Richard frowned.
Without looking at him, the old master calmly placed a stack of documents on the table and said in an indifferent tone:
“The situation with Livinus… was it you who tipped off the authorities?”
Richard’s heart skipped a beat, but he maintained a calm expression.
“Dad, I don’t understand what you mean,” he said with a smile, his face sincere. “Dad, I know you favor Livinus and have never really cared for me, but think about it—Livinus and I are brothers. Would I really do something so malicious? And what good would it do me? If Scott Coporation’s reputation is damaged, wouldn’t that also harm me?”
The old master remained silent. He sat at the tea table, drank a full cup, and didn’t lift his head.
“Richard, you always say I favor your younger brother. But think about it—if your mother and I hadn’t been biased toward you, would you even still be living here? On what grounds? Your lack of achievements? The constant scandals involving you and your son that have tarnished the Scott family’s reputation?”
Richard’s face darkened for a moment before he forced another laugh. “Dad, I swear it wasn’t me.”
The old master stood up and glared at him angrily. “Richard, are you still going to deny it? Let me ask you—did you or did you not embezzle company funds? And to cover the deficit, did you or did you not replace the aged tangerine peel with an inferior version?”
Upon hearing this, Richard’s expression changed. He quickly defended himself:
“Dad, I swear I didn’t do it! I’m your son—how could I ever do something that would disgrace the Scott family? Besides, using low-quality tangerine peel means the medicine won’t be effective. No matter how much I dislike Livinus, I wouldn’t go this far to harm him! Dad, you can’t just pin this on me because he’s under investigation!”
The old master looked at him, and a deep disappointment rose within him.
The man standing before him was over fifty now—his face aged, greasy, and wrinkled from neglect. It was said that a person’s face reflects their heart, and at some point, Richard had started looking less and less like a decent person.
The old master couldn’t help but think back to his childhood—when he had been innocent, bright, and full of promise. As a father, he had done his best to raise him well.
And yet, Richard had gone astray.
The old man had long been disappointed in this son, but he had always believed that, at the very least, Richard still had some moral boundaries.
But today’s events proved that he had abandoned those boundaries a long time ago.
“You’re still lying at a time like this?” The old master sighed, tossing a stack of documents onto the table in front of him.
Richard hesitated, then picked them up.
As he flipped through the pages, his eyes widened in shock.
Panic set in.
“Dad! This isn’t me! There has to be some mistake! How could I swap the tangerine peel and sell substandard medicine to the public? Dad, you have to believe me!”
But the evidence was undeniable.
The documents contained photographs of his subordinates meeting with distributors.
Photos of him orchestrating a media smear campaign against Livinus.
And most damning of all—proof of his embezzlement from the company accounts.
The more he read, the more frantic he became.
No matter how much he pleaded, the old master remained silent—he had already uncovered the truth.
Desperate, Richard grabbed his father’s arm. “Dad! I swear it wasn’t me!” He let out a nervous laugh. “I could never do something so heartless! Someone must have bribed my assistant—it has nothing to do with me!”
But the old master didn’t want to hear another word.
Expressionless, he said, “Richard, pack up your family and move out of the mansion. From today onward, you are no longer my son.”
These words ignited a fire in Richard’s heart.
Fury twisted his expression.
“Move out of the mansion? Cut me off?” His voice rose with anger. “Dad, are you trying to destroy me?! What have I done? You’ve already convicted me without proof, just because Livinus is under investigation? At the end of the day, it’s just another excuse for you to favor him! You want him to have everything—even the entire Scott family!
“I’m your son too! But no matter how hard I try, you never acknowledge me!”
His tone softened, turning to desperation.
“Dad! I’m over fifty years old—where do you expect me to go? And besides, your health isn’t what it used to be. How could I leave you alone? I’m worried about you!”
“Enough!” The old master’s face turned red with anger. “You’re worried about me?”
Richard froze.
“In all these years of living under the same roof, you have never once shown genuine concern for me.
“You have always looked out for yourself—never for this family.
“Well, I’ve made my decision. You will leave today. I will give you your share of money, but Scott Coporation is off-limits to you. If I hand over the company to someone like you, it would be doomed.”
