CEO's Passion: Love by Mistake

Joyce, too, would not have been in pain for so many years due to her love for Stanley.

Shane sighed inwardly. The Rivers really should have left the Quinns to their own devices all those years ago.

Perhaps it would have been a good thing for the Quinns if they all died.

Stanley clenched both fists after Shane's speech, trying to repress his tremble. “Are you saying that I have no right to hate them?”

“That's right. You have no right.” Shane met his gaze impassively. “I'm sure you know in your heart that you should not hate and blame the Rivers, Stanley. You know that if they had not acted, the three of you wouldn't have lived. Because your parents had been killed with the murderer not found, you have displaced your anger toward the Rivers. You are simply incompetent for doing something like that.”

“How dare you?” Stanley jerked his head up to glare at Shane through bloodshot eyes.

How is it possible that I'm incompetent?

“Don't look at me like that. You know I'm right. You are incompetent to direct all of your anger toward the people who saved you. This is how an incompetent person behaves. You directed the hatred for your enemies to the Rivers because you know that you have failed to find the killers to avenge your parents. However, you were in desperate need of an outlet for your hatred to remind yourself never to forget the grudge, so the Rivers ended up becoming the scapegoat for your emotions.”

“Shut up! Shut your mouth!” Stanley yelled as he slammed a heavy fist down on Shane's desk, looking quite deranged. “I'm not what you said I am!”

“You are exactly as I described. Why, then, didn't you kill the Rivers? I would have understood it if you weren't capable of murder like you were a dozen years ago. But how about now? You had so many opportunities to kill them with no one any the wiser but you never did so because you know in your heart that you don't hate them. You also know that they weren't the ones to have harmed your parents and that they are your saviors. You are only lying to yourself by refusing to admit it.”

Stanley's whole body shook uncontrollably.

No, Shane is wrong. It's not possible that I am lying to myself.

Suppressing the violent impulse to thrash everything in sight, he glared sullenly at Shane a little longer before turning to leave.

“I can't believe he managed to restrain himself from doing something insane in his rage, Mr. Thompson,” Silas said to Shane as he looked at Stanley's departing silhouette.

Stanley had been diagnosed with serious mental illness. Although he had attended therapy in the past, it was far from being treated.

Besides, a mental condition as serious as his would not be cured within a month or two.

Even patients suffering from a moderate affliction would require years. Stanley's case, in comparison, was an extreme one.

Moreover, being a psychiatrist himself, Stanley would know how to hide his abnormal psyche to appear cured.