Chapter 284 - Press Conference (18)

DX looked at Jack who was facing him with his back.

His small body was trembling and even though he could not see his son's face, he knew that Jack was trying his best not to cry.

He removed his hand from the top of Jack's head and placed it on his son's shoulder before he replied,

"I didn't want to tell you because you were young and I don't want you to feel that it was your fault or anything. You didn't do anything wrong and there was nothing you could have done to protect Lyle..."

"...Even though I have only known you for a couple of months then, I could tell that you are a kind boy and you'd definitely wondered why it's him and not you..."

Jack wrapped his hands around his knees and placed his face down so that he could hide the tears that were flowing down his cheeks.

He rarely cried but the past couple of days, he felt as if he was a little boy again.

DX sighed and did not attempt to console his son. He was old enough to know the answers to all his questions.

He gave Jack a quick glance before continuing, "He did not remember much about his days with you and your mother. He was still young when she sold him off. When I asked him, he told me that she sold him off because he was bad..."

He noticed that Jack's body froze but he continued, "...The bad men who hit him told him the same things. Your brother felt that it was his fault that bad things happened to him..."

DX thought of Lyle who used to tremble whenever he saw a stranger.

"...Because of what the adults in his life did to him, Lyle was constantly afraid of people. I can't have him live in constant fear, so I spent a lot of time with him in order to slowly expose him to people. I didn't want him to continue to feel lonely. I couldn't bear to leave him alone because of that...and so, I brought him along with me whenever I went. At that time, I didn't know how to take care of children so I couldn't take the two of you at the same time. I'm sorry if I've ever made you felt neglected, Jack. I didn't mean to hurt you."

Jack wiped his tears off with his shirt before looking up at his father and asked, "What about her? Why is Lyle obsessed with her?"

"Lyle is not obsessed with her," answered DX.

He then told Jack the entire story of how he was unable to keep calm when the building collapsed, and how Kai Xin had to take charge.

In a story mode, he told him of her heroic deeds and how she went in to save his son and the other children.

Jack felt bad about the way he treated her and the bad thoughts that he had of her.

When Jack looked at him with eyes that seemed to have aged overnight, DX said gently,

"In his memory, she was the first person that has ever protected him and showed him kindness. She was the only one who had ever shown him what a mother could be."

DX looked at Jack and he noticed that Jack's eyes now bore a resemblance to his twin's eyes.

His beautiful pair of eyes that used to be bright and cheerful were now slightly dimmed by the knowledge of what his mother did.

"Dad..." murmured Jack as he stood up. He wiped the tears away and looked at his father with a wry grin.

"Yes?"

"The truth sucks..."

Thinking about the content of the letter, DX agreed, "It sucks indeed..."

If possible, he wanted to protect his children from everything that was bad in the world.

However, the earlier both of them learned of the treachery that came with their positions as his heir, the better they could defend themselves against being manipulated by others.

As they walked back into the mansion, they saw Lyle who was fully dressed for school coming down from the stairs.

"Where were you?" asked Lyle as he rubbed his sleepy eyes.

When he woke up earlier and saw that Jack was gone, he thought that the latter had left for school earlier for his extracurricular activity.

When Jack did not answer him, Lyle shrugged and went to the dining room.

He promised some of his friends that he would play chess with them before class today and he would hate it if he was late.

After Lyle was out of their sigh, Jack turned to his dad and in a low voice, he asked, "I don't know how to deal with this...I can't meet him in the eye."

DX understood his son's predicament. He had been thinking about it earlier as well.

Speculating and knowing was different, and earlier, when he decided to read the letter, he knew that things would never be the same after.

If he could feel her pain after reading what she wrote, what was it like for her?

He wanted to keep her locked up in the house where she could be safe, but he knew that she would definitely fight back.

With a heavy sigh, he said, "Just treat him normally...Lyle would get angry if you treat him any differently than before..."

It was not just a piece of advice for his son, but also to serve as a reminder to himself that she would be angry if he started to treat her as if she was a weak woman.