Chapter 74

74 The Secret From Seven Years Ago

“Even if you don’t want to take a look at them, I will still ask you about them.”

The Alpha steepled his fingers together, his elbows resting on the couch arms comfortably.

The way Dane Silverback eyed the stack of papers on the table was rather amusing to him.

Eventually, Dane Silverback deigned to give the stack of papers the briefest glance.

“So?” He placed them back on the table, their treacherous content facing up for both of them to see. “What is it about?”

“If Father is not going to tell me what happened, then let me just ask how come the Silverback Corporation owned 65% of Clearwater Finance’s shares?”

Dane Silverback rang a bell at the side of the tea table and the floor attendant appeared at the door right away.

“Yes, Mr. Dane?”

“Bring us both two cups of coffee. Black, no sugar.”

.....

“One,” Ronan corrected his father.

Dane pulled a smirk. “Suit yourself.”

Ronan hated black coffee. Too bad his father never cared to remember.

“Answer me.”

“This is a business deal from the past, I don’t remember the details,” Dane Silverback answered lightly. “It was only one of the many acquisitions that Silverback Corporation did. It was nothing special.”

Ronan chuckled.

“I see.”

Ronan leaned forward and tapped on the papers.

“It just happened to be seven years ago, near the end of August.”

It was, to be exact, one day before Lucien broke up with Ronan.

The father and son engaged in a heated staring contest, none of them refused to budge. It was the attendant with a cup of coffee on a tray that eventually broke the deafening silence in the room.

“Mr. Dane, your coffee.”

“Hm. Put it down.”

The attendant put the cup of steaming coffee on the table. He gave Ronan a curious look and quickly looked away when the latter stared at him.

“Excuse me,” he stammered before he took his leave.

“That is not all that I found,” Ronan said while watching his father drink his coffee. “A large sum of money was transferred from your personal bank account to Gordon Clearwater’s on the very same day. What a coincidence, don’t you think?”

“Indeed, I don’t remember at all,” Dane smoothly lied through his teeth. There was even a shameless smile on his face. If Ronan did not know better, he would have punched the smile out of his father’s face.

“Since you don’t remember, I have taken the liberty to buy 55% shares of Clearwater Finance with my own money.”

Dane’s smile disappeared like a wisp of smoke, replaced by severe lines that indicate his utmost displeasure at hearing the news.

He was now sitting upright on the couch, glaring at his son.

“You dare to steal from Silverback Corporation?!” He shouted in disbelief.

“Heh.”

A chuckle escaped the Alpha. Why would he even need to steal?

“I bought the shares at the current share price. Not a cent less,” Ronan declared.

“You lied,” Dane decided.

“I didn’t. If you are interested, you can go and check it out.”

Theoretically, Dane Silverback should not be privy to the corporation’s insider information anymore after he retreated from the CEO position. Practically, he had access to any information he wanted and Ronan knew that.

“No need,” Dane said through gritted teeth. “You are now the CEO of the Silverback Corporation. Build or destroy it, you can do whatever you want now.”

Ronan shook his head in a mocking manner. “I am just here to share with you the latest news about my personal acquisition. Oh, and...”

Ronan rose from his seat and placed his hands on the table, leaning close to his father. He could smell some fright in Dane’s breath and it pleased him immensely.

“Don’t you dare use your influence on the Clearwater family anymore. Particularly on Lucien.”

That was what he came to say. Ronan’s fingernails scraped the surface of the table when he picked the financial report from the table. Without a single word of goodbye, the son walked toward the door.

A clattering sound was heard when the ebony table shook. A moment later, the coffee cup fell on top of the carpeted floor. The black stain spread like a blooming flower, ruining the otherwise immaculate fur carpet.

“Ronan!!!”

Ronan stopped in his track and turned to look at Dane. The latter stood up straight and glared at him with unconcealed anger.

“When will you finally grow up?” he chastised. “When will you stop chasing after that boy’s shadow???”

Ronan tilted his head backward, looking exceptionally handsome with a smug grin on his face.

“I grew up, Father. That’s why I do not listen to you anymore.”

“You...!!!”

Dane Silverback was outraged.

Ronan turned to leave, but he suddenly remembered something else. Hatred flashed in his eyes when he looked back at his father and said something else.

“Ah yes. If you want an obedient son who listens to everything that you have to say, then maybe you should make that boy from just now your heir.”

He was naturally referring to the floor attendant.

Ronan slammed the door in front of his father’s face. He could hear muffled sounds coming from inside the room, presumably his father who was launching curses at him. Sad, but Ronan did not care anymore.

Some distance away from the room, the floor attendant stood and waited. When Ronan walked past him, he kept his eyes down.

Ronan did not bother to give him another glance. A careful observation just now sufficed to see that the young man inherited some facial features that were inherent to the Silverback family’s good looks.

That was not all.

Around his neck was a golden chain locket with the Silverback family’s sigil on it, depicting a silver wolf howling at the moon. It was a token of love that Dane Silverback distributed to all the women who bore his children, legitimate or not.

Ronan tossed his locket into the trash can ages ago when he learned about his father’s infidelity.