Chapter 119
That was to explain clearly to Emily what exactly had happened to him.
At this moment, all the hiding didn't matter anymore.
William only knew that if he couldn't explain things clearly, then he and Emily would be completely finished.
At this moment, all secrets were no longer secrets.
Worried that Emily wouldn't believe him, William had to find a way to prove that everything he said was true.
Emily was pulled along by William, walking very fast.
She tried to stop several times, but William acted as if he couldn't hear what she was saying, his footsteps never stopping.
It wasn't until the two got off the elevator and entered the residential complex that William's pace gradually slowed down.
"Can you talk now?"
Emily looked around.
William didn't speak. He just scanned the surroundings for a while, then pulled Emily to keep walking.
It wasn't until they came to a secluded area with bushes that he finally stopped.
There was absolutely no one here. Even if people passed by nearby, they would never think anyone would be talking here.
Emily was really curious about what could be so secret.
In her opinion, William wasn't someone who liked to lie. To be precise, since they'd known each other, William had never lied.
Now, all his behavior was very unusual, so much so that when Emily recalled what he had just said, she couldn't help but believe it a little.
Could William really have something difficult to talk about?
But even so, he should have told her, said he couldn't make it — was that so hard?
Why did he promise her but not show up, leaving all the mess for her to clean up alone? She couldn't figure it out, no matter how she thought about it.
William raised his hand to grip Emily's shoulders, his expression serious. "Emily, what I'm about to say is very important. You must listen carefully, and you must believe me. I won't lie to you."
Emily listened in confusion but didn't interrupt. She nodded.
For the sake of William having helped her so much, she was willing to trust William once, as long as what he said was true.
William took a deep breath. "Actually, I've hidden many things from you."
"All along, you only knew I was from the Brown family, but you had no idea how many things had happened inside the Brown family. You must be very curious why I don't go back to the Brown family and stay outside instead, right?"
This raised Emily's curiosity even more. She nodded. "That's right, I am indeed curious."
"So now? Are you planning to tell me?"
"Yes."
William nodded firmly. "But first, I need to make something clear. The reason I kept it from you wasn't that I didn't trust you, but because I didn't want you to get involved in these matters."
"I knew you had no way to protect yourself, and you're taking care of two children. Your mother's situation isn't good either."
"If I told you, it would only bring you greater trouble, so I had no choice but to hide it."
At this point, he sighed sadly.
"But I didn't expect that my moment of hesitation would bring disaster to you. When I think about how you handled so many things alone these past few days without me, I feel terrible."
"Stop."
Emily raised her hand to interrupt. "I don't want to hear these sappy words. I just want to know what you've been doing these past few days."
This had become Emily's obsession.
During the days when Amelia was missing, Emily couldn't sleep night after night. She wasn't just worried about Amelia — she was also worried about William.
Even if she was angry with him, a living person mysteriously disappearing with no way to contact him was clearly not a good sign.
What Emily was really angry about was that even if William was temporarily tied up with something, he should have told her.
Not disappear for no reason, then suddenly show up as if nothing had happened, not mentioning it at all.
They had been through so much together. Even the house she lived in now was bought with William's help.
She would never forget how excited she was that day when she won the big prize, and how they celebrated together.
They'd been through so much — why did William still keep things from her?
Didn't she deserve William's trust? Or was there something else going on?
This was also why Emily was willing to give William a chance to hear his explanation.
"What I'm about to say is a long story."
William steadied himself. "I wasn't planning to tell you originally, but if I don't say it now, I'm afraid your misunderstanding of me will only deepen. I can't worry about that anymore." He took a deep breath and looked at Emily seriously. "Someone wants me dead."
Emily's expression shook, surprise flashing through her eyes. "How is that possible?"
She frowned. "Aren't you from the Brown family? Who would come after you? Could it be business enemies? But that doesn't make sense either."
Emily frowned tightly. "In business, it's about making money. Even if they were real enemies, at most it would be a business war. Wouldn't it be enough to just destroy the Brown family's company? Why do they have to talk about killing?"
William shook his head gently. "It's not an enemy from outside. It's an enemy from within the family."
A bitter smile crossed his lips. "My uncle has been trying to seize power all along. He's never liked me and constantly wants me dead. I feel the same way about him."
At this, a flash of determination crossed William's eyes.
Under Emily's shocked gaze, he slowly began to tell the whole story.
The situation was simple — the Brown family's circumstances were far more complex than Emily had imagined.
Raymond had two sons. The first son was William's father, and the second son was William's uncle, Clarence.
When Raymond was young, he built a business empire with deep foundations and quickly established a firm foothold.
This should have been a good thing, but as Raymond grew older, deciding who to pass the family business to became a big problem.
Of his two sons, William's father was undoubtedly the most outstanding, and he was also the eldest son. By all rights, inheriting the company was proper and justified.
But Clarence wasn't satisfied. Though he didn't show it on the surface, considering human nature, if the entire company went to William's father, he would inevitably harbor resentment.
Raymond agonized over this for a long time. Finally, he made a decision: he would give the main company to William's father to manage, and give two subsidiary companies under his name to Clarence, making further decisions based on his performance.
In Raymond's view, this decision was fair — those with the ability should do more.
William's father was a business genius, so naturally, he could contribute more to the company.
In comparison, Clarence wasn't as outstanding. Managing the subsidiaries, as long as he didn't make mistakes, would also be to his credit.
But Clarence still wasn't satisfied. He even felt Raymond was too biased, always seeing only William's father and never seeing him.
Over time, Clarence's mindset gradually became twisted.