Chapter 224 I Have A Condition
When Loretta heard Jonathan’s remark, a glint of anger flashed across her eyes. “What’s the meaning of that, Jonathan? Aren’t you of the Goldstein family as well?”
With an apathetic expression on his face, Jonathan replied, “I’ve long since ceased to be a member of the Goldstein family. From the moment you banished me ten years ago, I had nothing to do with the Goldstein family anymore!”
The moment his words fell into Loretta’s ears, the fury in her eyes blazed all the hotter. “Jonathan Goldstein! Don’t forget that the blood flowing in your veins is that of the Goldstein family! As long as you live, you’ll remain a member of the Goldstein family all your life!”
“The blood flowing in my veins is that of my parents and has nothing whatsoever to do with the Goldstein family!” Not in the mood to yak with her, Jonathan cut right to the chase. “All right, cut the crap! Just spit it out! Why are you here to seek me out? If it’s to persuade me to return to the Goldstein family, you can save your breath! I’ll never do that!”
Loretta was so infuriated at Jonathan’s indifferent expression that she shook with rage. Her hand that was grasping her cane, in particular, trembled violently. “What kind of attitude is this, Jonathan? Is this how you speak to your grandmother?”
Upon hearing that word, Jonathan couldn’t help sneering, “Grandmother? From the day my parents passed away ten years ago, I no longer have any relatives in this world! How could I possibly have a grandmother? You must have gotten the wrong person.”
Loretta trembled incessantly after hearing that. Gripping her cane in hand, she pointed it at him and snarled, “You unfilial wretch! How treacherous of you, Jonathan! You’re simply disgraceful!”
Throwing her a wintry glance, Jonathan snapped, “That’s enough! Stop making me the villain here! Where were you when I was kicked out of the Goldstein family ten years ago? And where were you when I was wandering the streets in the past ten years? You were nowhere to be seen when I was starving! Why, you’ve suddenly remembered me now that Tommy’s son had an accident, and his life is now hanging in the balance?”
“H-How dare you!” Loretta was so incandescent at his continual accusations that her chest heaved violently, and her hand holding the cane pointed at him started shaking violently. “How audacious, Jonathan! Do you know how much effort your grandfather and I expended in the past ten years for the sake of locating you? Back when your parents met with an accident and passed away unexpectedly, you were banished from the family before we even knew about it! Then, there had been no news from you ever since!”
Subsequently, she continued, “We haven’t had a night of peaceful sleep in the past ten years! In order to find you, we used the entire might of the Goldstein family and searched for you for ten whole years! It had been ten years. Do you have any idea how it was for us in the past ten years? We almost thought that you were dead! It was just a while ago that we received news of you. Learning that you’re still alive and currently living in Jadeborough, I took a flight over from Yaleview overnight! Yet, this is your attitude toward me? Do you even have a shred of conscience, Jonathan?”
She jabbed a finger at him with fury etched on her face as though he wasn’t the one abandoned back then but the Goldstein family.
If he hadn’t known that his banishment from the Goldstein family back then was done with the agreement of everyone in the family, even he would be taken in.
A frown marred Jonathan’s countenance, and a flash of impatience flickered in his eyes as he watched her putting on an elaborate show in front of him. “Okay, drop that act! You know full well whether you’ve ever searched for me in the past ten years. Back when I knocked on the door of the Goldstein family while running a high fever, who was it who ordered the servants to kick me out? And who was it who booted me out from the cemetery right in front of my parents’ grave and forbade me from paying my respects to them?”
After I was kicked out of the Goldstein family and was reduced to living on the streets ten years ago, I was once a hair’s breadth from dying, running a high fever following a huge downpour. In desperation, I knocked on the door of the Goldstein family. But how did they treat me? Without even sparing me a single glance, they ordered the servants to kick me out of the door! Why didn’t any of them regard me as a member of the Goldstein family back then? Now that Tommy’s son got into an accident, they finally remembered that I’m a Goldstein?
“When did that happen? Why didn’t I know about that?” Surprise manifested on Loretta’s face, and she pretended as though she didn’t know anything about it.
Alas, the panic in her eyes betrayed her.
Jonathan lost his patience entirely when she continued putting on a show with him. “That’s enough! Cut it out, for I haven’t the time to watch you put on a show! Let me tell you for the final time that I have zero interest in the Goldstein family! If you sought me out to inform me that the Goldstein family is willing to accept me again and wants me to go back, I’d advise you to return to Yaleview as soon as possible. Don’t waste my time here!”
After saying that, he spun on his heels and stalked away without a single word further.
But just after he had taken a few steps, Loretta suddenly called out to him. “Stop right there, Jonathan!”
“Is something else the matter?” Annoyance was written all over Jonathan’s face.
“Jonathan, as long as you return to the Goldstein family with me, I’ll designate you as the heir of the Goldstein family!” Loretta announced out of the blue.
Hearing that, Jonathan frowned slightly and echoed in surprise, “Designate me as the heir of the Goldstein family?”
“Yes! This is also your grandfather’s decision!” Loretta asserted with a nod.
“What about Tommy’s son? What’s to be of him?” Jonathan inquired intriguingly.
Snorting, Loretta scoffed, “Him? The Goldstein family doesn’t need him anymore!”
While saying that, there wasn’t a hint of emotion in her eyes. It was as though she was simply chucking a piece of garbage.
In fact, it was very much like the scene whereby Jonathan was kicked out of the family ten years ago.
“The Goldstein family nurtured him for more than twenty years, yet you’re just going to give up on him?” he sneered.
Giving a cold chuckle, Loretta countered, “So what? He only has himself to blame for being such a disappointment! Who asked him to race with others in the middle of the night and even got himself into an accident that he’s still in a coma now? The Goldstein family doesn’t need a worthless creature, much less a comatose man!”
Jonathan couldn’t resist remarking with a snicker, “Ah, the Goldstein family is really ruthless. It’s the same today, just as it was ten years ago! Are blood ties and kinship nothing to the lot of you?”
This time, Loretta didn’t continue putting on a show but admitted frankly, “Exactly! Back when your father got into an accident and passed away unexpectedly, I could only banish you and have Tommy inherit the Goldstein family! Now that his son got into an accident, I’m left with no choice but to give his son up and have you inherit the Goldstein family! As I said, the Goldstein family doesn’t harbor useless people, nor do we need anyone of that sort!”
Then, she continued, “Since you’re an astute person, Jonathan, you should know the purpose of my visit. As such, I won’t beat around the bush with you anymore. As long as you’re willing to follow me back to the Goldstein family, the position of the third-generation heir of the Goldstein family is yours! However, I have a condition!”
