Raise Love-82-He wants to live independently and soberly

The young couple in love was already overjoyed just to get the recognition. How could they care about whether the relationship was made public or not?

They thought there would always be a day to make it public in the future.

The "Phoenix man" pretended to be a family - oriented and loving husband. Grace Whitmore's father became increasingly satisfied and finally put aside his doubts and let him into the company.

Little did he know that he was raising a wolf in sheep's clothing.

The "Phoenix man" used the Whitmore family's resources to build his own business. His company thrived, and he vigorously created an image of a deep - in - love man, but the object of his affection was someone else.

Grace Whitmore, who was at home, peacefully waiting for the baby to be born, was completely unaware. It was not until the mistress showed up at the door with a child near the due date that Grace Whitmore was hit by a huge shock and had a difficult childbirth.

The Whitmore elders couldn't bear the pain of losing their daughter. Their health deteriorated rapidly. They kicked the "Phoenix man" out of the company, simply handed over the company's power to their younger son, and went abroad to recuperate.

By this time, the "Phoenix man's" company had already achieved some success. After several attempts to suppress him, the Whitmore family stopped interfering, considering Finn Alvarez was involved.

The Whitmore family quickly moved away in a short time, shifting their business overseas.

They were so consumed by grief that, because Finn Alvarez was the son of that man, they didn't want to be reminded of their daughter. They never thought that the "Phoenix man" wouldn't treat Finn Alvarez well just because he was his biological son.

Instead, he ignored him, making Finn Alvarez's life a living hell.

The reason Finn Alvarez could still live in the Qin family was that when the Whitmore family moved away, the new head of the Whitmore family, Theodore Whitmore, signed a contract with the "Phoenix man".

——Regardless of how the Qin Group developed in the future, 40% of its shares would be transferred to Finn Alvarez's name upon his adulthood.

This was the last protection umbrella the Whitmore family provided for this child who lost his mother at birth. gòйЪ.ōΓg

How could there be parents in this world who truly didn't love their children?

The Whitmore family, with its good family traditions and surrounded by love, surely couldn't imagine that such parents did exist.

When Finn Alvarez was a child, he did have hopes. He tried to get full marks in exams, pretended to be mature and sensible, and did all kinds of things that children do to try to win his father's approval.

He thought it was just that he wasn't good enough.

Later, he realized that it was all bullshit. His scumbag father was just an asshole.

After seeing this clearly, Finn Alvarez didn't bother to care anymore. He thought, whatever happens, happens. Now, going back was just a side - trip.

The community service station was not far away, less than two hundred meters. There were more cars on the road.

Finn Alvarez slowed down the car, turned the steering wheel, and talked to Ryder. "What about you? Are you going back?"

"Let's see." Ryder made a "tsk" sound, looking impatient.

His family didn't have any of those messy "Phoenix man" - related dramas. His father had built his business from scratch and became a business tycoon. He and his mother had been deeply in love for many years, like glue.

"You've already come back from Kyoto and you're not going home to take a look?" Finn Alvarez gloated. "Are you waiting for your brother to come and pick you up?"

"..."

Ryder glanced at him. "Do you want to die?"

Finn Alvarez immediately made a gesture of zipping his mouth shut, stopped at the gas - filling equipment of the service station, and said, "I'll go find someone to fill up the gas. You come over and change seats."

After saying that, he left the car door open and quickly walked away.

Ryder licked his lips, half - angry and half - amused.

He ran quite fast.

He looked back through the front - view mirror. The two girls in the back were sound asleep and showed no signs of waking up.

He paused, grabbed his cigarettes, got out of the car, and gently closed the door.

The sun was at its peak. Ryder didn't go inside the service station. There were quite a few food stalls nearby. The food definitely couldn't be expected to taste good. They were just for people to have a makeshift lunch.

The small shops around were almost full. The two girls probably wouldn't wake up either. They would arrive at their destination in a little over an hour. It would be better to go to a proper restaurant near home.

