“How dare you talk about my mother like that?” Tedmond demanded, pinning Max against the table.
No matter how much they had talked about him, he hadn’t retaliated, but today they had gone too far. No one could talk about his mother now. That might have been possible in the past, but not anymore.
“What are you doing?” Maxine questioned. “How dare you hit your elder brother?”
Glaring back at her, Tedmond snarled, “You think of him as my elder brother now, don’t you? Why didn’t you say something when I was being insulted?” He released Max and stepped closer to Maxine.
Maxine trembled but stood her ground. ‘How can that bastard get so strong in just a day?’ she wondered. However, she quickly regained her composure.
“Why are you doing this to him when he just asked if you could afford to eat at the restaurant?!” Maxine yelled, switching the topic as fast as she could to make herself look less bad. “We all know you’ve been kicked out of the family without a penny! How can you afford to eat here?”
A smirk crossed her face as she spoke. “Isn’t that right? He was just offering to lend you some money so you could afford to eat here, and you insulted him!”
Tedmond paused, his glare unwavering. He wasn’t surprised she would say that. If the four boys couldn’t afford the restaurant, they wouldn’t have invited him.
‘So he can’t pay for the food here?’ someone from the crowd murmured. ‘I just heard him say his mother was a maid in their house.’
‘He’s not even grateful that they cared about him, even though he’s just the son of a maid who served them.’
Max rose to his feet, rubbing his face, which had been injured from being slammed against the table. Blood dripped from his face, staining his white shirt. Lisa hurriedly brushed past Tedmond and held Max.
“Are you alright?” Lisa asked Max before turning to glare at Tedmond. “How dare you hit Max? Who do you think you are? Are you jealous that I chose him instead of you? So jealous that you followed us here! You must’ve known he’d ask if you could afford to eat here!”
The murmurs filled the place.
‘That’s two people who have said the same thing. Why is he here if he can’t pay?’
‘We should kick him out.’
‘Where’s the security?’
Maxine grinned widely as she stepped closer to Tedmond. “You’ll be thrown out of this place like the trash you are.”
“Where’s the owner? I’d like to meet him!” Tedmond yelled.
Max, Maxine, and Lisa stared at him, eyes wide in shock and disbelief. But the moment of surprise was short-lived as laughter erupted around them. All three burst into laughter.
“You?!” Maxine mocked. “How can you ask to meet the owner of this restaurant?”
“Is that a joke or something?” Lisa asked. “You and I both know you couldn’t afford to buy me a meal here, even after saving up for three months. Who are you trying to fool?”
“Do you think doing this makes you look cool?” Max questioned, stepping closer to Tedmond. “Why would the owner of the restaurant come here in person?”
“You must be daydreaming.”
“What do you want to meet the owner for?” Maxine demanded, her lips curling in a mocking smile.
Tedmond returned her grin. “What else would I want to meet him for, except to ban the Griffin family from this restaurant?”
Hearing his words, Maxine’s grin widened. “Ban us from the restaurant?” She laughed. “How can someone like you convince the CEO to do that? Who do you think you are?”
Lisa was amused by his audacity to tell such a lie. Max, on the other hand, grinned from ear to ear.
“I’ll wait to see if the owner shows up for you!” he yelled. “You’re delusional! Has kicking you out of the house affected your mental health? Doesn’t living on the streets do that?”
Tedmond shook his head before pulling out his phone. He dialed the housekeeper’s number. Curious eyes lingered on him as he spoke.
“Tell the owner of Hans Restaurant to meet me here,” Tedmond ordered. “Give him ten minutes, or he won’t want to know what happens.”
“Okay,” Thomas replied.
The murmurs around the place increased as Tedmond ended the call.
“Did you just make a fake call?” Maxine taunted. “I didn’t know you’d stoop so low to get our attention.”
Just then, the manager hurried into the restaurant, his gaze trailing from Tedmond to Max.
“What’s happening here?” the manager questioned. “I was informed by an employee that someone here wants to meet the owner. If we’ve done anything to offend you, I’ll offer compensation.”
Max gritted his teeth. “Don’t you recognize me?” he growled at the manager.
Hearing Max’s voice, the manager was stunned. “Ah, Mr. Griffin! What happened to your face? Who did this to you?”
Max smiled, pointing his finger at Tedmond. “He did it. He punched me when I tried to pay for his meal. He can’t afford to eat here but tries to act all boastful.”
The manager’s head snapped in Tedmond’s direction. “Who are you? How dare you hit Mr. Griffin, and why are you here if you can’t afford to pay for our food?!”
Tedmond frowned. “Hey! Do you want to lose your job?” he threatened. “Why don’t you find out what happened before you judge?”
The manager flinched under Tedmond’s gaze and scanned him from head to toe. Seeing that Tedmond had no luxury on him, he concluded Tedmond was a nobody compared to Max.
“How dare you? I don’t need to know what transpired between you two! You’re a lowlife; you’re probably at fault!” the manager yelled. “Are you threatening me? Do you know who Mr. Griffin is?!”
Tedmond shrugged. “He’s just my former half-brother. Now, I don’t have someone as stupid as him as my brother.”
“Half-brother?” The manager paused, his eyes darting between Tedmond and Max. ‘They don’t look alike.’
Max glared at the manager. “Are you not doing your job? That boy is only a bastard! Kick him out, or you’ll be fired!”
The manager didn’t hesitate to call security, and when they arrived, he ordered, “Throw him out of the restaurant, and he is hereby banned!”
The security headed for Tedmond, but he began counting. “I told the owner of this restaurant to arrive in ten minutes.” He glanced at his wristwatch. “He’ll be here in three, two, one…"
As soon as Tedmond finished counting, the others hadn't had time to react when the door of the restaurant swung open. A man in a tailored creamy suit hurried in, followed by three others, with sweat dripping down his forehead.
