Eric clapped slowly, each hollow smack of his hands dripping with mockery. "Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. Then let's get started."
Eirlys fetched paper and pen. Daniel stared at the blank sheet. For a heartbeat, the whiteness seemed to swallow him whole.
Suddenly, he was young again, standing in his father's study beside Atlas. His father named Atlas the heir, leaving Daniel with nothing but the taste of bitterness. Later, drunk and seething, he forced himself on Luna—Atlas's wife. From that night, Henry was born.
Hunger for power drove him further. He staged a car crash, killing his twin and stepping into the dead man's life. When Luna later gave birth to Patricia, he silenced her forever, raising the girl not as a daughter, but as a bargaining chip.
Every sin had a face now—and every face was Eric's.
With a long, shuddering breath, Daniel began to write. Ten minutes later, he handed the letter and a signed statement to Eric.
Eric read them, nodded in satisfaction, and folded the note, passing it to Eirlys. "Well then, Mr. Stewart, let's see the final act."
Daniel's lips trembled. He staggered to his room, opened a hidden drawer, and pulled out a pistol. Turning it in his hand, he pressed the barrel to his heart—and pulled the trigger.