Chapter 489 The White Family Never Owes You
Lachlan appeared calm on the surface, but his hands, hidden under the table, were actually trembling.
He clenched his fists tightly, struggling to control the surging emotions inside, trying not to lose his composure.
He asked through gritted teeth, "How can you even talk about fairness? Didn't you give the company inheritance to Magnus back then? I'm nothing in your eyes!"
"This matter... is that really what you think?" Preston's eyes were full of disappointment.
He never knew that what he thought was fair would be seen by Lachlan as favoritism.
"If you had a talent for business, or even stronger abilities than Magnus in this area, how could I not let you into the White Group?"
Preston had raised Lachlan for so many years, and he had long regarded Lachlan as his own son.
But there was no denying that Lachlan truly had no talent for business.
He continued, "Do you remember when you both came of age? I had you intern at the company for three months? That was a test for you both."
Unfortunately, Lachlan's test results weren't passing.
That's why he didn't hesitate to hand the White Group over to Magnus.
Later, he had wanted to arrange a position for Lachlan at the White Group, but Lachlan said he loved photography and wanted to open a studio.
Looking back now, his ultimate goal in opening the studio wasn't finding his own interest.
It was the beginning of his plan to get revenge on the White family.
Lachlan opened his mouth but he couldn't find an excuse to argue back.
So... that internship back then was a test for him?
He had indeed worked at the White Group for a while, but at the time, he didn't take the internship seriously.
He thought he was a son of the White family and didn't understand why Preston made them hide their identities when entering the company.
He could have directly revealed his identity and taken on some important positions.
Instead of being a low-level employee, being ordered around every day, doing odd jobs.
The department he was assigned to had a very arrogant supervisor who bossed him around daily, making him do many things unrelated to work.
Buying coffee, ordering meals, cleaning, handling documents...
He couldn't spare any energy to work properly.
That's when he started resenting Preston, thinking he was playing favorites.
Why was Magnus assigned to an important department? Why could Magnus handle projects as soon as he entered the White Group, while he was assigned to an idle position?
And he had to put up with the supervisor's attitude every day!
It was so unfair!
Hearing this, Preston shook his head helplessly, "Do you think Magnus didn't face hardships? You're wrong."
Magnus had also faced a lot of unfair treatment back then.
This was very common in the workplace.
But Magnus knew when to back down and when to show his abilities.
Not long after he started, he proposed his own ideas at a meeting and helped the White Group secure a major project.
Gradually, everyone's attitude toward him changed.
As for Lachlan, he only knew how to complain and blame others.
In the end, the difference was clear.
Preston had worked hard to develop and grow the White Group, so naturally, he had to choose the more suitable person to inherit it.
Lachlan wasn't qualified.
Lachlan suddenly stood up from the sofa, his eyes full of disbelief, "No, that can't be! How is this possible? You must be playing favorites."
Preston looked at him calmly, "Even if I really was playing favorites, so what? Magnus is my biological son; shouldn't I favor him?"
What Lachlan said truly made Preston feel cold.
He had said what needed to be said. If Lachlan still insisted on his view that he was playing favorites, there was nothing he could do.
Lachlan was left speechless by Preston's words.
He smiled bitterly.
Right, even if Preston really was playing favorites, what could he do about it?
He wasn't Preston's biological son at all.
What was wrong with Preston favoring his own biological son?
So all his hatred over these decades was just a joke.
Turns out, he was the biggest joke!
Lachlan felt like everything he had held onto in his heart had suddenly collapsed.
For a moment, he didn't know what to do.
Or what to say.
In the end, there was only endless silence.
Seeing him like this, Preston let out a heavy sigh.
"Lachlan, I can understand how you feel, but... the White family has never owed you anything."
After a pause, he added, "I didn't handle this matter well enough; it's not entirely your fault."
He had overthought things back then.
If he had told Lachlan early on that he wasn't a child of the White family, perhaps no one could have taken advantage of him.
Lachlan's mother had always had her eye on the White family's money, and Lachlan was used by his biological mother.
Actually, when it came down to it, Lachlan was also pitiful.
However, the harm he brought to the White family was real.
Preston didn't plan to sympathize with him.
Preston just thought he was pitiful.
And very foolish.
What Preston hated most was actually Lachlan's mother!
Madeline would rather use her own death to fuel Lachlan's hatred toward the White family.
And then, everything that followed happened.
Madeline was truly terrifying.
Lachlan's eyes were red as he looked up and asked, "What about my mother's death? I saw it with my own eyes, Magnus pushed her down."
He had seen this with his own eyes.
It couldn't be fake!
But after it happened, Preston kept protecting Magnus.
That's what completely broke his heart.
Preston thought for a moment, got up, and opened the safe, pulling out a stack of documents.
"Look, this is evidence I've collected over the years."
This evidence was enough to prove that Madeline's death had nothing to do with Magnus.
He had tracked down the debt collectors from back then and people who were close to Madeline.
As well as the husband Madeline married later, and the son she had afterward.
From these clues, he finally found some of the truth from back then.
Magnus had never harmed Madeline.
This was all Madeline's plan.
When Madeline was drunk, she had personally told her ex-husband and son about her plan.
Lachlan hurriedly flipped through the documents, his face growing more serious the more he read.
He kept shaking his head, his eyes full of disbelief, "No, that can't be! How is this possible..."
Madeline had clearly looked at him with such gentle and loving eyes, been so good to him.
"This isn't real! It's not!"
Lachlan forcefully threw all the documents on the floor, "This is impossible!"
Preston glanced at the documents scattered on the floor and said nothing.
Lachlan probably needed time to process all this.
Lachlan's mind was completely blank at this moment. He slumped back on the sofa, tears flowing uncontrollably.
Why did she do this to him?
Why was his biological mother so cruel to him?
For over twenty years, he had been living in hatred.
Whenever he woke up in the middle of the night, he was planning how to get revenge on the White family, how to avenge Madeline.
He even did illegal things at any cost, living in darkness.
But in the end, it was all an absurd farce!
Why did it turn out this way?