Chapter 2

The moment I finished speaking, the room fell completely silent.

No one had expected my dad, who was always so mild-mannered, to finally lose his temper.

And the only reason he'd gotten angry was that someone had insulted his son.

A wave of warmth swept through me, and my eyes reddened before I could stop them.

"What did you just say?" Cameron frowned, his face filled with disbelief and offended indignation. "Blake, you think you can talk to me like that? You expect an elder like me to apologize to your son?"

He shot to his feet and advanced toward my dad, one step at a time. "Don't think that just because your son has made a little money, your whole family can start raising your voices at me!

"So what if I discipline your son?" He thrust a finger into my dad's chest, jabbing him hard. "I could curse him out, or I could make him get down on his knees and beg for mercy. He'd better do it without a single complaint!"

I'd had enough. I stepped forward and shoved him away from my dad. "This is my house! If you want to throw your weight around, go do it in your own home. You're not welcome here! Get out! Both of you!"

I didn't care about manners or appearances anymore. I grabbed Cameron and dragged him toward the door.

We'd barely taken a few steps when a sharp pain exploded in my lower back.

"Adrian, you little creep! You want to die? You dare lay a hand on my dad? I'll kill you!"

The force of the blow sent me pitching forward. My face slammed into the floor, and pain exploded across my vision.

Before I could recover, Parker raised his foot and kicked me hard.

I curled up on the floor, unable to defend myself, and took several solid kicks. All I could hear were my parents crying and begging them to stop.

Suddenly, a warm body threw itself over mine, shielding me.

When I opened my eyes, I saw my dad.

And those two animals, Cameron and Parker, were still kicking him, one blow after another.

My mother, Gemma Mitchell, couldn't pull them apart by herself. They shoved her violently to the side, and she fell hard. She was in so much pain that she couldn't get back up for a long time.

I wrapped my arms around my dad and rolled over with him. They kept beating us for what felt like forever before finally stopping.

Cameron and Parker returned to the couch, looking smug and defiant.

I swallowed the metallic taste of blood in my throat, staggered to my feet, and helped my parents up. Then I picked up my phone to call the police.

I'd barely dialed one digit when someone snatched the phone from my hand and smashed it against the floor, reducing it to a pile of broken pieces.

"You little punk! Haven't you learned your lesson?" Parker pointed at my face and cursed. "So what if you call the cops? This is a family matter. They'll give us a lecture at most.

"I've got connections on the streets. You think I'm afraid of a police station? Even if the damn king himself showed up, he wouldn't be able to do a thing to me!"

Looking at his shameless expression, I clenched my fists so tightly my teeth ached with rage.

But what he did next was even more outrageous.

"Your little house looks pretty nice," he said, picking up a vase from the table and weighing it in his hand. "Must've cost you a pretty penny."

"What... what are you doing?" My mom stared at him in terror, her voice trembling.

Parker didn't answer. The corner of his mouth curled into a sinister grin before he simply let go.

Crash!

The vase hit the floor, sending shards of porcelain flying in every direction.

My mom screamed and stumbled backward.

"Oops. Slipped out of my hand." Parker pretended to dust off his hands before turning to Cameron. "Dad, how much do you think this vase was worth? Do I need to pay for it?"

Cameron strolled a couple of steps into the living room and picked up a framed photograph from the TV stand.

"Pay for what? We're family. It's just a vase. You think your uncle's going to make you pay him back?"

With that, he casually threw the frame onto the floor. The sound of shattering glass was painfully sharp.

"What the hell are you doing?" I rushed forward, trying to stop them.

My mom grabbed me tightly, afraid I'd get hurt, and wouldn't let me approach them. "Adrian, don't! Please, don't..."

I could only stand there and watch as the father and son turned our home upside down. They kicked over the television, overturned the tables, and swept every decorative item off the cabinets.

Things shattered. Others rolled across the floor.

"Hahahaha!" Cameron threw his head back and laughed. "Blake, looks like you're going to have to renovate your whole house now!"