Step aside, Uncle Pride：Your Nephew is My Next Man - Chapter 30: Chapter 30
You are reading Step aside, Uncle Pride：Your Nephew is My Next Man, Chapter 30: Chapter 30. Read more chapters of Step aside, Uncle Pride：Your Nephew is My Next Man.
Just like when she'd loved Cassian - when she heard he'd been devastated by the car accident that paralyzed him, she'd gone to his side without hesitation. Even when his temper was volatile and unpredictable, when he would lash out at her physically and verbally, she never thought of backing down.
And just like how Noah had been with her later - even when she repeatedly refused and pulled away, he remained consistent and persistent, until he finally moved her with his genuine feelings.
But during all her time with Cassian, Mara had never experienced that kind of feeling from him.
Even in the later stages when he was nearly recovered, his attitude toward her had gradually shifted from initially awful to merely calm - but it had only become somewhat peaceful, nothing more.
"What about Miss Voss?" Mara lowered her eyes, concealing her emotions, her voice steady.
He didn't seem hurt by her attitude. Hearing this question, the joy in his eyes became even more obvious: "Mara, don't worry. I can promise you - I don't love Juliette."
"Ever since I found out she pushed herself down those stairs and poisoned herself to frame you, I made her pay the price she deserved. From now on, there will be no trace of the Voss family left in New York City."
"I also know that I failed you in the past, but back then I was just too obsessed with how she abandoned me during my darkest time. She was my first love, after all. For over twenty years I'd been on top of the world - whether in academics or business deals, I rarely made wrong choices."
"But she was one of them. I kept wanting to prove to her that she was wrong back then, or to erase the stain of her abandoning me, to prove I hadn't chosen the wrong person. But Mara, it wasn't until you left that I realized I was wrong. I can stop caring about all that. I can just want you. Mara, I know I hurt you before, but now I know I was wrong. Can you give me one more chance? Please?"
His eyes were full of grief and pleading, hoping she might at least nod, or at least not refuse him.
But Mara looked at him and slowly shook her head.
He heard her say: "Cassian, let me tell you a story."
"Once there was a little boy who had a terrible temper and liked to lash out at his friends and family. His father gave him a wooden board and some nails, telling him that whenever he got angry, he should hammer a nail into the board."
"The little boy listened. Every time he got angry, he'd hammer a nail into the board. Much later, the boy's father brought him back to that board and told him to pull out all the nails. All the nails were removed, but the board was left with permanent holes where the nails had been."
"Cassian, you and I are like that boy and that board. Some things, once done, are done. It's not something you can just forget because you say so. Those marks will remain forever, impossible to erase."
When the story ended, they fell into silence again.
Of course Cassian knew all this. He just wasn't willing to let go like this. Even if there was only the slightest hope, he wanted Mara to put aside everything from the past and start over with him.
"Can you give me my phone back?" After a long while, Mara was the first to break the silence, but her words immediately sent him into a panic.
He hastily stood up and began clearing the leftover food from the table, trying to change the subject: "Since you're done eating, I'll go now. If you get bored staying in the room, you can go downstairs or walk around the yard. No one will stop you."
As soon as he finished speaking, he'd gathered up the dishes and hurriedly left, his retreating figure carrying an almost desperate quality.
Mara didn't stay cooped up in the room. As Cassian had said, after eating, she wandered around the yard, testing the boundaries of her freedom.
After testing, she could roughly guess why mentioning the phone had made Cassian flee - because he didn't dare return it.
He'd deliberately taken her phone, afraid that once she woke up, she'd immediately contact others to rescue her.
So he'd given her the maximum freedom within the villa, while cutting off all means for her to contact the outside world.
She sat by the greenhouse, gazing at the sky that had been painted orange by the setting sun, occasionally glancing toward the second-floor study.
Ever since she'd come outside, Cassian had remained in the study and hadn't come out again.
And just like how Noah had been with her later - even when she repeatedly refused and pulled away, he remained consistent and persistent, until he finally moved her with his genuine feelings.
But during all her time with Cassian, Mara had never experienced that kind of feeling from him.
Even in the later stages when he was nearly recovered, his attitude toward her had gradually shifted from initially awful to merely calm - but it had only become somewhat peaceful, nothing more.
"What about Miss Voss?" Mara lowered her eyes, concealing her emotions, her voice steady.
He didn't seem hurt by her attitude. Hearing this question, the joy in his eyes became even more obvious: "Mara, don't worry. I can promise you - I don't love Juliette."
"Ever since I found out she pushed herself down those stairs and poisoned herself to frame you, I made her pay the price she deserved. From now on, there will be no trace of the Voss family left in New York City."
"I also know that I failed you in the past, but back then I was just too obsessed with how she abandoned me during my darkest time. She was my first love, after all. For over twenty years I'd been on top of the world - whether in academics or business deals, I rarely made wrong choices."
"But she was one of them. I kept wanting to prove to her that she was wrong back then, or to erase the stain of her abandoning me, to prove I hadn't chosen the wrong person. But Mara, it wasn't until you left that I realized I was wrong. I can stop caring about all that. I can just want you. Mara, I know I hurt you before, but now I know I was wrong. Can you give me one more chance? Please?"
His eyes were full of grief and pleading, hoping she might at least nod, or at least not refuse him.
But Mara looked at him and slowly shook her head.
He heard her say: "Cassian, let me tell you a story."
"Once there was a little boy who had a terrible temper and liked to lash out at his friends and family. His father gave him a wooden board and some nails, telling him that whenever he got angry, he should hammer a nail into the board."
"The little boy listened. Every time he got angry, he'd hammer a nail into the board. Much later, the boy's father brought him back to that board and told him to pull out all the nails. All the nails were removed, but the board was left with permanent holes where the nails had been."
"Cassian, you and I are like that boy and that board. Some things, once done, are done. It's not something you can just forget because you say so. Those marks will remain forever, impossible to erase."
When the story ended, they fell into silence again.
Of course Cassian knew all this. He just wasn't willing to let go like this. Even if there was only the slightest hope, he wanted Mara to put aside everything from the past and start over with him.
"Can you give me my phone back?" After a long while, Mara was the first to break the silence, but her words immediately sent him into a panic.
He hastily stood up and began clearing the leftover food from the table, trying to change the subject: "Since you're done eating, I'll go now. If you get bored staying in the room, you can go downstairs or walk around the yard. No one will stop you."
As soon as he finished speaking, he'd gathered up the dishes and hurriedly left, his retreating figure carrying an almost desperate quality.
Mara didn't stay cooped up in the room. As Cassian had said, after eating, she wandered around the yard, testing the boundaries of her freedom.
After testing, she could roughly guess why mentioning the phone had made Cassian flee - because he didn't dare return it.
He'd deliberately taken her phone, afraid that once she woke up, she'd immediately contact others to rescue her.
So he'd given her the maximum freedom within the villa, while cutting off all means for her to contact the outside world.
She sat by the greenhouse, gazing at the sky that had been painted orange by the setting sun, occasionally glancing toward the second-floor study.
Ever since she'd come outside, Cassian had remained in the study and hadn't come out again.
End of Step aside, Uncle Pride：Your Nephew is My Next Man Chapter 30. Continue reading Chapter 31 or return to Step aside, Uncle Pride：Your Nephew is My Next Man book page.