All Chapters of Where the Heart Is: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Joe looked downward at Finn, nodding as he said, "I was going to let you off the hook, but I changed my mind—I want you to kneel in front of me while Rain watches, then I might forgive you and let you keep working here. Or else…"Eli promptly chimed in, "Just one word from Joe, and you'll lose your job!"The whispers around them grew louder."Honestly, who does that Finn character think he is?""I heard he's the Lawsons' biological son. The one who went on the show Seeker?""Biological son? Treated like that by his own family? I guess he's a rotten apple.""I heard the rumors too. He wanted to go home because he heard the Lawsons were rich!""Yeah, and he keeps asking them for money…"Joe was naturally beaming from ear to ear in satisfaction upon hearing how everyone belittled Finn.That was exactly what he wanted—for Finn to be humiliated in front of Rain and everyone else, while the family disowned him!Eli, who was grinning too, went up, intent on kicking Finn a few more t

Joe averted his eyes. "How badly? It was just a prank, Mom!"However, he felt emboldened as Gina patted his back and added, "Also, he started it!"Rolling up his sleeves to show the bruising he got from sports, he said with great grief, "See what he did? It hurts so much…"Vera was at once furious and disgusted upon seeing that, and she pursed her lips as she touched Joe's bruises as if it hurt her too.Her baby brother would never have to suffer so much if not for Finn! No, that brat was nothing compared to Joe no matter how he tried to play the victim!Just as she thought, that agreement to be disowned was just a trick to get their attention!"See, Mom?!" she exclaimed, turning to Ruth. "Finn started it! How could he be hurt? And Joe has always been such a good boy. There's no way he'd hurt Finn! It's always the same story with Finn, playing victim to slander Joe because he wants to take everything from Joe!"With that, Ruth quickly forgot about Finn too and doted on Joe as

Finn said, "Come in."Rain entered with an insulated food jar right as he finished, pouting as she spoke. "My parents sent me. They made this chicken soup."She uncovered the food jar as she placed it on the overtable and handed him a spoon. "I wouldn't be here otherwise…"Finn smiled, his tone earnest as he replied, "Thank you. And to your parents too."Rain sat beside his bed, sneaking glances at him from time to time.Watching him drink the chicken soup without looking up made her a little annoyed, so she droned on. "Honestly, why would you mess with Joe Lawson for no reason? What, do you think they'd keep him locked up? Well, I'm sorry, but he was released…"When she noticed that Finn got soup on his face, she pulled out a tissue to wipe it, but Finn subtly leaned away."Hey!" Rain snapped, upset that she had missed the mark and that her goodwill had been shrugged off."And?" Finn asked without missing a beat.Rain was still pouting, and she crumpled the tissue as she flun

It was the same for Ruth too, who was taking Joe's side despite her gnawing guilt as she said hesitantly, "Joe has never behaved like that before…"Henry nodded too. "That's right! Our whole family knows Joe very well—he wouldn't start a fight for no good reason."Finn could laugh right then.It was a shame that Joe didn't get a job in showbiz, what with the way he had the Lawsons wrapped around his finger and got off scot-free even with the truth exposed.Ruth then said, "Joe must feel insecure because of Finn, thinking that the family will have to share the love he had…"She trailed off, feeling conflicted.However, her immediate thought was for the brothers to make peace, even if only for the sake of appearance.As such, she finished, "Joe has been spoiled since he was a child. Suddenly having a brother must be… overwhelming."John couldn't argue, as everyone could already see how far the Lawsons took their preferential treatment.But that was still their family, and a thir

On top of that, students could use the workshop a year for free for their efforts.And after contacting the administration and having his application approved, Finn called the development team over.They had already discussed the game's specifics over the phone, and the team had assured him that they could develop the game exactly as he envisioned.As the students eagerly filed into the workshop, they looked jittery but eager, as this was the first time they got an actual invoice.Before that, it was just some outsource programming work that didn't make all that much money, and they now had their own workspace too!As Longbeach College was quite a famous academy in the city, they were left wondering if their new boss was a professor.They soon arrived outside and entered, quickly spotting the good-looking youth seated by the round table, his bangs left dangling casually in front of his brow and his slender figure covered in injuries.Seeing his face, Hal Carson, who was the team