Benson's blood boiled as Derrick turned to leave, the smirk still playing on his lips. His entire life had been a lie, and now the man who was supposed to be his father was treating him like a mere business transaction. The anger he had been holding in finally exploded.
"You think you can just walk away after dropping that bombshell?" Benson snarled, stepping toward Derrick. "You let me grow up thinking I was William's son, and now you want to blackmail us for money? You abandoned me! You never once tried to be my father!"
Derrick scoffed, turning back to face him. "Oh, spare me the theatrics, Benson. You had a better life under William than you ever would have had with me. I did you a favor."
Benson's fists clenched. "A favor? You let me live a lie! Do you have any idea what it's like to think you belong somewhere, only to find out you were never meant to be there in the first place?"
Derrick rolled his eyes. "You're acting like a child. Grow up, Benson. Life isn't fair."
That was the last straw. Benson lunged at him, shoving him back. "You don't get to talk to me like that! You were supposed to be my father!"
Derrick barely staggered before his hand flew across Benson's face with a sharp crack.
Margaret gasped, stepping forward in shock. "Derrick!"
Benson's head snapped to the side, his cheek stinging from the slap. He tasted blood in his mouth, but his pride hurt far worse than his face. Slowly, he turned his burning glare back to Derrick.
"You have no right," Benson growled, his voice low and dangerous. "You have no right to hit me after everything you've done. You weren't there when I needed a father. You weren't there when I struggled. You left me with a man who was never mine, and now, after all these years, you think you can come back and act like nothing happened?"
Derrick's jaw tightened. "I did what was necessary, Benson. William raised you as his son, gave you his name, his wealth. That's more than I could have ever done for you."
Benson let out a bitter laugh. "Don't act like you did it for my sake. You did it because you were a coward. You let me grow up with a man who was never my real father while you hid in the shadows like a rat."
Derrick's expression darkened, but before he could respond, Margaret stepped in between them.
"Enough!" she hissed, her eyes flashing with frustration. "This is not the time to fight amongst ourselves. We have bigger problems to handle."
Benson wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his gaze still locked onto Derrick. "You're nothing to me," he spat. "And you never will be."
Derrick smirked again, but there was a flicker of something else in his eyes guilt, maybe. "That's fine by me. I don't need your approval, Benson. I just need my share of the empire."
Benson scoffed. "Then you're just as greedy as the rest of us."
Derrick leaned in slightly, lowering his voice. "Maybe. But at least I know exactly who I am. Can you say the same?"
With that, he turned on his heel and walked out, leaving Benson seething in fury.
Margaret placed a hand on Benson's shoulder, but he shrugged her off. His whole world had just shattered, and the only thing keeping him from breaking down completely was the unrelenting rage burning inside him.
Margaret sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. She knew Benson wouldn't take the truth well, but she hadn't expected this level of rage.
"Benson, listen to me," she said, her voice firm yet coaxing. "We did what we had to do. You were raised as William's son because that was the only way we could secure a future for you. If we had told you the truth earlier, do you think William would have kept you close? No, he would have thrown you and me out without a second thought!"
Benson let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head. "So that's it, huh? You lied to me my entire life just so you could get your hands on his money?"
Margaret's eyes flashed with frustration. "No! I did it for you!" she snapped. "I wanted you to have everything—the Williams name, the wealth, the power. I wanted you to inherit it all!"
Benson clenched his fists, his entire body trembling with suppressed anger. "I would have rather grown up knowing the truth than living a lie! You had years to tell me, Margaret. You could have told me when I was old enough to understand, but instead, you let me believe I was someone I'm not!"
Margaret took a step closer, lowering her voice. "And what good would that have done? Huh? Would it have changed anything? You wouldn't have been allowed anywhere near William's fortune. Everything I worked for everything we worked for, would have been for nothing."
Benson scoffed, running a hand through his hair. "So, I was just a pawn in your little scheme? A tool to get what you wanted?"
Margaret's face softened, and for the first time, true desperation seeped into her tone. "No, Benson. You're my son. My flesh and blood. I did everything for you."
Benson's glare didn't waver. "No, you did it for yourself. You never gave me a choice. You just manipulated me into playing along with your sick game."
Margaret swallowed hard. "You can hate me all you want, but that doesn't change the fact that you are a Williams now. And with William gone, everything is falling into place. We can't let Adrian take it all. We have to stay focused."
Benson took a deep breath, his jaw clenched so tightly it hurt. "I don't even know who I am anymore." He looked at Margaret, his gaze filled with disappointment. "But one thing's for sure, I'm not your puppet anymore."
Margaret's lips parted, but before she could say another word, Benson turned on his heel and stormed out of the room, leaving her standing there, watching the future she had carefully crafted begin to crumble.