Chapter 688

Terrence was shocked to learn of such news, and his face morphed into a look of disbelief. However, he soon displayed great anguish on his pallid face. Terrence knew that Isaac liked to mess around. The latter was spoiled, and Terrence could not keep him in check at all because of Horace, who would fulfill all of Isaac's needs and requests as long as he asked. Due to this issue, Terrence had gotten into several arguments with Horace. However, that wasn't all that he was mad about. Terrence was even more livid that Horace had kept close in touch with the Wood family from Eastoria. He couldn't help but ask, "Have you gone nuts? Why did you keep in touch with them? They're our enemies!" To his dismay, Horace responded, "You can't be serious. I only contacted them to save you back then, yet you're here complaining when you're well and alive?" Immediately, Terrence retorted in fury, "That's merely an exchange of mutual benefit. You don't need to continue entertaining them once it's over!" Then, Horace replied, "Sometimes, things just don't work that way." Terrence was so angry that he wanted to pick a fight with Horace. He just couldn't seem to keep both Isaac and Horace in check, which was why he left the Wood family in a fit of frustration. But he never thought that he'd return just to organize a funeral for Isaac. The memories in his mind flashed past like a movie, and he took in Matthew's explanation in silence. After a long while, Terrence said, "I'm Isaac's father, and I apologize for everything my son has done." Needless to say, Matthew was shocked when he heard Terrence's apology. It was the first time he'd ever met a figure so powerful, yet so reasonable, so it got his tongue tied. After a beat of silence, Matthew said, "He's already paid for what he did, so there's no need for you to apologize." Upon hearing that, Terrence let out a pained expression and said, "I have to. It's my fault for not disciplining my son, after all. But…" Terrence trailed off and paused for a moment. Then, he collected his composure and gritted his teeth as he said, "But… even if you've got your reasons, I'll make you pay for killing my son!" Upon hearing that, Matthew narrowed his eyes and said, "Come on then! Since you're here for revenge, let's get it over with!" But Terrence shook his head. "I know I'm no match for you. You're too strong, and you're very well-versed in fighting too. Even if I had tens of men to fight with you, none of them can defeat you. "Still, I have to carry out my revenge. From today onward, my goal is to end your life!" After he had finished speaking, Terrence turned to leave. Matthew was stunned—he didn't think Terrence would turn out to be so calm and self-aware. Now that there was another person whose goal was to kill him, Matthew felt his murderous intent churning from within. But he suppressed his thoughts and looked at Terrence's back, yelling, "It's your problem for failing to keep your son in check! I definitely won't hold back if you come at me!" When Terrence heard what Matthew said, tears began to roll down his cheeks. From the moment he learned of Isaac's death up until now, he hadn't yet shed a tear, but Matthew's words had struck a chord, and Terrence couldn't hold back his tears anymore. In the end, it was because he had failed to properly educate his son as a father. Seeing his welled-up eyes, Rachel couldn't help but disdain Horace even more for it was his arrogance that had led to his son's loss. After they had taken their leave, Rachel asked Matthew, "Didn't you say that you didn't kill him?" All of a sudden, Matthew remembered the lie he had fabricated, and he was at a loss for words. "Rachel, I've got some matters to settle, so let's save my explanation for later." Having said that, Matthew scurried away in a panic. Faced with such a situation, Rachel huffed and whined, "Don't leave yet. There's something I wanna ask. Who's Ivy, and what's your relationship with her? Why does she speak to you so politely? You've got to clear this up right now!" However, Matthew only sped up his pace—he hadn't thought of how he should tell Rachel about Ivy. Hence, he said, "I'll explain after I come back." Then, Matthew rushed downstairs, only feeling a little calmed when he finally got into his car. A while later, Matthew took out the Plague Compendium, which was wrapped with a plastic film. After removing the film, he flipped it to the first page. Matthew froze when he realized that it was empty and proceeded to browse through a few pages more to confirm—they were all blank. Then, he took a closer look at the cover, which was seemingly new. Instantly, Matthew understood what had happened—the Plague Compendium was a fake!