Chamberlain was trying to be cautious because he knew his father was as cunning as a fox. The least suspicion would be probed until the end. So he couldn"t show his care for Carl, especially not in front of his father.He took a deep breath before picking up his phone to place the call.
When Charles Stan answered, Chamberlain"s heart skipped a beat. "F-father." He greeted, trying to calm his emotions.
Ignoring his greeting, Charles asked, "Has Lena decided to leave?"
"No, she"s staying."
"This is also good. We have to show the public their unwavering support for our family when we"re going through hard times."
Of course, Charles Stan wouldn"t let someone go against him if he doesn"t already have a plan. He wanted to show the public that even in adversity, they were united. This front would make the public believe them, feel they"re dependable and trustworthy.
"Father, I heard Stallone got arrested. I thought you wanted him to take over his father"s position, making him your puppet." Chamberlain"s heart thundered as he tried to find out his father"s thoughts.
Charles Stan went silent for a few seconds. Unconsciously, he also held his breath. He couldn"t help but think his father was already aware. A drop of sweat ran down Chamberlain"s face.
"Where did you get this information? I made sure no one told you."
Charles Stan had a flat voice or perhaps just pretending to which is why it"s so difficult to a.n.a.lyze him. However, at that moment, Chamberlain knew he had walked into a trap. No, he had run into a trap. He couldn"t stop himself from falling into a ditch. It was too late to take back his earlier statement. He should never have asked his father anything.
"Stallone called me so I was a little surprised because I thought you would want to take over the Blackwood family."
Chamberlain hoped his explanation was enough to make his father not suspect him. Of course, it was too late for that.
"He called you? When did you guys become so close?"
Chamberlain paled at his father"s question. He wanted to hit himself. How could he easily expose himself even though he tried to be cautious?
What could he say? They weren"t? That would be a lie and lying was worse than if he admitted.
He hadn"t considered why he was unaware of Carl"s arrest. He thought it was just his father withholding his plans from everyone just as usual. He did not think that it was a trap.
"You disappoint me Chamberlain. What have I told you about making friends?"
Chamberlain could only grit his teeth at his question.
"This is why I don"t want you making friends. You"re already questioning me because of Stallone. Is he that important to you?"
Charles Stan had asked four consecutive questions and Chamberlain failed to answer them. Actually, he did not need his answers, he had already gotten them.
Stallone Blackwood was a stain he had to remove before he corrupted his family.
On that note, Charles hung up.
Chamberlain smashed his phone against the wall. He hated this life, he hated his father, he hated himself.
On hearing the sound of the phone breaking, Lena stumbled into the room with worry. She thought something happened to Chamberlain.
"Lain what"s wrong?"
When she saw him, she was stunned. Chamberlain was clenching his fist hard and his eyes hard turned red.
She cautiously called him, "Lain…"
"Ahhhhh!" Chamberlain let out a growl before falling back down to his seat.
His scream frightened Lena. Especially as he wasn"t responsive.
"Lain.. Hubby," she called out as he carefully approached Chamberlain who had his head buried in his hands.
Not knowing what to do, she embraced him then rubbed his back until she noticed his shoulder trembling.
Was he crying?
Lena"s eyes widened. She tried coaxing him, "Everything is going to be okay."
This made him tremble even more. Was everything really going to be okay? He already made a promise to Carl, what was he going to do now.
Chamberlain felt powerless and worthless. He was angry that his father had always made decisions for him.
From what he studied, the kind of persons he let near to even his life partner.
He hated his father for controlling his life and he hated himself for being so weak. For being unable to stand up for himself.
Time trickled slowly when finally Chamberlain calmed down.
Lena immediately spoke up, "Are you okay? I thought you called father? Why are you so… sad? And angry?"
Chamberlain lifted his head then he saw his beautiful wife who had a frown on her face.
Then he wondered, "Did he also send you to control me?"
This thought made him push her away. He saw her face move from shocked to wronged. He almost wanted to embrace her and apologize but when he thought of his father, he hardened his heart. Without turning back he left.
Lena got back on her feet and chased after him. His anger and disgust were directed at her but she did nothing wrong.
Unfortunately, he shut the door before she could get to him. Since it was locked, she couldn"t get in.
Feeling wronged, she headed to a different bedroom.
…
Over at Mr. and Mrs. Blackwood residence, Carl was still trying to a.s.sure Kim and give her necessary instructions.
He talked about how things could go. Painting different scenarios and telling her how to respond to each. Which further increased her worry.
They ended their discussion with Carl promising to not get locked up and even returning to her safe.
Not being able to control their urges, they ended up making out, expressing their love for each other.
…
After Charles Stan hung up, he gritted his teeth. He blamed Carl for the abrupt change in Chamberlain"s behavior. Therefore he made up his mind to make Carl suffer more.
If Carl had simply taken the blame, the case would have ended and he would be able to bring his wife and daughter back and also continue his race to win the upcoming elections. Then it would have not mattered that his partners tried to break their agreement because they felt he was a sinking ship.
As he arrived at this conclusion, he immediately asked his personal a.s.sistant to fix a meeting with Judith Blackwood.