Chapter 3

I froze.

Even though my dad wasn't there for me when I was a child, my mom doted on me.

Then, when I started dating Quinn, she was incredibly considerate and loving, never once losing her temper with me.

I realized that the few times I ever felt aggrieved were in the presence of my dad.

While I was in a daze, Jake stepped up to me and spoke to me in a volume that only I could hear. "I already gave you money this morning. I get to do whatever I want to the car today, so you'd better keep your mouth shut. I can't let Zayn know I'm your dad. If my wife finds out and starts a fight, I'll make you pay!"

Oh, so that was it.

Throughout the years, he had treated Mom and me coldly, while being at the beck and call of that woman's child. I believed that, instead of guilt, he was afraid his current wife would find out he had a grown son like me when he agreed to change my surname to follow my mom's.

But I was too gullible. When he told me he missed me this morning, I readily handed over my trust.

Zayn was thrilled to see the distraught look on my face. He violently slammed the champagne bottle in his hand against the car window. The hard bottom left an immediate white gash in the reinforced glass as the liquor spilled onto the expensive leather seats.

"Stop it!" Fury surged through me as I broke free from the men's grip and lunged toward Zayn.

Seeing this, Jake placed himself before his son and forcefully pushed me away. "Wayne, are you insane? It's just a car! Do you have to go this far? It's not like he tried to kill you. Why are you lashing out like a lunatic?"

I fell to the asphalt road, feeling it cut into my palm as blood oozed out. The last shred of love I had toward Jake vanished in that instant.

I stared at him with all hope diminished. "Jake, are the Meyer family so great that you even refuse to acknowledge me now?"

Hearing this, Jake raised his voice as guilt flickered in his eyes. "Wayne, what are you babbling about? I'm a part of the Meyer family, so of course, my priority lies with them. Do you have any idea who the Meyer family is? How dare you yell at me? If you offend them, you'll be in big trouble!"

How ridiculous was that?

The irony was that the Meyer family had only gotten their foot in the door of the elite circle by supplying minor construction materials to Quinn's company. And to lessen the pressure on me, Quinn did all she could to keep my identity under wraps. Nobody knew I was the future owner of Fuller Corporation.

I thought of helping Jake out if he ever ran into any trouble since he was my dad. But now, it seemed he wasn't worthy of my help, let alone worthy of being my dad.

I wiped the blood off my palm and stood up calmly as I held Jake's gaze. "Jake, in case you forgot, let me remind you that I own this car. No amount of denial is going to change the fact. Also, it's a gift from my girlfriend, and she isn't someone you can afford to cross."

"Anyway, I'm sure she would've noticed that the car wasn't where it was supposed to be and would be on her way here. When she arrives, I hope you will repeat everything you just said to her," I added.

Uncertainty crossed Jake's face.

I knew what he was thinking about. He must have thought that I was some rich woman's boy toy. Even so, he needed to respect the person backing me up.

But Zayn didn't care. He continued with his taunts. "Dad, why are you scared of him? Is it because of his backer? He's just a pathetic freeloader trading his looks for money. When he sees my mom, he'll have to grovel before her too. All of Jaston bow before us!"

"Shut up!" Jake growled. His confidence was clearly faltering.

Zayn frowned in displeasure. "Why are you yelling at me? I'm telling the truth. If you're afraid he'll spew nonsense or that you'll be lectured by Mom, then we should use his weak spot to make him shut up."