The Retired CEO's Guide To Being Spoiled-Chapter 89: The Harsh Truth

The moment he saw the person standing against the backlight, Aaron instinctively stepped backward. His back hit the wall, cold as ice, and his face was etched with hatred. His eyes widened, glaring fixedly at Julian Sterling; hatred was something that simply could not be concealed.

Julian looked at his appearance, which was radiating overwhelming resentment, and found it amusing. Hate? Who was the one who should truly feel hate? If Julian had not transmigrated here, if Ethan Caldwell had not paid attention to him, then who would be the one living in ruin like a mole right now?

Who was the one who lived a life of extreme hardship, thinking that finding his biological parents would bring happiness, only to end up being harmed so miserably that he lost his life?

Julian admitted to himself that from the moment he transmigrated here, even though he could sense the residual hatred of this body, he had never once touched Aaron. It was only because this scheming and deceitful person ceaselessly used him as a stepping stone to elevate himself that he finally retaliated.

And in fact, the original "Julian" had not done anything to Aaron either. He even allowed him to stay in the Sterling house, not competing, just wanting to try to live well. Yet in the end, he was still pushed to his death.

So, who should hate whom?

Julian was no saint; there would be no repaying evil with kindness. If someone helped him a little, he would repay that person with all his heart, but if anyone harmed him, even just a tiny bit, he would risk his life to take revenge.

"Julian... Julian, did you come to save me?" At this moment, Aaron spoke up amidst his sobbing; it was unclear how he had calmed himself down or how he had comforted himself. One could only see him now looking at Julian with eyes drenched in tears, as if he had just suffered some great grievance.

Julian let out a scornful chuckle.

"I heard you were born several minutes before me, yet for these past few years you have kept calling me your older brother; do you not feel you are at a disadvantage?"

Aaron stared back at him with a gaze full of bewilderment, feigning complete ignorance as if he could not comprehend a single word Julian was saying. Just witness that deeply aggrieved expression, painted with such convincing injustice. It was truly a waste of talent. If Aaron were to abandon the cutthroat business world and instead enter the entertainment industry, he wouldn’t need to struggle at all. With a performance of that caliber, he would undoubtedly be bringing home an Oscar in no time.

"We already know each other’s true colors anyway, so what is the need to pretend?" Julian raised an eyebrow at him, but it seemed Aaron was determined to maintain his image of "innocence," pretending not to understand the situation.

He cast a bright glance at Ethan Caldwell, his eyes reddening as tears fell drop by drop, his appearance strangely pitiful. It seemed that people like Gabriel Cole and Cedric Harrington really liked this look of his, so in Aaron’s head, there was always this thought: did he just need to display a weak and submissive appearance to evoke pity from men?

Julian curled his lips in a sneer. Initially, he had found the setting of this novel quite acceptable. However, the more he came into contact with it, the more he felt that this was merely a book in the style of a perverted domineering CEO and his foolish, weak-willed male wife.

Clearly a man, yet he did not use his own abilities, but instead tried to cling to someone else. Even in Julian’s eyes, Aaron did not possess the capability or value of the women in Ethan Caldwell’s secretarial team.

People only have value when they know how to strive and work hard.

Julian took a few steps forward, his demeanor very leisurely and calm. The surrounding bodyguards immediately took defensive stances, fearing that Aaron might be pushed to a dead end and go crazy, harming him. They had no choice; this was the little master, and if anything happened, the boss would deal with them severely.

Julian did not care about this issue, but Aaron noticed their formation; Julian alone was being carefully protected by more than five bodyguards. He gritted his teeth; though he hated it, he could not do anything. Finally, he could only try to put on the most pitiful appearance possible, looking at Ethan Caldwell while silently shedding tears.

Then his chin was lifted.

Julian bent down slightly, bringing his face close to Aaron’s, grabbing his chin with his hand, turning it side to side, then clicked his tongue: "You do look quite good, no wonder those men all follow you."

"But do you think they are truly so enamored with this look of yours that they would trade everything for it?"

Aaron opened his mouth, gasping a breath: "What are you saying? I don’t understand."

Julian scoffed and signaled to a bodyguard; that guy was perceptive and hurriedly handed him a silk handkerchief. Julian carefully wiped each fingertip that had touched Aaron, as if he had just touched something filthy: "First, your status is illegitimate, and your claims are unjustified. The blood in your body is not of the Sterling family; money and power will ultimately belong to Edward, not you. Second, regarding looks, in our whole family, you are the ugliest. Third, you cannot give birth, and you don’t even have brains. Aaron, oh Aaron, someone with no money, no power, no looks, and no ability - someone like you can be found by the handful on the street - do you think the heir of such a massive corporation would ever put you in his eyes?"

"Ultimately, they only value this Sterling surname of yours. A person with a family clan behind him but no brains - isn’t that the easiest to manipulate? After all, this Sterling name of yours is borrowed. Even if you are discarded in the future, would Richard Sterling dare to confront two major families just for your sake?"