Chapter 4

"That's enough! Why are we wasting time on a lunatic?" Wendy snapped, pointing at my clothes with an icy glare. "We've sponsored you all these years, hoping you'd excel at your studies, yet you spent it all on designer clothes.

"You ruined my wedding and tried to smear my reputation. What did I do to deserve this?"

Her furious words immediately silenced the guests. Even Janet glared at me, fuming. "Take his clothes off! He doesn't deserve anything from our family!"

I looked at the oncoming guards and frowned. "Fine. Whatever the amount you've spent on me, I'll give it all back to you now!"

Seeing that I was finally conceding, Wendy wore a satisfied smirk. "Give it back to me? You ungrateful fool, wouldn't all that money be coming from us anyway?"

I glared at her smug face and gritted my teeth. "Name a price. I'll pay triple."

The room erupted. Laughter bounced against the walls, ringing loudly.

"Did I hear that right? That fraud wants to pay triple?"

"Maybe he's planning to sell his parents' organs."

I ignored the snickers around me and fixed my gaze on Wendy. She looked back at me, her tone full of disdain as she uttered a number.

"50 million dollars—that's the money we've spent on you all these years. Triple that amount will be 150 million dollars. Can you even afford it?"

The room was so silent that one could hear a pin drop. That number was astronomical.

"That much money? The Hudsons are a charity organization at this point."

"No wonder this poor loser dares to act so brazenly. The Hudsons have spoiled him."

"He took that much money and said he would pay it all back? Not even his family's life insurance money combined could add up to 50 million dollars."

Wendy, smug as she had been, taunted me. "Well? If you can't afford it, get the hell out of here. I'll forget about ever sponsoring an ingrate like you."

I laughed in anger. What gave them the nerve to speak like that?

Dad had just returned to the country yesterday, so I was curious to see what would happen if I actually sent the money. Would they dare to take it?

After texting Dad and getting his reply ten minutes later, I put my phone away.

Timothy slowly stepped toward me. "Why do this to yourself, Jake?"

I fixed him with a cold glare.

He reached out and lightly tapped my cheek, leaning close to whisper, "150 million dollars… That's basically all the cash flow your family has right now, isn't it? My advice—stop trying to save face and start facing reality. Your daddy's long been picked clean."

My anger boiled over. I grabbed a glass of red wine from the side and smashed it against his head. Somehow, my hand had found its way around his neck.

"You're supposed to wait for your turn while I deal with them, but you're already asking for a beating!"

I was ready to tighten my grip when the bodyguards swiftly pinned me to the ground.

"Jake Miller, you lunatic! How could you hurt Tim?"

"Chop off his hand!" Luther commanded. "That should teach him a painful lesson!"

The bodyguards' aggression heightened as they locked me in place. A sharp dagger soon appeared before my eyes.

"My dad will be here any minute!" I shouted. "You'd better think twice!"

Luther sneered. "Look at you, stubborn as a bull. It's time for your lesson."

No sooner had his words fallen than the blade penetrated my palm. A sharp crack of the bones sounded in the air. I gritted my teeth, holding back any sound that tried to escape my lips.

They were ready to finish the job when a sudden, loud rumble interrupted them. All heads turned in the same direction.

"That's… the Millers' chopper!"