Broken Bond: Between Vices and Virtues (BL)
Chapter 108: You have to choose

Chapter 108: You have to choose

The door opened again. Another one came back. Nathaniel sighed, thinking that Steve must have wanted to hear assurance from him. He was ready to give him the ripped document, implying his decision.

"Come in," he said, standing up and walking to his desk. Contrary to what he expected, it was his son who showed up. He arched his brows at Athan. "Did you forget something?"

Athan stood by the door and pronounced without beating around the bush, "The kidnapper isn’t missing, Dad."

The chairman froze in his tracks. He spun toward his son, throwing him a confused yet curious look, "What do you mean?"

"I meant that there’s no way the person they’re pinning the abduction case into was missing," Athan recalled what he witnessed that night. ’Yeah, no one would live after their skull cracked like that’, he thought and even had goosebumps from the bloody memory.

He gave his father a meaningful look as he continued, "...after all, I saw that person battered and barely breathing. No...not breathing. I think that person died on the spot."

Chairman Nathaniel’s face hardened. A scenario came to his mind, but then he hoped he wasn’t like that. He dreadfully asked, "Who killed him?"

Athan hesitated. He could already see the consequences of his answer. Results that will affect his younger brother more than him.

Nathaniel narrowed his eyes at Athan. The latter decided to tell the truth, "Azrael Del Valle. The kidnapper’s head was battered until everything gushed out, because, according to Shawn, Knox was almost...raped. So, I get that Azrael went berserk, but I’m certain that person was dead, so finding him will be hard."

The torn paper that the chairman held crumpled. He looked away from his son, hiding the satisfaction over a person’s death, one that goes against their morals. He cleared his throat and asked casually, "And the body?"

"It was the Montgomery who took care of the scene so...I’m guessing they buried him already," Athan responded, pretending like he didn’t notice his father’s passive sentiment. He turned to the door and was ready to leave after saying another piece of his mind, "Dad, if you choose to discard your initial plan to pin everything to Rage Del Valle, then the only ones who will be paying for this are his men..."

His voice trailed off. What was he trying to say anyway? If his father pushes through, then Shawn will suffer. His hands clawed on his palms. He glanced back over his shoulders and spoke, "Is there any other way to put that man in jail?"

"There is a definite way, son," Chairman Nathaniel sat on his chair and propped his arms on the desk. He eyed Athan knowingly, "If you dig enough, you might find some buried treasures or corpses, or maybe someone’s dirt if you dig in the right places."

Athan blinked. He stared at his father for a few seconds, before nodding slowly, agreeing to his father’s phrase. After that, he excused himself and left.

Chairman Nathaniel ordered Steve to call for Knox.

A few minutes later, Knox was standing before the chairman’s desk. His body stood straight, but he never dared to lift his head and meet his father’s inscrutable gaze.

Knox gulped and decided to let out what had been bothering him since then, "I...am very sorry, f-father. I’ve caused you another trouble again."

Nathaniel rested his chin over his clasped hands as he put Knox under his watchful gaze. Staring at his distinctive features, he could easily imagine Killian Arden’s face even though two decades had passed already.

A younger face, sweet and kind, helping his coworkers and even lifting the mood in his workplace with his lame jokes that can somehow bring a smile to someone due to his poker face that would burst out of laughter after telling his piece.

A recessive omega who had no qualms about spending time with alphas because he bragged about being a black belt in taekwondo, believing that was enough to scare any pest away.

Killian Arden was that kind of person. Kind, thoughtful, and carefree. His whole background would beam when he flashed his teeth on a wide grin, and his unbridled laughter was contagious and pleasant to the ears.

Nathaniel shut his eyes, as though doing so would stop him from reminiscing the distant past. What they had was short, so the memories were faded and vague, yet only his image remained as bright as ever.

Out of the blue, he had the nerve to ask his son, "Did your father...did Killian suffer so much?"

Knox was dumbfounded. He didn’t expect that question, he was a bit taken aback. Once he regained his composure, he gave his alpha father a conflicted look, "I...ah, I don’t know how to answer that..."

Nathaniel probed, "You can tell me what you think."

"I think...he lived a happy life before my mother was diagnosed with cancer. After that, he...chairman, why are you asking when you already know about what happened?" Knox asked accusingly; his voice sounded a bit pained.

The chairman looked down, "Right. I already know what happened. I guess what I really wanted to know was if his happy memories outweighed the bad ones. You’re very similar to him, so I really wanted to protect you this time, Knox. That’s why I want you to choose."

A foreboding feeling engulfed Knox as he stared back at those same green eyes. He asked with bated breath, "C-Choose what?"

Nathaniel explained, "Rage Del Valle wanted to file a case against Shawn for hacking resulting in data loss and corrupted files. My lawyer summed up a five to twenty years of imprisonment for your brother’s fiancé."

Knox was aghast.

"He wants an agreement – abandon the support on the investigation regarding your abduction and don’t press his name on it. Then, he won’t file that case," the chairman continued.

Knox balled his hands into a fist. The distrust towards the man he had never met yet displayed on his face, "Do you believe that he will easily let it go?"

Nathaniel answered nonchalantly, "Of course not. Everything will be on a contract, of course. That is...if I agree."

He gave Knox an adamant look, one that tells he won’t back down at the transgressions of his enemies. Knox gasped. He exclaimed, "Don’t tell me...!"

Nathaniel looked at the window as if he was recalling a melancholic memory. He then stated in a sad voice, "Shawn is precious to me as well. He grew up with your brother, and he is Steve’s beloved nephew."

He turned to Knox, "But Knox, you’re my son. My own blood. I would hate it if the person who put you through that traumatic experience could just walk free from all of this. So, I’m planning to push through.

"Just as we had the power and money to corner Del Valle and convince the law to punish him, I will also guarantee that Shawn will receive a lesser punishment. Though he might have to spend his best year inside prison."

His voice was determined and left no room for any suggestion.

Knox’s eyes shook ever slightly. He couldn’t believe what he heard. His father was choosing him. In another situation, he would have felt elated and acknowledged, but what he only felt at that moment was agony. He felt burdened with guilt.