Chapter 48

“It was never your fault,” Eddie reaffirmed, “You were already at the mercy of Aidan when we ran into trouble - you had no idea what happened. This has nothing to do with you…” And so, Eddie explained everything that had happened Eliana. It was only then did Eliana learn about how Bryan had a large debt to pay after the Harvey Family had gone bankrupt - since Richard was unable to help pay it off, Bryan decided to borrow money from Aidan under his father’s name to pay off his debts. As such, it was Richard and not Bryan who’d suffered the consequences of the latter’s actions - bolstered by creditors demanding for immediate payment, Aidan took the opportunity to take revenge on the Harvey Family by forcing Richard to work in the club to earn and pay back the money as quickly as he could. Meanwhile, Bryan, whose debt had been paid off without him having to bear any sort of consequences, was eager to fall back into his old habits and soon accumulated a debt once again - this time, however, Aidan refused to lend him any money. At this point of time, however, Frank Briggs, the husband of the eldest daughter of the Nelson Family, came forth towards Bryan with an offer - he told him that he would be willing to lend him money to pay off his debt on the condition that he sold Eddie to him. And so, Bryan drugged Eddie and handed him over to Frank without any hesitation. Aidan met Eddie once before he’d been taken away to where he’d spent the past few years at - he told him that he would let him go on the condition that the latter got down on his knees to beg him to do so. Alas, thinking about all the hurt that he’d caused his father and sister, Eddie refused, and even scorned at and insulted the former. And so, Aidan threw Eddie back to Frank, leaving him to deal with the latter however he wished. Eliana had always resented Bryan’s gambling habit - alas, never had she thought that it would cause the Harvey Family to get into such a big mess. Alas, as much as she hated her late brother, the former was also well aware that she was not completely guilt-free. And so, with tears shimmering in her eyes, she lamented, “No, I’m too blame as well - had it not been for me insisting on staying with Aidan and taunting the Nelson Family, our family would never have ended up like this...Dad, Eddie, I’m so, so sorry for all the trouble that I have caused. I promise that I will find a way to save the two of you.” “Ellie, there’s no reason for you to be sorry to the both of us,” Eddie reassured his sister as he took her hands, “I’m ready to go at any time - I’m not afraid of anything that may befall upon me. There’s nothing more that they can do to me than they already have.” Eliana couldn’t help but feel slightly unsettled at how determined and resolute her brother was - he hadn’t been this way in the past. Just then, Richard walked over and pulled Eliana into his embrace - “My darling daughter,” he murmured in a soft voice, “It’s all my fault - the three of you… you’re all my children. It’s my fault for failing to protect the three of you…I’m a sorry excuse for a father…” “Dad, please, don’t say that…” Eliana sobbed. Richard let go of Eliana and wiped the tears away from her cheeks - he smiled sadly, “Where’s your brother? Take me to see him.” Eliana nodded and gestured for her father and brother to follow her. Richard turned to look at his son, “Eddie…” he started. “No. I’m not going.” Eddie replied firmly. The only reason why he’d come was to see Eliana, his dear sister. On the other hand, Bryan stopped being a brother to him as soon as he’d betrayed him and thrown him under the bus - he no longer perceived him as a family member. Knowing that he couldn’t change Eddie’s mind, Richard took Eliana’s hand in his and walked them into the mortuary. As he watched his father and sister walk away, Eddie couldn’t help but deliberate whether or not he should go with them. He hesitated for a moment before finally relenting and following them. As much as he didn’t want to see Bryan, he didn’t want to break his father and sister’s hearts by going against their wishes to reunite the family, even if it was just for a brief moment. … Richard broke down as soon as he saw Bryan’s corpse lying on the mortuary table. His hands trembled violently as he reached out to stroke his late son’s face - “Bryan, oh, Bryan…” he croaked, “I’m here...Dad’s here…” “It...It’s all my fault that this happened...I shouldn’t have spoilt you and let you indulge in bad habits just because you were my eldest son...I was the one who’d caused this upon you...it...it was me...who’d killed you.” Richard mourned as he hugged Bryan’s corpse tightly. I still remember how it felt like to hold you, my first child, in my arms for the first time...I’d held you close and vowed to make you the happiest child in the world… Who would’ve thought that it would end up being me seeing you off instead of the other way round...Eliana stepped forward to hug her father comfortingly, “Dad, please don’t say that…” Eddie gently patted Eliana on the back to soothe her, before glaring coldly at Bryan - he gritted his teeth as he growled internally, Bryan, you piece of trash - I will never forgive you. Richard was bawling so hard that he began to feel light-headed - the world started to spin so much that before he knew it, his vision went black as he felt his knees give way beneath him… Eliana’s eyes widened as soon as she realized that her father had collapsed - she reached out to prevent him from hitting the floor. Alas, she was so weak that she was unable to do so, resulting in the both of them falling onto the ground at the same time. “D-Dad…”