Chapter 18 This Bastard Has Grown A Backbone

Sebastian stared down at the shards of porcelain at his feet, his face impassive and not even a flicker in his eyes. Michael slammed the dragon-headed cane in his hand against the floor, the thud reverberating through the hall. "Joseph went to the trouble of hosting a banquet, and you just walked out! What is this? Are you looking down on Joseph, or are you looking down on the entire Gates family?" At last, Sebastian lifted his gaze. His dark eyes held no emotion, only an endless, frozen abyss. Michael had always been the same. Always biased. Always blind. "Would you rather I say it here in front of everyone—that the reason I stepped down wounded, the reason I lost my position, was because my dear brother Joseph sent men to drug me and drag me away?" His voice wasn't loud, but every word was razor-sharp. Michael's beard bristled with fury, yet in the clouded depths of his eyes a flicker of guilt flashed. Of course he knew. He had known from the beginning. But Julian was alread