Chapter 4

Vivian was betting on the fact that after the massive blow her family dealt me, I'd be too terrified to utter a single sound. When I didn't budge, she scowled, and her voice became icy. "What are you waiting for, Sebastian? Go make Nate some supper while you're at it!"

Lounging on the couch, I looked at her calmly. "I'm not your dog. Why should I listen to you?"

Vivian stiffened. Clearly, she hadn't expected me to be completely unfazed by the carrot or the stick.

Noah, who was behind her, held Nathan's hand, putting on a pitiful act. "Forget it, Vivi. Nate and I should just stay at a hotel. Dr. Kingsley clearly doesn't welcome us, and I don't want to scare Nate further."

Right on cue, Nathan burst into tears and wailed, "Mommy, I'm scared..."

The father and son looked as if they had suffered some terrible injustice.

I jeered. "If you know you're not welcome, yet you still followed her back, are you just begging to be humiliated? Noah, you recovered from slitting your wrists so fast that even our genetically modified lab pigs would envy your healing factor.

"Next time you play the victim, remember to actually make a couple of cuts. Otherwise, you're going to make yourself a laughingstock!"

Noah's face flushed with anger. His shoulders trembled, but he couldn't utter a single word. In the end, he could only turn and leave.

Vivian watched them go, the heartache in her eyes practically overflowing. She whipped her head around, glaring at me viciously. "How could you take your anger out on a child, Sebastian Kingsley? Just you wait. I'll make sure you can never survive in this field again!"

I watched her panic-stricken figure rush out the door, feeling nothing but amusement. "Sure. I'll be waiting."

…

The next day, when I left for work, a figure rushed out of nowhere and abruptly dumped a bucket of paint over me. The pungent, acrid odor made it completely impossible for me to open my eyes.

The very next second, I felt a heavy club smash brutally into my kneecap. The moment I dropped to my knees, a relentless barrage of fists rained down upon me.

The pain was blinding. All I could do was curl into a ball and shield my head.

After what felt like an eternity, the sharp click of high heels echoed nearby. Emily looked down her nose at me and snarked, "Do you regret it now, Sebastian? I told you there would be consequences. Now, as long as you take all the blame and admit you slandered Vivian, I might just let you walk away with your life."

Wiping the paint from my eyes, I took in her shameless expression and found it laughable. "Lest you forget, you're the ones who did me wrong first."

All these years, because Mom was gravely ill, my father, Simon Kingsley, had devoted himself to staying by her side. However, that did not mean my family had fallen.

Nouveau riche like the Carters weren't even worthy of breathing the same air as true, elite high society. The only reason I had never told them my true identity was simply because I preferred to keep a low profile and, frankly, to leave Vivian a lifeline.

Since they were so hellbent on digging their own graves, I saw no reason to play nice anymore.

Seeing that I refused to listen to reason, Emily ordered her bodyguards to give me another brutal beating. She didn't call them off until my head was split open and blood was running down my face.

"You really don't know what's good for you, do you? In that case, don't blame me for playing hardball. Sebastian Kingsley, I'll make sure you know what true despair feels like!"

After she strutted away, I forced myself to my feet. I was about to head home to change my clothes when I received a phone call from Dad. His deep voice trembled with an anger he couldn't suppress.

"Seb, why are you still showing mercy to such shameless people? Do whatever you want. We can afford the fallout."

My family's concern warmed my heart, and my voice choked with emotion. "Don't worry, Dad."

I stood frozen for a few beats to pull myself together before dialing a familiar number. "Let's split the Carter family's businesses in half."

There was a brief silence on the other end before laughter broke through. "Gladly. What's the plan?"