Chapter 53

I breathed a sigh of relief, but my nerves remained on edge as I hugged the wall tightly. Frederick hopped out lightly, shoving past me. “Hurry up!” he urged.

I took a deep breath, my voice shaking. “Are you out of your mind? When did I say I was going with you?”

He clicked his tongue. “You’ve made it this far, so make up your mind. If you’re staying, I’m going without you.”

With that, Frederick started pushing me out. I panicked, grabbing a railing. “Hold on.”

I had no choice but to obey, inching my way forward. Even though he kept telling me to hurry, his actions suggested otherwise; he simply watched me move as if he had all the time in the world.

I glared at him. “Where are you taking me?”

Frederick responded, “You’ll see when we get there.”

We edged forward bit by bit. I had a vague feeling we were outside his parents' room. Then, I heard Jeffrey’s angry voice from inside. “If Fred keeps this up, he’s going to ruin himself sooner or later.”

The window was open, so the soundproofing was terrible. Every word reached our ears, and Frederick came to a sudden halt. I bit my lower lip and looked at him with concern. His eyes were blank, as if he were facing me but looking right past me. “Don’t be too harsh on him,” I said.

I could tell it was Brenda’s voice. “He’s actually doing pretty well; I heard La Doghouse is the busiest bar in Harthville now. He just doesn’t want to take over the family business. That’s all.”

Jeffrey snapped, “If he doesn’t want to take over, then who will? Are we just supposed to hand the chairman’s seat over to someone else?”

“Does he even realize how many people are just waiting to take his place? As my son, he should have stepped up a long time ago. Honestly, he is nothing like Jonathan. Ford Group is a massive company, and Jonathan shoulders it all on his own. Meanwhile, Frederick wastes his time at that stupid bar.”

Brenda sighed. “Still, there’s nothing you can do. Frederick is already doing really well. You can’t keep comparing him to Jonathan.”

Jeffrey retorted, “Why the hell not? Don’t you know Jonathan would jump at the chance to take my seat?”

He suddenly lowered his voice. “Being the chairman doesn’t bring me big deals or a ton of money, but don’t let that fool you. This role holds real power. No businessman in Hartville gets a free pass. Even those well-established families still have to come through us. Sure, we tread carefully around Jonathan and the Ford family, but that doesn’t mean they can walk all over us. That’s the balance of power. The Fords are already way too influential. If they get their hands on this role too, no one stands a chance against them.”

Brenda knitted her brows together, her voice betraying a hint of unease. She paused before remarking, “I just don’t see Jonathan as someone who would try to control everything.”

Jeffrey snorted. “Seriously? His ambition is obvious. This circle is crawling with sharks. Frederick is capable, but he lacks ambition. On the other hand, Jonathan is one of the few who is both ambitious and relentless. Do you think I can just ignore that? He’s young, and yet he is already on equal footing with us. If Fred keeps messing around like this, it’s only a matter of time before Jonathan runs all of—”

Brenda sighed. “You’re right. Fred has been too headstrong for his own good.”

I caught the way Frederick’s eyes dimmed, and I felt an ache I couldn’t quite explain. Brenda, who used to be the only person who understood him, ended up criticizing him like Jeffrey. Her disappointment probably hit him the hardest. However, I barely had a moment to feel sorry for Frederick before they started talking about me instead.