Chapter 1096

Margaret had been listening silently. Ralph's words astonished her. "What did you say? Are you saying the secret handbook you stole was a fake?"

"Yeah," Ralph sighed. "I had no idea, but Heather knew it was a fake immediately. Alex deliberately set a trap for me—an arrow nearly hit me! If it had, I wouldn't be here talking to you. You said I've been cruel to him, but hasn't he been the same to me? Even if stealing the handbook was wrong, Alex could have told me directly, or dissuaded me. Instead, he set a trap and used dangerous weapons. Mom, does he even see me as his uncle?"

Margaret hesitated. "Well..."

"I'm not being petty," Ralph continued, his voice strained, "but if I don't fight back, I'll be at his mercy. You're here now, so maybe he won't do anything drastic. But I'm afraid—I'm terrified—he'll push me to a dead end the day you're gone!" He slumped over, dejected.

Margaret felt a deep conflict. This was her greatest fear: that her son might not survive after her death. Alexander would never forgive Ralph's treachery, and she would be powerless to intervene.

Ralph, sensing his mother's concern, said, "Mom, I'm not trying to destroy him. I won't be like him when I lead the family. I promise I'll take care of him, I'll make sure he's fed, as long as I live. I won't let him starve, okay?" He raised his hand in a solemn oath.

Margaret, bypassing his pleas, asked, "Did Heather do anything after you retrieved the fake handbook? The shares..."

She relied on Ralph to secure the Riggs family shares. The fraudulent handbook meant Heather hadn't achieved her goal. Would she accept this?

"Heather's fine," Ralph replied smoothly. "We're partners, even if we're not married. The fake handbook only proved my sincerity. Taking that risk, breaking into Alex's mansion...it made her want to work with me even more. Don't worry. I've already told Heather I'll hold onto the Riggs shares when I take over the Russell family. Besides, finding the real handbook will be no problem when the time comes."

Ralph desperately needed his mother's support. He couldn't reveal Heather's manipulation or the fact that the Riggs shares were beyond his grasp. If Margaret knew, she wouldn't help him against Alexander. He was putting all his eggs in one basket, hoping his mother wouldn't notice the inconsistencies.

Margaret remained silent, her head bowed, seemingly weighing his words.