The Miracle of You

“That woman planned on divorcing me and going off to marry Samuel McGregor instead,” Gregory revealed. “At that time, you and Patricia weren’t even born yet, so she was determined in her decision. She even intended on telling her parents about her plans. So then I thought, if the Rutherfords found out that she wanted to marry Samuel McGregor, they would eventually agree, simply because back then, the McGregors had accomplished a lot of things, and Haynes-McGregor Industries was rising up to be one of the top five companies in the entire country.”

He smiled.

“I had been in the middle of my plans when the perfect opportunity just presented itself. An uncanny coincidence, don’t you think?”

Christian scoffed. “What a messed up situation.”

“Ah, well, messed up things can happen in a family like ours.”

“Considering the fact that my own mother cheated on you twice, I believe it. Goes to show just how loyal women are.”

Gregory looked at his son for a moment. He opened his mouth to ask something, but Christian beat him to it.

“So what did you do? With Samuel McGregor, I mean.”

Christian already had an inkling of what his father’s attempt of a question might be. It most likely had something to do with his ‘feelings’ for Camille.

But his father already knew that Christian did not believe in true love. For them, love was more of an obsession and an emotional weakness, like all the other fools in the world felt.

His father was someone who liked to analyze in detail first, rather than confront immediately. With that kind of personality, he would probably study Christian’s true feelings for Camille and see if it could somehow pose a risk. Or maybe just for his own amusement, since Gregory tended to enjoy such things sometimes.

Either way, Christian had no intention of letting Gregory examine and study him like a lab rat. He was not interested in discussing Camille with his own father.

“Since it was a hit-and-run, I ordered a private investigation into the accident to see if there was foul play,” Gregory replied, deciding not to continue with his original attempt at a question. “The police were not very competent back then. Perhaps they got lazy because Mason Parker wasn’t exactly a top priority, so there were some details they missed. It was only because of the skills of my men that they were able to find out more.”

“Huh. Does that mean you hid the new evidence and kept it for yourself? What would be the point of that?”

“I did, indeed. When the license plate was discovered and the culprit was revealed to me, I acted as quickly as I could. I made a private phone call to Samuel McGregor and suggested we meet. He had no idea what I knew and assumed that I intended to make a business proposal. When we arrived at the meeting place, I showed him the evidence that proved he was the one involved in the accident.” Gregory smirked. “You should have seen the look on his face.”

Christian chuckled. “I can imagine. Perhaps he looked like a rat that was suddenly trapped in a corner.”

“Quite similar, yes. So while he was panicking, I offered him a deal. I would not turn him in to the police on one condition: he had to break things off with Pamela and cut her out of his life completely. He needed to tell her that he never really loved her and only dated her because she was gullible and he just wanted an obedient plaything. But now, he found someone new and genuinely fell in love. That was what I required him to say.”

Christian shook his head. It really was that easy to manipulate fools in love. “Did he do what you asked?”

“Of course he did.” Gregory chuckled. “His life and reputation were at stake. If the media and his family ever got wind of what he had done, such a scandal would haunt him for a long time.”

“What was my mother’s reaction afterwards?”

“She didn’t say anything. She would never show her heartbroken self in front of me, because then she’d end up revealing the fact that she was having a sordid affair behind my back. So, she kept her mouth shut.” Gregory’s features showed amusement. “But I saw that sad look in her eyes. She stayed in her room all day, looking miserable all the time. It was then that I confirmed that Samuel McGregor had indeed broken up with her, much to my satisfaction.”

“So you let him go, just like that? You didn’t turn him over to the police?” Christian raised an eyebrow, as if he didn’t believe a word his father had just said. “You kept your word and destroyed the evidence?”

Gregory tilted his head back and laughed. “What do you take me for, boy? I am no Good Samaritan. Far from it.”

A satisfied expression found its way to Christian’s features. “That’s good to know.”

“I gave him a week to sort things out. When I was satisfied with how he handled things with Pamela, I gave the evidence that I had to the police. From then on, he was in the hands of the police chief.”

“The poor little sod,” Christian remarked, though there was not a hint of sympathy in his voice.

“I cut off all communication with him so he wouldn’t complain to me about what happened. But I had someone discreetly monitor the case, and it was quite amusing. At first, he denied being the driver, but the evidence was so damning that he eventually had no choice but to confess. He wanted to sort things out himself somehow without anyone else knowing, but John McGregor eventually found out, and he was furious.”

Gregory laughed.

“John McGregor pulled all the strings he could and finally got his younger brother released from police custody. He also prevented even a single detail from being released to the media. Clever man, that one.”

“So John McGregor knew? Interesting.”Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

“Yes. A day later, John sent Samuel abroad to lie low, and that was the end of it.”

“I see.”

“Of course, he found out that I was the one behind his brother’s arrest. That’s why he doesn’t like me very much.”

“Ah.” The realization dawned on Christian. “So that’s why you two hate each other.”

“Hate is a strong word. I was just minding my own business. The feeling is one-sided.” Gregory shrugged. “John wanted nothing to do with me, and later on, we became business rivals. It was inevitable. Our businesses are in the same field, and there’s bound to be fierce competition as both companies rise to the top.”

Christian frowned slightly as he realized something.

“That doesn’t explain why Winston held a grudge against our family,” he pointed out.