Chapter 919

Hamilton barely caught a word from the phone. The chaos outside had his full attention.

His eyes locked on Joseph, his loyal secretary of many years, now lying battered on the ground,a thin line of blood at his lips.

Turning to the security detail, Hamilton gave an order. "Get Joseph to the hospital. Now."

The bodyguards didn't hesitate, quickly lifting Joseph and carrying him out of sight.

Still in his relaxed home clothes, Hamilton lowered himself onto the sofa, his tone sharp and icy. "You stormed into my house like this and roughed up my secretary. What's next? Planning to shove me aside,too?"

They'd been living in their own arrogance for so long,

they'd forgotten the humility it took to actually ask for help.

The McCoy brothers traded uneasy glances. Their need to save their dignity overshadowed everything else, leading to an awkward silence.

Hamilton watched them, knowing their patterns all too well.

In the past, he'd always let things slide for the sake of family. Lately, though, it felt like he was the only one who cared about that bond.

Since nobody seemed willing to speak first, Hamilton wasn't about to make it easy on them.

He sat back, coffee in hand, waiting.

Frustration and embarrassment warred on their faces.

Josh scowled, taking in Hamilton's unbothered demeanor. In years past, Hamilton would have greeted them warmly, never letting the mood turn so sour.

"Hamilton." Josh finally broke the silence, sinking into a chair and signaling for the housekeeper to bring him a cup of Hamilton's prized coffee. His voice was cold, almost accusing. "You're not the same as before."

Brad nodded, echoing the sentiment.

Jules chimed in, "You never used to shut us out like this, Hamilton."

Ethan spoke up as well. "This isn't what you promised our father when he handed things over to you."

Hamilton felt a cold emptiness settle in his chest.

A dry, mocking laugh escaped him. "Funny how that works. When I bent over backwards for you, I was the family hero. Now that I'm sick and can't keep up,suddenly I'm the villain. Your standards sure change fast."

Josh's irritation spiked. He raised his voice, clearly losing patience. "Do you even know why we came?

What's with the attitude?"

Hamilton's tone was measured. "Remind me, Josh.Aren't you here to check on your ailing brother? Or is that not really the reason?"

Caught off guard, Josh stumbled for an answer."Of course, that's part of it. But there's something else we need to discuss."

Hamilton nodded slowly. "So this visit is just a side errand, then?"

Josh's face flushed with anger. "There you go again,dripping with sarcasm. Did you learn that from Daniela?"

Hamilton just sipped his coffee, unbothered by the remark.

Josh's frown only deepened, tension lingering in the air.

Noticing the strain in the room, Brad rushed to fill the silence. "Hamilton, you might not realize just how much trouble the McCoy family is in right now." But before Brad could explain, Hamilton cut in, "Oh?Trouble, you say? Isn't it the leader's job to handle it?That's how it wworked when I ran things, wasn't it?Now that I've stepped down, surely there's no reason to bring the trouble to my door."

Josh had no answer for that. Neither did Brad, Jules,or Ethan.

Brad scrambled for words.′′NO, that's not it at all.It's just that Daniela won't let up. She keeps coming after us..."

Hamilton stopped him with a dismissive wave. "Look,I'm not in charge anymore. It's pointless to dump this on me. Back when I was in charge, none of you ever concerned yourselves with the company's affairs.Now, I'll return the favor. I'm not well, so don't expect me to play host today."

Josh coüldn't muster a response. His brothers were just as speechless.

Ethan scratched his head awkwardly. "It shouldn't be like this, Hamilton. Whether you're running things or not, we're all part of the McCoy family. When our father passed, he wanted us to stick together. And honestly, it's not outsiders stirring the pot. It's your son and daughter-in-law. If we step in, it'll just look like we're picking on the younger generation. People will talk. It really ought to come from you. Besides,we've always liked Cedric; he's family. There's no sense in airing our dirty laundry."

Josh wasted no time backing him up. "Exactly,Hamilton. They're your kids. You're the one who should handle it. That's on you."

Brad chimed in, "This isn't something we can resolve without you. We need your guidance."

Jules added, "Right. If his uncles interfere, Cedric might never forgive us. It'll only look like wve're out to make his life harder."

Their arguments were smooth, almost rehearsed.

But Hamilton wasn't about to let it slide. He looked at them with feigned surprise, voice sharp. "You're calling Cedric your nephew now? Didn't you refuse to accept Cedric? Funny, coming from the same people who called him a bastard. behind my back and thought I'd never hear about it."

Josh's mouth opened and closed, searching for a comeback but coming up empty. The rest had nothing to say either.