Chapter 3

From that day on, I unilaterally gave everyone else in the house the silent treatment.

I no longer woke up before the sun rose to turn Grandma on her side and rub her back. I also stopped sinking to my knees in fear to wash her feet whenever she shot a single look at me.

I even stopped going into the kitchen altogether. I only prepared a slice of toast and a glass of warm milk for myself every morning.

"I'm starving… I want to eat… I want food!" Grandma would whine in a high-pitched voice from where she was seated in the living room. "Horrible! Ungrateful!"

Ashton and Uncle Daniel were preoccupied with working and having fun. As a result, no one responded to her whining.

Grandma reached her limit after only three days. She had gotten used to being waited on hand and foot by me. Now, she had no choice but to endure the sensation of wearing pants that reeked of urine since she was stuck in her wheelchair.

…

One afternoon, I heard the sounds of a whispered conversation when I passed by Grandma's room.

"Please take a look at me, Mr. Holton! What's wrong with my body? That brat stopped taking care of me a few days ago. My leg hurts so much, and I have a huge rash on my back. It hurts and itches so badly.

"Didn't you tell me that I could absorb his vitality by pretending to be sick? Why is my condition deteriorating instead?"

The shaman, Tristan Holton's, sinister voice echoed from the other end of the line. "This is the backlash that I told you about in the past, Mrs. Saldano Senior. The fact that Jasper didn't die in the car crash proves that he has a strong thirst for life. He's blocking you from absorbing his vitality.

"Since he stopped taking care of you, the connection between the two of you has been severed. Naturally, your illnesses are returning to your body now."

"What should I do? You have to save me, Mr. Holton!" Grandma exclaimed in a shaky voice.

Tristan scoffed and said, "Well, since he's stubbornly clinging on to his life, you have to resort to crueler methods. He stopped taking care of you by using the excuse that he's injured. You simply have to force him to take care of you!

"You have to put him in his place. You'll naturally begin to absorb his vitality again after you've punished him. Don't forget. You have to make him kneel when he's taking care of you. Only then can you suppress his desire to live!"

Grandma summoned Ashton after she hung up on Tristan.

My heart felt cold when I snuck away. It was blatantly obvious that they were going to cook up schemes to torment me.

As expected, the piercing sounds of shattering glass resounded from the living room at 8:00 pm.

"Come here now, Jasper!" Ashton shouted, kicking my door open.

I sauntered into the living room.

There was a huge bucket of water in the middle of the living room. Ice cubes floated on the surface of the water, along with several pairs of pants that were giving off a foul stench.

There was a sinister glint in Grandma's eyes when she looked at me. "Wash… Wash the pants… Beat you to death…" she slurred.

"Grandma has spoken, Jasper," Ashton said while glaring fiercely at me, brandishing a golf club. "You must wash these pants with your bare hands. You're not allowed to use the washing machine.

"Get on your knees and wash them right now! You can forget about sleeping until you finish washing all of them!"

"And what if I refuse?" I asked.

"Refuse?" Ashton repeated.

A wicked smile stretched across his lips. He waved the golf club and said, "I guess I'll just have to help Grandma discipline her ungrateful grandchild, then! You didn't completely break your arm, right? Want me to give you a hand and change that?"

Grandma and Ashton weren't even bothering to put up an act anymore.

I didn't mind. The more cruel they were, the more justified my revenge would be in the future.

I smiled at them coldly and said, "Fine. I'll do it."

Ashton looked absolutely delighted when I slowly crouched down.

A hint of joy flickered in Grandma's eyes as if she could already see my vitality flowing like a river toward her.

My fingers were inches away from the icy water when I kicked the bucket with all my might. The icy water and foul-smelling pants flew through the air before landing on Grandma.

A high-pitched scream cut through the air.

Grandma, who was supposed to be crippled, jumped up from her wheelchair. She leaped several feet away with nimble movements, wiping the icy water with her hands while a string of curses exploded from her lips.

"You damned bastard, Jasper Saldano! Are you trying to freeze me to death?" she exclaimed while coughing. "It's so cold!"

Ashton stood rooted to the spot while still holding the golf club.

The corner of my lips curled up into a sarcastic smile as I clapped. "Well, would you look at that? It seems that your leg is all better now, Grandma."