When he came out of the bathroom, Finn Alvarez still hadn't come back.

Ryder didn't get back in the car either. He stopped in the shade, took out his cigarette case, bit a cigarette, and lit it.

The hazy smoke surrounded his cold and aloof side - face.

The alternating light and shadow made his face look mysterious. He exuded an aura that kept people at a distance. Passing girls kept looking at him, but no one dared to approach.

The phone in his pocket started vibrating.

Ryder squinted, took out his phone, and lowered his eyelids to look at it. His brows furrowed involuntarily.

Caller ID: Elliot Kensington

He stared expressionlessly at the screen for a while. The vibrating sound stopped, but before his brows could relax, it started vibrating again.

This went on repeatedly, as if the caller would keep calling until he answered.

"...Fuck."

Ryder cursed in a low voice. When the vibration was about to stop, he swiped his finger across the green button and put the phone to his ear.

He was silent for a long time.

The person on the other side, accompanied by the sound of turning pages, took the initiative to speak. His voice was gentle. "Darling Rye, are you coming back for the holiday?"

Ryder: "..."

"I know you're planning to come back," the person on the other side waited for a moment and said. "It's almost the Mid - Autumn Festival. Find some time to go home and have a look. Mom misses you a lot and talks about you every day."

Ryder: "......"

"Darling Rye, say something."

Ryder: "Oh."

The person on the other side laughed, obviously annoyed, but the sound of turning pages stopped, and the tone was still gentle. "Do you need me to pick you up?"

"...No need." Ryder said expressionlessly, his jaw tightening slightly. He said in a deep voice, "I'll go back by myself on Mid - Autumn Festival."

"Okay. If you can't make it, just tell me. I'll come and pick you up in person."

"Don't need to."

Ryder hung up the phone expressionlessly.

Over there, Finn Alvarez watched the staff finish filling up the gas for the SUV, paid by scanning the code, and then walked over slowly. "Was that your brother?"

Ryder gave him a cold look and walked away.

Finn Alvarez touched his nose, quickened his steps to catch up, and muttered in a low voice, "So fierce. No wonder the little girl is scared and doesn't dare to talk to you."

Ryder sat in the driver's seat, rolled down the window, propped his arm up, and said with a half - smile, in a slow and deliberate tone, "Finn Alvarez."

"Hmm?" Finn Alvarez walked around to the passenger side.

Just as he was about to grab the door handle, he heard a "click".

The door was locked.

Finn Alvarez was stunned: "?"

"Do you want to run back?" Ryder raised his eyebrows, his peach - blossom eyes black and smiling. He spoke slowly, enunciating each word clearly.

Finn Alvarez: "..."

In this place, let alone, it was even hard to get a taxi.

Finn Alvarez had always been a man who could bend and stretch. He quickly lowered his head to admit his mistake. "Dad, you're my real dad. What's the point of going back? Let's not go back! I'll spend the Mid - Autumn Festival with you!"

God knew that Ryder's twin brother, who was only five minutes older than him, was simply his nemesis.

The two brothers were completely different in both personality and appearance.

The elder brother of the Kensington family was gentle and polite. He had been the "the child of someone else's family, meaning an excellent child that others admire" since childhood. Now he was helping Sir Kensington manage the company's business.

Who in the upper - class circle wouldn't praise him when his name was mentioned?

Ryder, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. He fought, caused trouble, and during his middle - school days, Sir Kensington had donated countless buildings to the school because of him.

When people in the outside world mentioned the elder brother of the Kensington family, they would sigh and say that if their own son was as promising, they would wake up smiling from their dreams. But when they mentioned the younger son of the Kensington family, they would shake their heads.

That child was too rebellious and disobedient.

Ryder had a good brother who treated him well.

But he had always lived in his brother's shadow.

In this world, no one with self - awareness would want to live under the shadow of another person.