Margaret fell to her knees before Mr. Williams, her hands trembling as she reached out toward him. Tears streamed down her face, smudging her perfectly applied makeup.
"William… please… I was blinded by fear! I thought you would throw me and my son away! I only did what I had to do to protect my family!"
Mr. Williams' gaze was cold, his lips pressing into a thin line. "Family?" he repeated bitterly. "You tried to kill me. You schemed, lied, and betrayed me. And now, you speak of family?"
Margaret sobbed harder, gripping the hem of his coat. "I swear, I never wanted it to go this far! It was all Benson! He convinced me—"
Adrian scoffed from behind. "Oh, so now you're throwing your own son under the bus? How motherly of you."
Margaret spun around, wild desperation in her eyes. She grabbed Benson's hand forcefully. "Tell them! Tell them, my son, that I only wanted what was best for you! That everything I did was for you!"
Benson yanked his hand away, stepping back. His lips trembled, and for the first time, there was fear in his eyes.
Benson took unsteady steps backward, his mind spinning. Everything was collapsing.
The empire he had dreamed of… the wealth… the status… all gone.
His breathing became erratic. "This can't be happening," he muttered, shaking his head. His hands clenched into fists before he turned to Adrian, his voice breaking.
"Adrian… Brother… please. We were raised together. We are still family. You can't let everything end like this!"
Adrian's face twisted in disgust. "Don't you dare call me 'brother.' You and your mother have never seen me as family."
Benson dropped to his knees, hands pressed together as he begged. "I was blinded by greed! I— I was jealous! But we can fix this! Just give me another chance!"
Adrian sneered. "Another chance? After trying to kill my father? After scheming behind my back? After stealing from me?"
Benson sobbed. He turned to Mr. Williams, crawling forward. "Dad—"
"Don't you dare call me that!" Mr. Williams snapped, his booming voice cutting through the air like a whip.
Benson flinched but pressed on. "Sir— Please, I will leave everything! I will disappear! Just don't send us to prison!"
Seeing her son break down, Margaret's face twisted with sheer panic. She grabbed Mr. Williams' arm again, her nails digging into his sleeve.
"I loved you, William! I stood by you for years! Doesn't that mean anything to you?"
Mr. Williams slowly peeled her fingers off him. "No, Margaret. If you had truly loved me, you wouldn't have tried to kill me."
Margaret gasped, shaking her head violently. "No! No! I was desperate! I thought—"
"You thought you could steal everything from me and Adrian," Mr. Williams cut her off. "But now, you will have nothing."
At that moment, the doors burst open. Two officers stepped in, their expressions unreadable.
"Margaret Williams and Benson Williams," one officer announced. "You are under arrest for conspiracy to commit murder, fraud, and embezzlement."
Margaret screamed as the officers grabbed her arms, forcing her up. "No! No, William, please! Adrian! My son, help me!"
Adrian folded his arms and watched coldly as his mother was dragged away.
Benson fought as they handcuffed him, turning to Adrian with wild, tear-filled eyes. "Please! Adrian, I am your brother! Help me!"
Adrian's gaze was unwavering. "You stopped being my brother the moment you tried to take my father's life."
The last thing they heard as Margaret and Benson were dragged away was Margaret's piercing, despairing scream.
As the chaos faded and the police cars disappeared into the night, Adrian stood frozen, his mind racing. The weight of everything that had unfolded pressed down on him like a heavy storm.
Benson was not his brother.
All his life, he had seen Benson as his rival, his competition—the only one who could take the inheritance away from him. But now, with the truth exposed, there was no one left to challenge him.
A bitter chuckle escaped his lips. "So, after all this time, I was fighting against a stranger?"
His father, Mr. Williams, placed a firm hand on his shoulder. "Not a stranger. A fraud."
Adrian let out a deep breath. The anger, the resentment, the endless battles with Benson—it all suddenly felt pointless. The enemy he had been fighting for so long was never even family.
He turned to his father. "You knew, didn't you?"
Mr. Williams nodded slowly. "Not at first. But I had my suspicions."
Adrian shook his head, overwhelmed by the deception. His entire life had been filled with Margaret's manipulations, Benson's schemes, and constant betrayals. And now, all of it had been for nothing.
"All that fighting… all that hate… and he wasn't even my brother."
For the first time in years, Adrian felt relief.
He no longer had to look over his shoulder, wondering what Benson would do next. No longer had to prepare for another power struggle. No longer had to fight tooth and nail for something that was rightfully his.
"So, it's over," he whispered to himself. "The empire is mine. No more threats. No more rivals."
His father smiled proudly. "Yes, Adrian. You've earned this. You built your own empire even when they tried to destroy you. And now, you'll take what is rightfully yours."
Adrian exhaled slowly, a sense of peace settling over him. He had spent his whole life fighting for this moment. And now, it was finally his.
But deep inside, there was still one lingering question: What comes next?
As the tension in the room slowly faded, Mr. Williams looked at his son—really looked at him. For the first time in years, he saw beyond the hardened exterior, beyond the man forced to fight endless battles just to survive. He saw the boy he had once held in his arms, the son who had always craved his love and approval.
With a heavy sigh, Mr. Williams stepped forward. "Adrian… I owe you an apology."
Adrian's eyes flickered with surprise. "For what?" His voice was calm, but the pain lurking beneath it was undeniable.
His father lowered his gaze for a moment before meeting Adrian's eyes again. "For everything."
Adrian clenched his jaw, his fists tightening at his sides. He had never expected an apology from his father—never thought the man who had stood by while Margaret and Benson tormented him would admit his mistakes.
Mr. Williams continued, his voice thick with emotion. "I knew things weren't easy for you. I saw how they treated you, how they constantly undermined you. And yet… I did nothing."
Adrian let out a bitter chuckle. "You let them try to ruin me."
His father flinched but nodded. "I did. And that is my greatest regret."
The room fell silent. For a moment, all Adrian could hear was the sound of his own heartbeat.
"Why?" He finally asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Mr. Williams sighed. "Because I thought you needed to fight for it. I thought… if you wanted to lead this empire, you had to prove you were stronger than them. I wanted to see if you could withstand it all." His voice broke slightly. "And you did. You proved yourself over and over again. But at what cost?"
Adrian swallowed the lump in his throat. "At the cost of my own peace. At the cost of feeling like I ever truly had a father."
The pain in Mr. Williams' eyes was unmistakable. "I was wrong, Adrian." He took another step closer. "I should have protected you. I should have stood by you. And for that, I am truly sorry."
Adrian looked away, his emotions warring inside him. He had waited years for this. And yet, now that it was happening, he didn't know how to respond.
Finally, he exhaled sharply and nodded. "It's too late to change the past, but… I appreciate the apology."
Mr. Williams nodded, understanding. "I won't fail you again."
For the first time in years, Adrian felt something loosen in his chest. The weight of resentment, anger, and betrayal lightened—just a little.
And for now, that was enough.