No One Else Will Do But You - Chapter 84

Jiang Mu and Christon had reached a silent agreement. Christon was prepared to slowly move his influence back to France, though the path ahead was fraught with contradictions and historical baggage.

“The tycoon who monopolizes the Southeast Asian arms trade turns out to be you, my dear Christon,” Carlos said, looking at the files in his hand. He looked up at the man sitting across from him. “It seems you are far more powerful than I imagined. You’ve truly grown up.”

They shared similar facial structures, but their temperaments were worlds apart. In terms of aura, Jiang Mu and Christon were more alike—both possessed a steady, commanding strength.

“Carlos, it has been a long time,” Christon said elegantly, hands resting on his knees. He looked at Carlos with a calm, aristocratic gaze.

Carlos smiled. Though they were half-brothers, they were bound by blood. However, Carlos’s personality was much more colorful. “It’s been three years, hasn’t it? I heard you’ve become a ‘great teacher’ of the people?”

Christon’s lips curved slightly. “The term ‘teacher’ is a bit ironic, but I suppose it fits. At least I haven’t led my students astray—at most, I’ve taught them a few tricks on how to see through the black-hearted schemes of businessmen.”

“The arms trade is dangerous money, Christon. Aren’t you afraid something will happen one day?”

A cold smile flashed in Christon’s eyes. “Do I look like the kind of person things ‘happen’ to?”

Carlos shrugged. His younger brother had been aloof and incredibly confident since childhood. Even if the Old Earl refused to acknowledge him officially, the Rochechouart soul flowed through his veins. But Christon was still young. “Just be careful. I’m counting on you—or rather, the Rochechouart family is counting on you.”

Christon chuckled. “What if… I don’t want to get married?”

Carlos froze. “Christon, this isn’t a joke. Nelson has already decided to give up his inheritance. Do you want to reject it too? Does the power of Rochechouart hold no temptation for you at all?” His voice grew cold with concern.

Christon remained unperturbed. “Carlos, I think you should consider having another child. You’re still capable, aren’t you? Even with your diagnosis, there’s always a one-in-ten-thousand chance.”

Carlos gritted his teeth. “You think I don’t want to?!” But it required Jiang Qin’s cooperation. He was middle-aged and only now realizing the mistakes of his youth. Chasing his wife back was no easy task.

“It seems you aren’t the man you used to be, Carlos. Time spares no one.”

Carlos’s face darkened. He had raised Christon practically like a son, looking after his every need. Now that Christon’s wings were strong and his bank account was larger than his own, he had lost his “elder brother” authority. In China, they say ‘the eldest brother is like a father,’ Carlos thought bitterly.

Christon noticed a few strands of silver hair at Carlos’s temples. He looked at the man who had always protected him, the man with the warm smile, and realized that his “protector” was getting old. And he himself wasn’t a child anymore.

Time slows down.

For a moment, Christon wished he could remain under his brother’s wing forever. He could never forget how Carlos had defied the Old Earl’s beatings to bring him, a “bastard son,” back to the estate. The compromise back then was that Christon would live far from France, with a promise of lifelong financial security. But what was financial security without a home?

He especially remembered how Carlos, despite having his own family, worked tirelessly to protect his illegitimate brother, even to the point of neglecting his own son, Nelson.

“It was the Old Earl who set you up, wasn’t it? He drugged you,” Christon said suddenly.

Carlos’s expression darkened. “Who told you that?!”

“It sounds exactly like what he did to my mother all those years ago.”

The irony was biting. The Old Earl claimed to value fidelity, yet he forced his own son into infidelity. In his obsession with a “perfect heir,” the Old Earl had lost his mind. He had drugged Carlos and manipulated the situation, leading to the heartbreaking fallout with Jiang Qin. Carlos, in his arrogance and drugged state, had said things he could never take back, eventually driving his wife away. The Old Earl’s hopes for more grandsons were dashed when Carlos was diagnosed with azoospermia—a self-inflicted tragedy.

The Old Earl seemed to age ten years overnight after that. When Jiang Qin filed for divorce, Carlos hadn’t refused. He couldn’t lower his pride, and he didn’t want to hurt her any further.

Carlos looked at his brother. “Christon, do you still hate our father?”

Christon lowered his eyes and smiled. “I’m not a child anymore. Besides, you raised me. You’re my ‘little father.'”

Carlos’s eyes turned red. He had put more heart into raising Christon than his own son. He still felt guilty that Christon had never been allowed to use the Rochechouart surname.

“Christon, I think it’s time for you to come home. I will personally bring you back to the manor under my own status. I’ve waited a long time for this. The reason I wanted to meet you today… is because the Old Earl is dying.”

The Old Earl was nearly ninety. The title was a mere heading, but it carried the weight of the inheritance. Christon froze. The father who gave him life but fulfilled no obligations was leaving. He had never even called him “Father.” A sense of bitterness washed over him.

“Go back and see him one last time. It was his final request,” Carlos said. It was a late compromise, but a compromise nonetheless.

Christon looked out at the sunlight dancing through the leaves. Everything was changing. Could he finally acknowledge who he truly was? It wasn’t too late, but the impending loss of his father left a void of regret.

“Okay,” Christon said softly. “I’ll go back.”

Carlos smiled. Everything was getting better. His children would be fine. The peace they had worked so hard for was finally within reach. He and Jiang Qin had spent half their lives clashing; it was time to cherish what they had left.