Pampered By My Three Brothers: The Return Of The Neglected Heiress - Chapter 880

Chapter 880: I didn’t skip school! I skipped her class!
[Flashback]

“You’re doing good, boy.”

The young Stephen gazed up, only to see a man grinning at him with a cigar between his teeth. The man placed a hand on top of his head, ruffling his hair.

“Keep it up, boy,” said the young Chairman Bennet, watching as Stephen, now on the cusp of his teenage years, glanced down at the workbook he was answering in the garden. Stephen lowered his head to hide the blush creeping onto his cheeks.

He pressed his lips together, focusing on the workbook in front of him. He answered diligently, knowing his uncle was watching.

Stephen’s mother and Chairman Bennet were siblings. However, due to poor decisions, his mother married a deadbeat man who would beat her and Stephen nearly to the brink of death. It wasn’t until the chairman intervened and helped his sister escape that things began to change. Since then, the chairman has been the one to take care of them, even sending Stephen’s father to jail.

Sadly, shortly after, Stephen’s mother died from injuries sustained over years of domestic abuse. The toll on her body had been too great. So, the chairman became the only parent Stephen had. This made the compliments and approval from the chairman especially meaningful to the young boy.

“I’m… home…!”

Just then, young Charles announced his arrival. Stephen turned his head, only to see a boy with a dirty face, clothes, and shoes. The chairman’s face immediately wrinkled in displeasure at the sight of his son.

“Charles, where in the world did you go?” Chairman Bennet spat, clearly frustrated. “You look like you’ve been in a tunnel!”

“Because… I was in a tunnel!”

“What?!”

“I found a hole in the street and decided to go on an adventure — it was dark!”

“You—” Chairman Bennet pinched the bridge of his nose, speechless from his son’s madness. When he finally spoke, his voice was sharp as he pointed a finger at Charles. “Go call your mother — your teacher called her and said you skipped school again!”

“I didn’t skip school! I skipped her class!”

“You, brat!”

“Dad, you said boring things are—” Charles didn’t finish his sentence when he saw his father grab an ashtray and stub out his cigar. “Mom! Dad’s going to kill me!”

“You slanderous brat! Come back here! I’m giving you a beating this time!”

Stephen watched as the chairman rolled up his sleeve and took large strides, chasing after his rebellious son. He raised an eyebrow, catching the slight smirk at the corner of the chairman’s mouth.

At that moment, Stephen didn’t know why, but despite the chairman’s angry voice, it seemed like the chairman was… smiling, as if his son had done something to make him proud. Stephen shrugged it off.

Day after day, Charles and his father would argue about almost everything. Charles would come home dirty, sometimes with a bruise, and the chairman would scold him relentlessly. Meanwhile, Stephen would always receive compliments from the chairman and gentle words whenever he spoke to him.

The chairman never scolded Stephen, nor did he ever say anything to hurt his feelings. In young Stephen’s mind, he thought that if he did well, the chairman would pay more attention to him. After all, unlike Charles, who made the chairman angry every day, Stephen made him smile.

It wasn’t until years later that Stephen’s bubble burst.

The chairman had always been kind to him because Stephen had a deadbeat father and his mother had died. But that didn’t mean the chairman saw Stephen as better than Charles. Even though the chairman would sometimes compare Charles to him, it didn’t mean anything.

The chairman simply pitied him.

At the end of the day, the chairman might have never spoken to Charles in a gentle voice, but Charles would always be his son. No matter how much Charles rebelled, the chairman would always keep his doors open for him. And the chairman would give everything to his son as if nothing had ever happened.

It would have been understandable for Stephen if only Charles had been grateful for his father. But instead of appreciating what the chairman had done for him, Charles had the gall to keep his children away from the family. However, that was just a small part of what fueled Stephen’s anger. What truly bothered him was that the chairman still accepted Charles despite everything.

—

[Present Time]

“What are you doing here?” Chairman Bennet, as grumpy as ever, frowned deeply as he sat in his usual spot. “I was doing some morning prayers. I thought you’d left.”

After all, Stephen had arrived here over an hour ago. Chairman Bennet had intentionally idled, thinking Stephen would leave. But when the man didn’t, the chairman decided to meet with him and see what he had to say.

“I’m warning you,” he grumbled. “If this is about your son, or your decision to cut him off, I’m not interested in such a foolish person.”

Stephen smiled wryly at the chairman. “I know, Chairman. I’ve been thinking a lot since the last time, and I understand why you can’t allow such behavior.”

“I can’t allow it because it’s wrong. There’s no other explanation for that,” Chairman Bennet said, growing more irritated as it seemed the reason wasn’t obvious to Stephen.

“Yes, sir.” Stephen lowered his head, sighing heavily as he couldn’t help but reflect on the past.

Despite the bad, there were good memories. And this man, for most of Stephen’s life, had been his only parent. The chairman was the one who saved him from his deadbeat father, took care of him when his mother died, fed him, sent him to school, and always motivated him to do better in life.

Although the chairman never tried to be Stephen’s father, the latter was grateful for everything.

“I just… came here to thank you,” Stephen said, making the chairman furrow his brows. “At first, I kept thinking, why wouldn’t you let Sven’s actions slide? You let what he did to the company slide, letting Atlas terminate him as punishment. I know attempted murder is terrible — it’s horrifying. But he’s still family. And then I realized my mother, your sister, was basically murdered as well.”

The moment Stephen mentioned his mother, Chairman Bennet’s face stiffened.

“So, I understand that… in a way, my father’s genes were also passed to my son,” Stephen added, watching as the chairman reached for the pre-prepared tea on the coffee table. As the chairman guided the teacup to his lips, Stephen spoke again.

“Chairman,” he called, making the chairman pause. “Thank you… for everything. Charles might not say it, but… I’m always grateful that you stood up as my father, even when you didn’t have to.”

Chairman Bennet frowned slightly, but instinctively kept up his grumpy demeanor as he sipped his favorite tea, while Stephen watched quietly.