The Consortium's Heir

Chapter 313

Maurice and Edward’s eyes locked on like magnets for the longest time.

As Maurice was about to speak up, he suddenly heard a disdainful snort from the passenger seat ahead.

Felix had remained silent the entire time but secretly thought, "Hah! That Edward is practically a dummy at this point.I doubt he'll respond to Maurice."

Maurice’s heart almost fell out of his chest when he reached to touch Edward’s shoulder.

As soon as he detected an abnormality with the latter, he retreated two steps away and withdrew his hand.

"y-You! W-What on earth are you? How did you possess Mr.Elliott? H-He was just sitting next to me a moment ago!" he muttered.

His voice tremored so much that it took Edward a long while to understand what he was saying.

As Edward thought about how to respond, new emotions and speculations arose in Maurice’s mind.

When Edward finally composed himself, prepared an adequate response, and turned to look at the boy, he found the latter retreating while curling into a ball like a frightened animal.

That instantly left Edward lost for words.His forehead creased with a frown at Maurice.

Instead of voicing his appalled feelings, he tried to keep quiet.

Still, helplessness grew like a hurricane in his heart.So, he took a few deep breaths as he massaged his temple.

"If you keep behaving like that, I can’t guarantee I won’t throw you out on the streets this once."

After saying that, Edward reached out to grab Maurice’s belt, dragging the latter closer to him again.

Maurice’s arms shot downward to his belt, but even with both hands, he barely had enough strength to resist Edward’s pull.

When he snapped out of his shocked daze, he was already back to sitting beside Edward.

Seeing the frowning Edward, he sighed and tested out the waters.

"Mr.Elliott? Were you umm—well, if I may ask, where was your mind earlier?"

Edward rolled his eyes, not hesitating to smack the back of the boy’s head lightly.

"I’ve been in the car this entire time.I was merely thinking about other things, so I didn’t respond to your question."

He then raised a finger and added, "That was the first thing I wanted to tell you.Now, let’s move on to the second thing.novelebook I know your imaginative mind leads you to many fantastical thoughts.You may turn those ideas into written fiction, but you shouldn't use them to speculate about others as you please."

Maurice’s eyes widened.

That was the first time anyone lectured him about that, so he lowered his head gradually, his mind focusing on the empty driver’s seat.

Darius’ presence still lingered in the air, despite him already stepping out of the car.

He kept a close eye on the rearview mirror, where Maurice’s every expression could be clearly seen.

He could not help smiling when he noticed Maurice getting lectured and the boy’s head lowering in apology without any retaliation.

However, Darius’ breathing shifted immediately after.

The scene in the car amused him, but eventually, he felt a sudden chill down his spine.

Tilting his head to the side, he realized Edward was also staring into the rearview mirror from inside the car, looking straight at Felix with a stoic countenance.

Felix and Edward's eyes met briefly; one would even say it was not enough time to blink.

Still, it was enough to startle Felix into looking elsewhere.

He placed a hand on his chest, taking a couple of quick breaths to calm himself.

Throughout that process, he could still feel Edward’s gaze burning a hole in the back of his head.

It made every cell in his body stiffen as he gritted his teeth, turning around to bow his head at Edward.

"I’m sorry.We’ve done things this way for many years, so I didn’t realize my mistakes and left as I should've.Don’t worry, though.It won't happen again."

That was when Maurice’s voice rang out from the backseat.

While he did not speak loudly, anyone could detect the trace of mocking laughter in his voice.

"And here I thought you were brave.Who'd have known you’re actually quite the coward!" Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

Not a word came from Edward, which only fuelled Maurice’s arrogance.

He placed both hands on his hips and raised his chin at Felix.

"You've already made a mistake, so why don’t you keep at it? There's nowhere else to go but down the rabbit hole, am I right? novelebook I'll believe you’ re genuinely a courageous man if you keep going.Perhaps I might even improve my attitude toward you too."

Maurice stared at Felix while saying that and could tell the latter was about to retort.

Yet, once Felix’s eyes briefly shifted to Edward, who sat next to Maurice, he decided not to say anything.He shut his mouth without hesitation.

There was no longer a scowl on his face; All he did was roll his eyes.

Then, he opened the door and silently got out of the car, heading where Darius had gone earlier.

Long after Felix left, Maurice still stayed in the car.

He lowered his head to his lap, holding his head with his arms while he stared at his feet.

He yelled in his heart, "Who am I to taunt Felix for being a coward? That’s not true, and I know it— because I’m the true coward.In the past 15 years of my life, Felix was the first person to show me what a friend could be.He cared for me.Yet, I was a confused child who didn’t understand the warmth he showed me...so I responded through various negative means.I even acted like I didn’t care when Felix left.Honestly, I don’t know why I believed Felix had betrayed me all these passing years."

Nevertheless, the love he suddenly felt from Edward earlier varied from Felix’s friendship; thuy Edward's willingness to take him in showed him what it was like to be protected by a family member.

That was something Maurice had never felt before.

Thus, it opened his eyes, making him more grateful than ever for everything he owned.

Maurice even felt like he was willing to sacrifice his life to defend the happiness he now felt.

While sitting in the backseat, his gaze grew firm with determination while his fists were coiled.

Edward noticed Maurice’s behavior but patiently waited until the latter’s fists wer2 no longer trembling.

Only then did he calmly state, "Perhaps you can try to let go of your past, be it your living habits, identity, or the things you learned."