Addicted To The Genius Lady With A Thousand Faces

Chapter 775: Lowering his voice to a near whisper, Neil leaned in close, his eyes narrowing as he delivered a set of instructions to his two sons. "You both understand?" he asked, his gaze sharp enough to cut through steel.

Derek and Foley nodded in unison, the perfect picture of obedient sons.

But behind their silent agreement, wheels were turning. Each of them was running their own game, with no intention of sticking to their father's plan. Not entirely, anyway.

Neil was less of a father and more of a ruthless opportunist. This was a man who wouldn't blink twice before sacrificing his own kin if it meant he could get ahead. Derek and Foley knew better than to trust in sromantic notion of fatherly love.

Respect? Sure. But it was respect driven by fear, not affection.

Of course, Neil wasn't blind to his sons' thoughts. He could practically see the gears turning in their heads, but it didn't bother him. He could keep the two in line as long as he held the reins of power. He liked having them dance to his tune, even if they were secretly plotting their own solos.

With Aelfric's fall from the position of deputy chief instructor of the Doomsday Base and Everett Brock's rise as the new head of the Brock family, the dynamics among their three families began to shift-subtle but unmistakable.

Check new chapters at Back when Aelfric was still on top, and Derek was engaged to Aelfric's sister, Neil had shown more favor towards Derek. He was the golden boy with all the right connections.

But now, with Aelfric's power waning and Everett on the rise, Foley-the one married to Everett's sister Della- was suddenly the son with all the leverage.

Neil's change in attitude wasn't lost on his sons. His recent instructions were overflowing with favoritism, now leaning heavily towards Foley.

Derek and Foley both picked up on it. It didn't take a genius to see that.

This shift didn't just affect their relationship with their father. It was driving a wedge deeper between the brothers themselves.

Derek had started out as the underdog, the poor farm boy who had just returned to the Daniels family. Foley used to look down on him with a sneer, seeing him as nothing more than a nuisance.

But things had changed when Derek got engaged to Melinda, with Aelfric's backing giving him a substantial edge. Foley had been green with envy, his arrogance collapsing into fear and resentment.

Now, though, the tables had turned again. Derek's edge was dulling, and Foley's disdain had returned, sharper than ever.

Derek could feel the shift in both his father's and Foley's attitudes. The writing was on the wall: his days of being the favored son were numbered. Foley was circling like a shark, ready to strike.

But Derek had learned a thing or two about survival. He kept his head down, emotions locked away behind a calm mask.

Neil watched the subtle tug-of-war playing out between his sons, pretending to be oblivious to the tension simmering beneath their respectful nods. "Alright, since you both know what to do, get on with it," he said, his tone dismissive as he waved them off.

Derek and Foley made a show of deference, nodding as they turned on their heels and left, each already plotting their next moves.

After they left, the mask of authority Neil wore slipped a bit. His steps were slow and deliberate as he walked forward, the weight of the situation pressing down on him like a heavy fog.

His sons had their own anxieties, but Neil's anxiety ran deeper. The alliance he'd banked on-the Warren and Brock families teaming up with him against Connor-was crumbling faster than he could patch it up. Confidence had turned to doubt, and now he was wondering if throwing in his lot with Aelfric was a colossal mistake.

The thought of Lambert, that unpredictable wild card, gnawed at him. Sure, if Aelfric could get Lambert on their side, they might have a shot at taking down Connor. But Neil couldn't shake the icy fear that dealing with Lambert was like making a pact with the devil himself.

Lambert didn't just destroy his enemies-he obliterated them, leaving nothing but ash in his wake. As for the cost of using that kind of power? Neil wasn't sure he could afford it.

While he was caught between a rock and a hard place, Neil's mind drifted to someone he hadn't thought about in years-a shadowy figure from his past who had once offered him a lifeline.

Back then, when he'd set his brother ablaze and later orchestrated the car crash that killed his parents, tham mysterious person had been there, providing crucial support. But unlike everyone else in Neil's life, this figure had never asked for anything in return. Not once. That was what scared Neil the most. He didn't know who this person was, why they had helped him, or when they might ccalling for a favor in return.

For years, he'd avoided even thinking about them, afraid that reaching out would open a door he couldn't close. But now, with everything on the line, the thought of that lifeline was too tempting to ignore.

Initially, Neil feared the mysterious person would use his past crimes to blackmail him. But, as tpassed without a word from that figure, Neil becconvinced that this person had helped him out of genuine goodwill without expecting anything in return.

As he left the hospital, the memories of those dark days played out in his mind like an old movie reel Each step took him closer to a decision he wasn't sure he wanted to make. By the the reached his car, the decision was made. Sliding into the driver's seat, Neil pulled out his phone, fingers hovering over a number that had sat dormant in his contacts for years