Chapter 728
Chapter 728
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Oliver immediately looked around the room.
Everyone who stayed behind to witness Lewis's judgment of him, aside from a few members of the Olsen family who remained to support Lewis, were members of the Horton family. Jake and Melissa were there as well.
They stood to the side, quietly watching him.
When old Mrs. Horton passed away, Keira informed Jake so he could pay his final respects to his grandmother. Upon hearing this, Melissa also came on her own.
People were such fascinating creatures.
When Melissa lived in the Horton household, she was constantly on edge, disrespectful, and full of bitterness. She never showed old Mrs. Horton the slightest respect. But after spending some time living away and learning how to let go, Melissa had mellowed significantly.
Now, she seemed like a regular mother, looking more at peace than ever before.
Throughout the funeral, she played the part of the eldest daughter-in-law, ensuring that nothing went wrong and that no one had anything to gossip about.
At this moment, she, too, was looking at Oliver.
Strangely enough, Oliver didn't feel any sense of humiliation being judged by Lewis. But that single glance from Melissa? It hit him with a wave of shame like nothing he had ever felt before.
How dare she look at him like that?
Melissa, who used to live her days tiptoeing around his moods, who would grovel to keep him at home for the night, now gazed at him with some sort of pity.
Oliver scoffed, "You don't know anything. Marisa left with Selena earlier when this woman showed up. Marisa was worried it might cause too much attention, so they went ahead. She left to avoid stirring up trouble. But we agreed—she and Selena will come pick me up today."
As he said this, Oliver's eyes darted toward Lewis. "You're not planning to take back their money, too, are you? That money is mine, it has nothing to do with Horton family assets!"
Lewis let out a cold laugh.
Before he could respond, Oliver shouted again, "You and I both know what really happened with Grandma! I owe you nothing, Lewis! I did nothing wrong! You better watch yourself!"
With the video evidence against him, there was no way to clear his name for what he had done to old Mrs. Horton.
Realizing this, Oliver made a quick decision.
He would cling to the assets he had given to Marisa and Selena over the years.
He had truly been blinded by their manipulation, sending large sums of money to Marisa regularly. He had even given Selena a generous amount when she married.
He had even asked Nathan for more money to provide them with.
Altogether, it added up to quite a few million.
Sure, it couldn't compare to the Horton family's massive fortune, but it was better than walking away with nothing.
Lewis was ruthless.
Back when old Mrs. Horton was alive, Lewis still had a sense of familial loyalty. But now that she was gone, Oliver knew—he had lost.There was no winning this now.
Lewis replied calmly, "We won't take that money back, but are you so sure you can still get to it?"
"Of course I can! That money belongs to Marisa! I'm sure she and Selena are waiting for me to come home!"
Oliver sneered after saying this.
Nathan, standing nearby, said, "Oliver, why give up without even fighting?"
Oliver laughed bitterly, "Grandma always favored Lewis, even until her dying breath. Do you think fighting would've changed anything? I want no part of this."
He glanced around the room, his gaze passing over every member of the Horton family before letting out a cold chuckle. "I don't want anything from this family."
With that, his eyes fixed on old Mrs. Horton's memorial.
He stared at it for a long time, then laughed bitterly again, shouting, "Grandma, you never had any love for me, did you? I can't for the life of me understand what made Lewis so special that you would go to such lengths for him. You didn't even leave me a single share of the company! If that's how you felt, you should've just said it outright instead of playing these games to provoke me!"
Lewis frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"Am I wrong?"
Oliver turned to glare at him. "No one else knows what really happened that day, but what about her will? I bet all the shares went to you, right?! Well, we're all here, so why don't we bring out her will and show everyone? Let's see just how much she favored you over me!"
His chest heaved with anger…
Even though he had made his decision, the bitterness still stung. He had lived in the Horton family for over thirty years, all with the hope of securing a portion of the company shares. Now, he was leaving with nothing.
It wasn't fair!
Julius frowned deeply.
Nathan coughed, trying to intervene. "Let's not bring out the will right now…"
"Why not? Dad, are you taking Lewis's side now, too?"
Oliver's eyes were filled with rage as he stared at Nathan. "Is it because I'm being kicked out that you've decided to side with your second son? Well, too bad! It's already too late for that!"
He took a step closer, glaring at Julius. "As a member of the Horton family, I have the right to see the will. I demand that you make it public! If you don't, then you must be hiding something!"
Flustered, Nathan tried to speak, but his words were cut short as Oliver's accusations made him choke with frustration.
Julius sighed heavily, "Oliver, why are you making things so difficult? There's no need for this to get ugly."
Oliver scoffed. "You all pushed me to this point! So, let's get it out in the open! Show everyone the will—let the second branch of the Horton family see it, let the Olsen family see it. Let everyone see just how biased Grandma was!"
Julius opened his mouth to speak, but Lewis interrupted him calmly, "Uncle Julius, show him."
With that, the room fell completely silent.
All eyes were on Julius now.
He sighed deeply.
Nathan stood up quickly as if to stop him, but Julius reached into his bag and pulled out old Mrs. Horton's will.
Oliver's eyes were fixed on that document.
Even if he was about to leave, he wanted the entire Horton family to see how unfairly old Mrs. Horton had treated him. He wanted them to know that Lewis's position as chairman was unjustified, granted solely by her favoritism.
Then they heard Julius slowly begin to read…