Chapter 4

In that instant, the men in white coats approached me one step at a time, their blank eyes making them look like emotionless machines.

Donald stood beside me and explained the situation to the guests with a look of deep distress.

"He suffers from serious delusions of persecution and has violent tendencies. He's always convinced himself that he's the one who's done the most for the family and that everyone wants to harm him. He even lashes out at people close to him…"

He sounded so helpless and heartbroken, putting on a sickeningly convincing performance.

Those present scrambled backward, eyeing me with a mix of dread and pity, terrified the lunatic would snap and hurt them. There wasn't a single person in the banquet hall who spoke up for me or tried to intervene. I was entirely on my own.

I thrash wildly, shoving away the hands grabbing for me. "Get your hands off me! I want to see my father! I want to see Zack Quinton! I put everything on the line for this family—I bled for the Quinton family! I don't believe for a second he'd fall for your damn lies!"

I yelled throughout the lavish banquet hall, only to draw nothing more than a contemptuous sigh from Donald.

Donald leaned in close and whispered so that only I could hear him. "You should stop being so naive. Do you really think I could've sent you overseas for treatment without Dad's permission? He has lost all hope in you a long time ago—the one who never learned how to keep his head down!"

Those words dealt a heavier blow than any punch, hitting me where it hurt most. That couldn't possibly be true. That last bit of hope I had left started to crumble.

I abruptly held up the voice recorder in my hand, making one final attempt to turn things around. I screamed at the top of my lungs, yelling, "There's also a recording on here of him conspiring with the rival company and deliberately leaking my whereabouts!"

Donald's eyes widened in surprise for a second before settling into a cold sneer, practically daring me to keep bluffing.

Just then, one of the family elders who had come in with Joseph finally spoke up. He looked solemn, his voice carrying a deep disappointment. "That's enough, Donald! Stop causing trouble anymore! Hand over what you have and go back with the doctors for treatment. Y-You will not be treated unfairly, Donald…"

He addressed me as Donald, making his intentions obvious. He wanted me to admit that I was mentally ill.

In that moment, everything finally became clear to me. It seemed like my plans stood in their path, so every single one of them chose to buy into the fake. I had lost. I had been utterly defeated, and that last bit of tension keeping me together finally snapped.

I could feel all the energy drained from my body instantly while the light in my eyes quickly dimmed.

Upon seeing the opportunity, the psychiatric staff and Donald's guards pounced on me together. They ruthlessly pinned me down flat against the freezing marble floor.

I felt a throbbing pain shooting through my cheek as they slammed it into the ground, twisting my arms behind me until they felt ready to break. I felt humiliated, furious, and desperate, churning violently in my chest.

Donald and Isabella sauntered over, gazing down at me like I was an insignificant being they had crushed underfoot.

Donald squatted down, a wicked smirk spreading across a face that matched mine completely. "Oh, my sweet younger brother. You'll be Donald Quinton from now on—a poor, pathetic mental patient.

"I'll have to hand it to you, though. You have pretty good taste. Isabella is quite… impressive. I, Bradley Quinton, will be the one enjoying your life from now on!"

Isabella covered her mouth and giggled with amusement, while her high heel remained right before my eyes. "You're such a pitiful sight that it almost breaks my heart. You should've thought of this before you brought it on yourself!"

One of the men in white coats took out a white restraint strap, ready to restrain my wrists completely.

Just as the strap was about to close around my wrist, the shrill sound of sudden braking came from outside the hotel. Then, an imposing, elderly voice followed, drowning out the noise in the banquet hall. "I'd like to see who dares touch my son today!"