Chapter 305
Chapter 305
Grayson looked at Sebastian, then at Lucas. He lowered his head and said softly, "Alright, Sebastian…"
No matter what happened in the future, his eldest brother would never recognize Ann as part of the Hart Family.
Even if he really married Ann, she wouldn't ever walk through the Hart Residence's doors as a member of the Hart Family.
If he married Ann, every time the family had a gathering years later, his eldest brother and two younger brothers would bring their wives along and sit together, enjoying time with their father. As for him, he could only walk through the Hart Residence's doors alone.
If he insisted on marrying Ann, that would be a scenario he had to face in the future.
Did he really want to marry Ann?
No.
Why should he consider all these right now?
The one Miss Ann loved was his eldest brother.
She wouldn't want to marry him!
That was right; he didn't have to worry about these things, for Miss Ann wouldn't ever marry him.
Grayson didn't know if he sighed out of disappointment or relief. He chuckled quietly in self- depreciation.
"I'm not finished yet," Sebastian then continued, "Even though I won't actually cut off ties with you, if you still insist on marrying Ann in the future, the written agreement we've established has no expiry date. This means that I have the final say in when I am willing to acknowledge you publicly again. Before that happens, you will have no relation to the Hart Family. Everything you return to the Hart Family will still fall in my hands, and you may not be able to get them back for the rest of your life."
Grayson was stunned for a moment, but he nodded quickly. "All of that doesn't matter, Sebastian. As long as you don't truly hate me in your heart and cut off ties with me, I don't mind all those worldly possessions. Those were originally given to me by Father and you, so they should naturally be returned to you two."
"Don't you understand, Grayson? Sebastian is doing this for your own good. He fears that Ann might deceive you!" Lucas humphed and patted Grayson on the shoulder. "If Ann marries you on the premise that Father and Sebastian would forgive you soon enough, she won't be able to withstand the poverty one day and leave you. If she manages to live a decade or two in poverty with you, perhaps she really did turn over a new leaf. When that happens, I believe that Sebastian will acknowledge her."
"There is no time limit," Sebastian said firmly. "Everything will be under my control for at least a decade or two. I might even change my mind next year and take everything as my own, and you'll never get them back."
"I got it." Lucas patted Grayson on the shoulder again, translating, "If there is a time limit and Ann finds
out about it, perhaps she will just grit her teeth and countdown to that date. Perhaps she might really endure through it all. Without a time limit, it means that there is no hope. That is the most despairing thing, and she'll abandon you once she's unable to stand it any longer!"
Grayson was speechless, and he said in exasperation, "Sebastian, Lucas, you're overthinking this. Ann would never marry me."
Lucas clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes at Grayson. "Well, do you want to make a bet? If I lose, I'll come to your every beck and call to do your household chores. If you lose, stop calling me Lucas— you'll have to call me Mr. Lucas instead!"
Grayson was silent for a bit. Unable to endure this any longer, he gave Lucas a knock on the head. "Get lost!"
"Ouch!" Lucas rubbed the spot where he had been hit, mumbling, "You keep hitting my head; I think you're just jealous that I'm smarter than you. However, seeing how ignorant you are, no matter how many times you hit me, I'll still be smarter than you!"
Grayson said, "Can you just shut up? You're the one who talks the most here! I don't know why Sebastian wants you to stay by his side when you're so talkative! I won't bet with you since I don't need you to come at every beck and call. You're too noisy, and I just wish that you'd be as far away from me as possible!"
Lucas said while grinning, "It's obviously because I'm smarter than you, and I speak sweeter words than you do. I'm slick, I dance well, and I don't get drunk easily! I can help Sebastian by attending all the balls, dances, and charity dinners he doesn't like. Can you do that?"
Grayson was speechless.
Indeed, it was true that he wasn't as good as Lucas in these aspects.
He couldn't win against the third child either.
Even though their third brother was in the entertainment business, he was quite the pretty gentleman. He wasn't smooth and slick like Lucas, but he'd choose his words depending on who he was talking to. No one he wanted to coax and convince would be able to escape his hands.
Sadly, Grayson was born like this. He wasn't very good at socializing; if not, as long as he had a tiny fraction of Lucas' abilities, he would've won Ann's heart by now. He wouldn't have allowed Ann to fall for Sebastian, nor would he have gotten to this point.
At the thought of Ann, his heart, which had relaxed a little thanks to Lucas' antics, sank again.
While he was still wallowing in sorrow, Carlisle arrived.
Sebastian relayed his requests to Carlisle. As the top lawyer in the entire country, this was a piece of cake to him, and he quickly drafted the agreement.
Without reading the document, Grayson signed his name on the end of the last page and left a thumbprint.
The agreement had three copies; one would be in Sebastian's hands, another with Grayson, and Carlisle would own the other backup.
Anyone would be shocked by the contents of the agreement, but Carlisle persisted in keeping to the topic. After completing the task, he asked Sebastian if there were any other requests. Since there was nothing else for him to carry out, he left in an extremely quiet way.
Lucas looked at Carlisle's upright figure, clicking his tongue. "I've been training him for so long, but he still wears this poker face. There's not even a tiny sense of achievement for me! Terrible!"
Sebastian chuckled lightly. "Be more lenient on him. If you enrage him someday, he'll really beat you up."
"Do I fear him?" Lucas raised an eyebrow. "We don't know who the winner is yet!"
Sebastian smiled. "I'm not interested to know who wins, but if you two really come to blows, you will definitely die at his hands!"
Lucas fell silent. He rubbed his nose as he said stubbornly, "That's different! If I can't win in strength, I can win in wits! I might not be the one dying!"
"Are you sure?" Sebastian mimicked Lucas and raised his eyebrows as he asked, "Are you sure you can outsmart him?"
Lucas was speechless again.
He was stunned for a bit, then shrugged. "Fine, fine. This is why I hate lawyers the most!"
Especially Carlisle, the Demon King!
In the entire Hart Corporation, Sebastian was the most powerful, and Lucas was second in command. When Sebastian wasn't around… No, no matter if Sebastian were there or not, everyone would have to listen to Lucas!
Everyone knew Sebastian favored Lucas the most. Sebastian never retorted to anything he said, but only that wretched Carlisle loved to go against him. Lucas couldn't even win against Carlisle, be it in terms of strength or wits!
He hated lawyers the most!
Sebastian patted him on the shoulder. "Don't give up so easily. He might not be better than you in terms of potential. If you have at least three tenths of his diligence, you wouldn't get so pissed by him that you'd keep hitting the wall."
"Huh?" Lucas blinked. "Forget about it, then!"