Chapter 4

Three days had passed, and not a single cent had come my way. Instead, I was bombarded with endless abusive messages—from Dad, from Felix, and from those so-called relatives.

I gathered all the evidence and sent it to my lawyer, ready to take legal action.

Monday was crucial. I had a key meeting with Beckett Group. Just before it began, a ruckus erupted downstairs.

I peered down from the window, frowning.

Dad sat on the floor with messy hair, pounding his thighs and wailing, holding up a sign that read, "Luther Grayson, an executive at Cloudvine Group, my ungrateful son! You have abandoned your sick father and harmed your own brother!"

Felix stood next to him, livestreaming with tears in his eyes. "Tell me—is this fair? My brother is a general manager at a top company with a seven-figure salary, yet he won't pay for Dad's medical bills!

"Dad even skipped his own treatment to save money for him to buy a villa, and now he's trying to destroy us—and even sue us! Is this how a successful person behaves? Is this the kind of partner Beckett Group wants?"

The viewer count shot up, and the chat exploded with insults aimed at me. Everyone in the meeting room stared at me—some with disdain, some with pity, and some just waiting for the spectacle.

I trembled with anger and marched down to the lobby.

Dad lunged at me, grabbing my legs. "Luther! Please! Don't sue us! I'll do anything! Your brother just got a job—you can't ruin him! Take the money! That's all I have to live on! I won't get treatment anymore! I might as well die!"

The crowd's anger flared up instantly.

"How can you be so cruel?"

"He raised you, and now you're betraying him?"

Felix shoved his phone in my face and shouted, "Luther! Look! Dad's on his knees for you! Are you even human?"

I snatched a security guard's megaphone. "Stop the act! You claim I abandoned Dad? Last week, he was in the hospital. I paid every bill and even tended to him, and where were you? You were busy house hunting.

"Dad, how dare you accuse me of taking money that could have saved your life? That 500 thousand dollars I kept with you came from my own salary! You used it to buy Felix's villa, and now you're calling me a thief? And Felix, didn't you say you were a rising talent at Beckett Group? Is throwing a fit in the lobby how you prove it?"

Felix's face darkened, but the livestream viewers seemed to egg him on. He squared his shoulders and shouted, "Stop lying! I got in on my own merit, unlike you. You're just good at using money to bully your family!"

I sneered. "Merit? Fine. Let's see if any of that merit lasts after today."

Dad straightened, trembling with fury, and swung at me. "How dare you destroy your brother's future! I'll teach you a lesson today, you ungrateful brat!"

I closed my eyes to avoid the slap, but a pale, firm hand caught his wrist.

The room went dead silent.

I opened my eyes to see Gwendolyn standing in front of me, radiating authority.

"Ms. Beckett?"

Felix froze where he stood.