Everyone’s gaze turned to the man who had just walked in, and the security guards froze in their tracks.
“What is going on?” Max demanded, glaring at the manager. “Throw him out!”
Blood drained from the manager’s face as he stared at the man. “He really came!” he yelled. “The owner of the restaurant is really here! How is that possible? I messed up!”
Latest Chapter
CHAPTER 566
Evelyn didn’t answer. She stood motionless as the nurses helped Maxine into the backseat of the SUV. The door closed with a heavy thud, followed by the unmistakable clack of the child locks engaging.Inside the car, Maxine pressed her forehead against the cool glass.As the vehicle began its long drive away from the city, toward the isolated hills of the countryside, she watched the hospital shrink into the distance.She didn’t know that just three floors below the room where she had been sleeping, her father was fighting for his life on a ventilator. She didn’t know that the world she believed was solid had already begun to collapse.The SUV turned onto the main road.With a soft hiss, the privacy partitions slid upward, sealing her inside a dark, velvet-lined capsule. Her view of the outside world vanished completely.Maxine slumped back into the leather seat, her face contorted with rage."I hope you’re happy, Mother!" she screamed at the soundproof glass. "You’re abandoning me! Y
CHAPTER 565
Standing before them, as immovable and stern as a mountain, was Thomas.He held a silver tray in one hand, his posture perfectly straight, silver hair groomed with military precision. His gaze swept downward, taking in the scene before him.Nella, clutching her sides, was still catching her breath.Neil, disheveled and panting, his expression carved into one of profound, icy disappointment."Is there a fire in the estate of which I am unaware?" Thomas asked calmly, his voice a low, rhythmic rumble of authority. "Or have the two of you decided to transform the Washington residence into a playground for unruly children?"Neil snapped to attention instantly, smoothing his rumpled suit jacket and attempting unsuccessfully to hide the lingering flush on his face."Thomas. I… we were just… testing reaction times for tomorrow’s mission."Thomas didn’t blink. His gaze slid to Nella, who was still trembling with suppressed laughter."And you, Miss Nella?" he asked evenly. "Is your reaction tim
CHAPTER 564
He lunged forward, snatching the phone from her hand before she could react. His fingers flew across the screen, opening the contact settings. With a few frantic taps, he deleted the derogatory nickname he’d used for years and replaced it with a single word:LISA."Hey! What are you doing?" Nella snapped, frowning deeply as she reached for the device. "That’s my task, remember? Give it back!"She snatched the phone away just as the call timed out and stopped ringing. The screen went dark."Great! You made me miss it!" Nella scolded, glaring at him. "Why do you care so much about how her name is saved? You’re acting like you’ve been caught hiding a secret."Neil didn’t answer. He stood his ground, his hand hovering near the phone as if he might seize it again.He knew Lisa.If she was calling his old number, she was desperate, and a desperate Lisa was a dangerous variable.He didn’t know what she was planning. He didn’t even know why she was calling now, especially after he’d last che
CHAPTER 563
Harold had no idea what had happened afterward. When his eyes opened, all he saw were two nurses wheeling him down a blindingly white hallway, their movements frantic, their faces barely visible through his blurred vision.He tried to draw a breath, but his lungs felt as if they were filled with shards of ice and river silt. The nurses’ faces smeared into streaks of white and blue above him."Mother..." he wheezed, but the word died in his throat, muffled by the oxygen mask being pressed over his face.His hand twitched at the side of the gurney, fingers clawing weakly at the air as if he could still reach the woman he had dragged from the depths of the river. He needed to know if she was breathing. He needed to know if his desperate rescue had meant anything at all. But as the heavy doors of the emergency ward swung open, his strength finally gave out. The sheer exhaustion of fighting the current surged over him like a second tide, and his eyes fluttered shut as darkness claimed
CHAPTER 562
Lisa sat in the large living room of her rented apartment.After the disastrous Griffin family dinner, where Otis had tried to stab Tedmond, she had slipped away before anyone noticed her absence. Since that night, no one had contacted her. No one had even realized she was gone.Now, she wasn’t even sure she was needed in the family at all.Lisa paced the length of the plush rug, her footsteps sharp against the floor. She let out a frustrated growl and tossed her phone onto the sofa. The silence of the apartment was beginning to grate on her nerves."A week," she muttered, her voice dripping with bitterness. "It’s been over a week, and not a single text. Not a single "Where are you, Lisa?"She poured herself a glass of wine, her hand trembling slightly with a mix of anger and wounded pride. Slipping away unnoticed was one thing, but being completely forgotten was another. It was as if she were a ghost in her own family, a minor character they had simply stopped writing into the sc
CHAPTER 561
Evelyn squeezed Maxine’s hand one last time."I’ll be right back, sweetheart. I just need to talk to the doctor."She followed him into the quiet corridor, her heart racing."Is she alright, Doctor? Truly? There isn't any permanent damage from the accident, is there?"The doctor stopped and looked at her, offering a small, reassuring nod."Physically, she is a marvel. The swelling has subsided completely, and her motor functions seem intact. She is fine, Mrs. Griffin. More than fine. But..." He paused, glancing back at the door. "Being in a coma for that long… the world she woke up to isn't the one she left. She’ll need time to process everything that has happened to her brothers and the estate."Evelyn leaned against the wall, a sob of pure relief escaping her."I don't care about the estate. I just wanted my daughter back.""She is out of the woods, Mrs. Griffin," the doctor said, his voice lowering to ensure the rest of the family inside the room couldn't overhear. "Physically, s
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