The Retired CEO's Guide To Being Spoiled-Chapter 90: The Discarded Tool

Naturally, Richard Sterling would not be so foolish. Aaron was merely a child without blood ties, a stepping stone to help him elevate the Sterling Group. Ultimately, Aaron was just an object - good to have, but fine without. How could he be worthy? How could he qualify for Richard to sacrifice the family honor and future to oppose the Cole and Harrington families?

To put it bluntly, if a biological son like Julian Sterling could be discarded when he held no value, then once Aaron fell into a situation that might negatively affect the Sterling family’s interests, Richard would not hesitate to deliver another kick.

Julian’s time living with the man currently holding power in the Sterling family had not been long. Yet, he had seen Richard’s cold-blooded nature. Perhaps the only things that could sway him were the Sterling family’s face and profit. And it was precisely these two things that had become the springboard for Aaron to wreak havoc within the Sterling household.

"Do you think they spoiled you because they truly loved you? Aaron, oh Aaron, wake up. When you lose all your utility and become a tool with no benefit to the Sterling family, you will be no different from how I used to be."

"Destitute, tattered, capable of nothing but despair."

In the past, Aaron regarded the Sterling family’s reputation as something to exploit, while Richard viewed him merely as a ladder to approach other noble families. So now, having reached a dead end, no one would bother bowing their head to see how ugly the ladder beneath their feet had become.

If it is broken, it should be replaced.

Did the favored child of heaven, the protagonist of the original story, only shine based on such meager backing?

Perhaps not. Previously in the original story, Aaron could call the wind and summon the rain, getting whatever he wanted, with little relation to the Sterling family. Around him were dozens of men willing to kneel, offering up their wealth and fame to him. The Sterlings were merely a lowly group paving the bottom.

Therefore, Julian did not know whether Gabriel Cole would choose to abandon Aaron now, he truly did not know. If Gabriel was indeed the other male lead of this novel, would he walk away from his "destined lover," someone carrying a paradoxical buff just like himself?

Julian wanted to try and see.

To test if a protagonist was that easy to destroy. To test how deep Gabriel’s affection for Aaron currently was. Or perhaps to test... how much humanity remained within him.

So, ignoring Aaron’s bewildered gaze, Julian simply turned to give orders to the bodyguards: "Call the police, present all the information and evidence we have. Oh, and remember to contact Gabriel Cole on his behalf."

After speaking, he casually tossed the cloth he used to wipe his fingers onto the ground, raised his foot to stomp on it once, and then turned to leave.

The bodyguards on both sides withdrew, leaving Aaron alone, sitting slumped on the floor.

When the door behind him closed, Julian’s steps slowed, and finally, he stopped completely, lifting his eyes to look at Ethan Caldwell and pouting slightly. Normally, he would not display such an expression, but Julian felt that this man was his husband; why couldn’t he act a little spoiled? Fighting against this world was already exhausting enough.

Even now, Julian was still somewhat dazed about this life. He wanted to live peacefully for a lifetime, wanted to find someone to love him. But now he and Ethan were married. According to their personal views, unless a special situation occurred, they would be considered bound together for the rest of their lives.

There was no love, but living peacefully together was not a problem.

The biggest problem was that he had to escape the protagonist. In Julian’s mind, he did not have the habit of swallowing insults or avoiding conflict. If they did not touch him, he would live his own life. But since they had struck first, and used such cruel methods, they could not blame him.

Julian was not exactly a virtuous saint either.

After finishing his thoughts, he cast his eyes toward Ethan, pouting while spreading his arms out to him.

Seeing this, Ethan bent down to pick him up, then remarked: "I thought you could walk?"

"It hurts so much." Julian glanced at him, then buried himself in that broad chest, murmuring: "Let’s go home to sleep, I’m tired."

Ethan said nothing more and carried him straight out. The bodyguards followed, leaving only a few behind to watch over Aaron and contact the police.

Soon, the noisy room fell completely silent.

Aaron sat slumped on the floor, staring blankly at the closed door, his eyes revealing sheer terror. Aaron was not stupid; how could someone of his age who possessed such heart and calculation against others be stupid? Yet, in the end, he was just an eighteen-year-old brat still wet behind the ears.

He was not like Julian, who had lived a previous life and understood the ways of the world.

Even more so, he did not know he was the protagonist of this world, the cherished child built up by the "heavenly way" in this life.

In his eyes, this was nothing short of a calamity falling from the sky - something that could cause him to lose everything. Obviously, Julian’s words had made him hesitate. The matter of him kidnapping Julian could be easily arranged, but the prerequisite was that Ethan discarded Julian. Otherwise, he was bearing the crime of humiliating the young master of the Caldwell family. This was also Ethan’s lawfully wedded spouse, accepted by the entire Caldwell family.

Not to mention dragging the Cole and Harrington families into the water, just the Caldwell family alone was enough to make Richard apprehensive. If it was truly as Julian said, it was feared that this father of Aaron’s would not intervene...

No, that’s not right.

Julian could no longer return to the Sterling family, and Dad did not like his older brother. There was only him, it could only be him...

Aaron rubbed his face, trying to force himself to calm down.

He curled himself into a ball, muttering in his mouth, ceaselessly saying that Dad would save him, as if Richard were his biological father.

The bodyguards outside, watching his manic state through the surveillance monitor, said nothing, merely silently reporting the situation to Ethan. Obviously, they did not know what he was mumbling; after all, no matter how advanced the surveillance equipment in the room was, it was incapable of picking up such a tiny voice.

They just assumed he was spouting nonsense due to excessive shock.

Serves him right. Who asked him to touch their young master?

To use such cruel methods at such a young age - if not taught a lesson, he would grow up to be a danger to society.