The Illegitimate Flame: Bride of Ashes
Chapter 79- a simple man

Chapter 79: Chapter 79- a simple man

"Do you think August is a simple man? No—he’s far more calculating than anyone else!" Charles stepped away from Janet, turning his back to her as he walked over to the blinds. Janet knew he liked standing there, gazing down at the view below—or maybe it was the thrill of looking down from that height that he craved.

From the moment August was brought into the Elwin family, a burning desire for revenge had taken root deep inside him. It was Norman and Sienna who betrayed Derrick first. Even as a child, Charles remembered Sienna’s scant love as a mother. Back then, he and Philip had been happy. But later, their mother became someone else’s woman—someone else’s mother.

Charles understood Derrick’s hatred. Derrick was a proud man; he would never allow such a thing to happen in his world. The woman he loved most and his own blood brother both betrayed him. He wanted destruction. His hatred was justified!

August was three years younger than Charles, and between them, a fierce rivalry brewed. August knew Derrick only took him in to torment him more cruelly. His sole purpose in life was clear—to avenge his parents.

When August was nineteen, Derrick sent him abroad. Charles wasn’t in the country at the time. Gifted beyond his years, Charles had left for a strict training program overseas as a teenager.

When Derrick ordered August to be sent away, Philip accompanied him on his last journey. Derrick didn’t know this. And that’s when tragedy struck.

After Philip dropped August off at the airport, on his way back, he got into a car accident. August had tampered with Philip’s car beforehand. The moment August landed in the U.S., he called Derrick and told him: this was his gift to his uncle—a crippled son.

Derrick went mad. He cut off every route August had in America. He even orchestrated a deadly hunt, watching with cold eyes as August sank into a life worse than death—lost in the chaotic black market—until Manfred showed up.

Charles never expected his closest brother, Philip, to go from a healthy man to a cripple overnight. Seeing Philip lying in the hospital, paralyzed from the waist down and hooked to countless machines, Charles swore he would make August pay—one hundredfold.

He was waiting for August to come home. Waiting for the day he’d come for revenge. But the hatred between them had long since surpassed any brotherly bond, blood-related or not.

"How could this be? Philip...?" Janet was completely stunned after hearing it all. Her mind couldn’t process this sudden truth. She couldn’t imagine that August—the boy he once was—could be so ruthless to Philip. Derrick was the one who killed their parents, so how could August hurt Philip?

Could it really be like Charles said—that August’s cunning was this deep from the very start?

"His father took my mother away. He turned Philip into a cripple. Janet, tell me, should I hate him or not?" Charles’s hoarse voice carried a suppressed bitterness as it reached Janet’s ears. She suddenly lost her voice.

Why did the next generation have to bear the grudges of the last?

In the end, they were all victims—August, Charles, Philip.

But fate had also doomed them to become enemies...

"Charles, what should I do? How can I help you all?" Janet felt helpless, unsure how to resolve this hatred. It all traced back to Derrick—his selfish choices destroyed the lives of three children.

Charles had grown up drowning in the hatred of losing his mother. That hatred was planted by a man who was nothing short of a demon. And now, the one who made the mistakes was Derrick, yet his sons had to suffer for it.

Charles was a man of clear lines—love and hate were black and white for him. Once he set his mind, he would stop at nothing. The hatred between him and August was a fight to the death—only one could survive.

What was she supposed to do? Janet suddenly felt like a burden. She couldn’t help Charles. She couldn’t even reason with him. Maybe from the start, she was just a pawn in this game of revenge—but Charles kept pushing her away again and again.

He had warned her more than once to stay away from August and Manfred. It wasn’t because he didn’t trust her—it was because he didn’t want to drag her into their dangerous world. But now that she knew everything, what could she do? Her heart ached for Charles, and for August too—they were both innocent.

"You don’t have to do anything. Just stay by my side," Charles said, sensing her helplessness. He never wanted to make things harder for her. As long as her heart belonged to him—completely—he wouldn’t just take revenge for himself, he would take revenge for her too. August, Manfred, Harold, Anila, Elvira—he wouldn’t spare a single one.

"Charles..." Janet stood quietly behind him, not stepping forward, watching his back. He looked so lonely, so distant—like a man wrapped in shadows no one could penetrate.

"Janet, don’t say anything. Don’t do anything. Just quietly stay by my side, okay?" Charles’s voice carried a sincere, desperate plea. Janet couldn’t refuse him. Now, even if she wanted to speak, no words would come out.

What would happen between him and August? Janet didn’t know—and she was afraid to find out. All she knew was that she didn’t want either of them to get hurt.

"I don’t want anyone. All of you, get lost!" A furious roar echoed through the Elwin mansion. Philip threw down a stack of women’s photos Derrick had given him, scattering them across the floor.

He knew Derrick’s intentions and refused to play along. He didn’t need a woman.

"Philip, if you don’t want these women, do you want Janet instead? Then I’ll get her back for you!" Derrick said coldly, staring at the furious Philip. This was the only thing he repeatedly argued about with Philip, but he never forced him. Unlike Charles, Philip was his favorite son. Derrick admitted to being selfish—he sacrificed Charles as his pawn for revenge, but he wouldn’t let Philip get hurt.

"Do you dare? I told you—I want no one!" Philip’s voice was exhausted. He’d lived six years without desires or wants. He knew Charles carried too much pain. How could he be as selfish as Derrick, thinking only of himself?

"No women, fine. But you cooperate. When your body’s stronger, I’ll arrange an artificial insemination for you." Derrick had already found a pure woman to bear Philip’s child—and once the job was done, she’d be paid off with money.

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