Chapter 4

The days that I spent at the dog training center hadn't been a complete waste. Other than the physical abuse that they inflicted on me, the people there weren't as strict with me compared to Dad. As a result, I managed to steal a phone.

I saw the outside world for the first time through the phone. My hands were shaking when I scrolled through those spectacular scenes. Students were reading in classrooms. Books, as far as the eye could see, are in libraries. People running around freely under the sun.

Every scene that I came across made me shed tears. I swore to myself that I would escape to the outside world.

I recalled hearing one of Dad's thoughts that revealed a bit of my true character.

"The villain is extremely intelligent to the point that it almost feels supernatural. I can't give him any chances to come into contact with the outside world."

Dad had been right to think that way. He shouldn't have given me a chance to look at the light—shouldn't have given me a chance to distance myself from his control.

…

The days passed in the blink of an eye. Dad was getting more and more excited.

One day, a group of men in black suits came knocking on our door.

"Mr. Huxley, we are here on Mr. Clairmont's orders to invite Mr. Isaac to the Clairmont residence as a guest."

"The day has finally arrived," Dad thought to himself. "Brenda has discovered that she can't conceive anymore and has no choice but to seek out her illegitimate son."

On the surface, he maintained a calm and composed expression on his face. Instead of answering them directly, he leaned down and asked me softly, "Do you want to leave the house and meet your mother, Isaac?"

I was just about to answer when I caught a glimpse of a sinister glint in his eyes. My heart skipped a beat. He was testing me for the last time.

I deliberately presented myself as being completely dependent on him and timidly threw myself into his arms. "I don't want to leave the house. The outside world is full of bad guys."

As expected, a satisfied smile stretched across Dad's face.

"The Clairmonts won't like it when they lay eyes on his stupid and cowardly appearance. My mission will finally be completed!"

Only then did he look up and say, "Let's meet them then."

He then pulled me toward the door.

"My apologies," one of the men said, holding out his hand to stop Dad in his tracks. "Mr. Clairmont's invitation only extends to Mr. Isaac."

Dad's expression darkened in an instant. Meanwhile, I immediately clung to his leg. My voice was thick with tears when I shouted, "I won't go if Dad's not going too!"

The men stepped to the side to discuss their options. In the end, they had no choice but to let Dad tag along.

Dad shot a smug look at them before taking my hand and getting into the car that would take us to the Clairmont residence.

…

I felt two scrutinizing gazes on me the moment we arrived at the Clairmont residence. A middle-aged man sat in the main seat, while a young woman with a gloomy expression sat next to him. I kept my eyes on the floor to give off the impression that I was timid and cowardly.

As expected, Brenda frowned, not even bothering to hide the displeasure in her eyes.

"Is he a mute?" she asked. "Does he not know how to speak even a single word?"

Dad swiftly stood in front of me, putting on an act that made it look like he was protecting me. "Why are you scaring him? He's afraid of strangers and won't speak in front of them."

Brenda scoffed. "As I thought, he's utterly unpresentable."

She turned to look at her father, Xavier Clairmont, and said, "I already told you that we shouldn't have looked for this child, Dad. We should just adopt someone and nurture them."

Meanwhile, Xavier was regarding me with a curious look. "He looks quite smart. How are his studies?"

Dad interjected before I could say a single word, saying, "Just say so if you want to bully my son. You're intentionally humiliating him just because he's not that bright and struggles with his studies."

He glared at them with bloodshot eyes. "So what if my son is stupid? He can just live a pure and happy life for the rest of his days."

Xavier looked a little disappointed, but there was still a hint of hesitance on his face. Meanwhile, Brenda could barely keep her disdain in check.

"Stop wasting your time, Dad. A useless piece of trash like him doesn't deserve to be the successor of the Clairmont family. We should just kick them to the curb."

A hint of relief flashed across Dad's face, but he still deliberately raised his voice and exclaimed, "We don't care about joining the Clairmont family either! Let's go, Isaac. You can change your last name to mine from now on."

He opened his arms, waiting for me to throw myself into his embrace like I always did.

"Mr. Clairmont, the Garrick family is suddenly causing trouble for our projects."

Just then, Xavier's secretary rushed into the room while clutching a thick stack of reports. "Something has gone wrong for the projects. Everyone is demanding compensation for breaching the contracts."

He recited a long string of complicated numbers before continuing, "These are the compensation fees that the 15 business partners are asking for, respectively."

"Just tell us the total!" Brenda snapped impatiently, interrupting him. "How much did we lose?"

The secretary was just about to read the number aloud when a clear and young voice cut through the air.

"28.96 million dollars."