Chapter 460 Father and Son Confrontation
Benjamin sat by the bed, tucked the blanket around her, and left the room with light footsteps.
He called the maid back and told her to wake Sophia up in two hours, then drove to a nearby hotel.
Magnus was busy at the hotel right now. Celestria still had a mess that needed his attention, so he didn't dare relax.
Magnus handled a lot of Benjamin's business.
While listening to his subordinates' work reports, the doorbell suddenly rang.
Magnus immediately got up to answer the door. The only person who knew he was here was Benjamin.
However, he didn't expect that the person standing outside wasn't Benjamin.
It was his other son, Alaric.
A hint of surprise appeared on his face hidden behind the mask. Magnus froze in place: "Alaric?"
Alaric nodded and asked him, "Do you have time? I'd like to talk to you."
Magnus quickly stepped aside to make way and made a welcoming gesture.
"Come in, come in."
Alaric looked away and walked inside with long strides.
Magnus felt somewhat uneasy and said to him, "Sit wherever you like. What would you like to drink? I'll get it for you."
Alaric looked at him with an indifferent expression: "Don't bother. I'm only here to ask you a few questions."
Magnus was stunned again, feeling that Alaric's behavior was a bit off.
Although he hadn't been there for Alaric growing up, he understood his personality well.
Alaric appeared gentle on the surface, but deep down he had the unique pride and coldness of the White family. He wouldn't pay much attention to him, this "stranger."
But today he actually came looking for him.
Did something happen? Or... Magnus didn't dare think further.
Alaric's lips curved slightly, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. "Don't be nervous. I'm just asking a few questions."
"Go ahead." Magnus sat down on the sofa across from him, controlling his emotions.
Alaric stared at him, not wanting to miss any emotion in his eyes.
After about half a minute, he took out several photos from his suit pocket and placed them on the coffee table in front of them.
"I found these while organizing things today. Do they look familiar?"
Magnus shifted his gaze to the coffee table.
When he saw clearly what Alaric had handed over, his expression froze, and he looked up in shock.
"Recognize them?" Seeing he didn't answer, Alaric asked again.
Magnus's hands at his sides clenched tightly into fists, his heart contracting uncontrollably.
He was extremely grateful he was wearing a mask, otherwise he probably couldn't have hidden his expressions.
Even though he had been through so much and had expected this, he never thought this moment would come so quickly.
His Adam's apple moved as he swallowed, forcing himself to stay calm and smile: "What is this? I don't know what you're talking about."
Alaric wasn't surprised by his response. He pulled at the corner of his lips mockingly: "You don't know, or you don't dare face it?"
"..." Magnus opened his mouth, wanting to explain, but found he couldn't say anything.
Alaric continued: "If you won't say it, I'll say it for you. The man in this photo is named Magnus. He's my father. The little boy he's holding is me."
"I used to think my father was a hero, the most amazing person in the world, but he left without mercy, leaving me only a cold back view."
"From that day on, I never saw him again."
Magnus closed his eyes hard, still stubborn: "So this is Magnus. I've heard so much about him."
Alaric sneered: "He's a bastard! An irresponsible bastard who abandoned his wife and children! Do you know how much I hate him?"
He became more and more emotional, as if he wanted to release all the feelings he'd suppressed for twenty years.
Magnus's heart felt like it was being squeezed hard, painfully.
He almost forgot to breathe and wanted to escape, not knowing how to face this situation.
He didn't know how to face this son even more.
He owed everyone in the White family, especially his two sons.
Benjamin might not have much feeling for him, but Alaric was different. Alaric had seen him as an idol to worship.
But what had he done?
Magnus closed his eyes hard and remained silent.
Since Alaric came to him so confidently, he must have already confirmed his identity, so any denial would be meaningless.
Now, all he could do was stay silent.
Alaric's eyes were slightly red, and his emotions gradually calmed down. "Actually, I thought I'd never see you again in this lifetime. Even if I did see you, I'd beat you up first to vent."
"I..."
"I don't want to hear your explanation."
Magnus had just started to speak when Alaric cut him off.
He smiled bitterly, "Right now, I can still sit here and talk to you calmly, not because I've forgiven you, but because you're not worth dirtying my hands."
After a pause, he continued: "I don't care what your purpose is for coming back this time, but don't hurt Benjamin."
This was a warning to Magnus, and also his bottom line.
With that, he stood up and left without looking back.
The door closed, and Alaric's figure slowly disappeared, leaving only Magnus.
He sat on the sofa, his originally straight back suddenly bending down.
He held the photos in his trembling hands, and his eyes also turned red.
Tears gradually blurred his vision, and the memories he had buried in his heart all came flooding back.
If he could choose, he wouldn't have wanted to leave either.
He also wanted to be a good father.
But... even if he was forced into it, missing out was still missing out.
As a father, he hadn't been there for his children growing up, hadn't given them enough fatherly love.
He had even let the previous generation's grudges affect them.
He had no right to ask them to call him father anymore.
During the years he was away, he had been atoning.
But he knew very well that what he'd done was far from enough.
There was still so much more he could do.
Magnus pressed his thin lips together tightly and slowly held the family photo against his heart.
This was the only family photo of the five of them.
It was taken shortly after Cillian was born.
By then, his relationship with Amelia had already fallen apart, and quite badly.
But Amelia stubbornly blamed everything on Benjamin's birth, which is why there was Cillian.
He remembered when Cillian was born, Amelia was very happy, and her mental state was getting better and better.
He almost thought she had gotten better, and his attitude softened a lot too.
This family photo was taken at that time.
But who knew, it was all an illusion. Amelia's condition got worse day by day.
She acted like she was crazy, and her possessiveness over him grew stronger and stronger.
During the day when he went to work, Amelia would call him every half hour. If he didn't answer, she'd call over and over again.
She suspected every female employee at the company of having something with him.
Once when he was negotiating a deal and had his phone on silent, Amelia came directly to the company and caused a huge scene.
In the end, that deal fell through, and the White Group lost a very large contract.