CHAPTER 11
Author: R. AUSTINNITE
last update2024-09-24 19:23:51

“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!”

Continue to read this book for free
Scan the code to download the app

Latest Chapter

  • CHAPTER 593

    Lisa stared at the thick file on the mahogany table, then flicked her gaze up at the lawyer.A flicker of suspicion crossed her mind. It had been less than ten minutes since she’d hit Submit on the real estate portal. How could a buyer move this fast?The thought was quickly drowned beneath a wave of cold indifference.Whether it was one of her father’s business rivals or an opportunistic shark didn’t matter. What mattered was the exit strategy.She hadn’t bought or built the house, so she felt no attachment to how it was sold.“You’re quite efficient, Mr. Jamy,” Lisa said smoothly.She pulled the document toward her and read. Her eyes skimmed the clauses: cash offer, twenty-percent premium, immediate transfer of title, total waiver of inspections.It was more than acceptable. It was a miracle.She picked up the pen and scrawled her signature across the final page.With that single stroke, the house, the site of her misery and her ultimate victory, no longer belonged to the Hargrove

  • CHAPTER 592

    The sun was high and unapologetic, pouring through the mansion’s floor-to-ceiling windows.Inside, the atmosphere wasn’t somber or heavy with the lingering dread of the previous night. The house was vibrating.Lisa had the speakers turned up to a deafening volume.An upbeat, rhythmic pop track ricocheted off the marble walls as she moved through the grand foyer, not walking, but dancing. She twirled with a trash bag in one hand, her movements fluid and celebratory. She started in Daniel’s room, then moved on to Matthew’s and Ethan’s. She didn’t hesitate for a second. Branded watches, silk ties, and custom-made suits were swept from hangers and tossed into black bags. She dragged them to the top of the staircase and sent them tumbling down the steps, laughing as the Hargrove legacy landed in a tangled heap at the bottom.“Out! All of it!” she chirped, spinning past the remaining maids huddled near the linen closet, their eyes wide with terror.Lisa stopped mid-dance and pointed at t

  • CHAPTER 591

    The next day, Tedmond sat down in the fluffy, oversized chair, his posture relaxed despite the sharp intensity in his eyes. The morning sun streamed through the study windows, casting long, golden bars across the room and illuminating dust motes dancing in the air. The storm from the previous night had vanished, leaving behind a sky so clear it looked painted.He picked up his red wine glass, swirling the liquid absentmindedly. On the desk beside him, a second glass sat half-filled with water, sweating slightly onto the polished wood. Spread out between the two glasses were the files Nalla had sent earlier, the cold, hard evidence of Lisa’s brilliance.He leafed through the pages, his fingers tracing the logs of the bank transfers.Thirty million dollars.She had stripped her brothers and parents of their liquid assets in a single hour, then handed them over to the authorities before the ink on the digital transfers was even dry.“Clever girl,” Tedmond murmured.He turned to the s

  • CHAPTER 590

    "We want to make it right," Mr. Hargrove interrupted. "We will give you money. Consider it compensation for your suffering. Ten million dollars, immediately, in your personal account. But you must let us handle Amara quietly."Lisa’s brow furrowed into an icy frown. "Ten million? My life is worth ten million to you?""Lisa, please be reasonable," her mother pleaded. "It’s a fortune."Lisa stared at them for a long, agonizing minute. Then, the tension in her shoulders evaporated. A small, chilling smile touched her lips. "Fine. Give me the money."The parents sighed in relief, quickly pulling out their phones to authorize the transfer."It’s done," her father said. "Ten million is yours."Lisa looked at the notification on her screen, then looked back up. Her smile widened, but it didn't reach her eyes. "It’s not enough. Not nearly enough for the 'trauma' of having my own parents choose a murderer over me.""I’ll add five million," Daniel said quickly, desperate to keep the peace."

  • CHAPTER 589

    Amara saw exactly what Lisa was doing, and a hard frown crossed her face. Her brows twitched with rage, and her eyes darkened."She’s just angry because she got caught," Matthew muttered, though he looked visibly disturbed by the screeching echoing from behind the oak panels."Is that all it is?" Lisa asked, her eyes wide with faux innocence. She leaned closer to the brothers, lowering her voice. "I’m starting to get worried. What are you actually going to do with her? Look at the evidence. She attacked me in the middle of the night with a needle. She’s screaming about conspiracies and 'grins' that no one else saw."She paused, watching the realization dawn on their faces."Amara might have truly lost it," Lisa continued, her voice dripping with artificial sympathy. "To attack her own sister like that... in her own home? Only a person who has lost their mind would be that reckless. Don't you think she needs help? The kind of help only a locked facility can provide?""You mean... an

  • CHAPTER 588

    The morning light filtered through the hallway windows, gray and cold, as the front doors of the Hargrove mansion swung open.Lisa was flanked by Matthew and Daniel, her weight leaning heavily into them.A white bandage was wrapped neatly around her forearm where the needle had pierced her, and she looked smaller, more fragile than she ever had before.“Easy, Lisa,” Matthew whispered, his hand firm at her waist as they reached the foot of the grand staircase. “Just a few more steps. The doctor said the antidote worked, but you need to rest.”Lisa’s head lolled slightly, eyes downcast. “You shouldn’t have brought me back here,” she murmured, her voice thin and hollow. “Just take me to a hotel. Somewhere far away.”“Don’t say that,” Daniel said, his jaw tight with guilt. “This is your home. We’re never letting her touch you again.”A soft, bitter laugh escaped Lisa before breaking into a cough.“It doesn’t matter. You’ll believe her anyway. You always do. By this afternoon, she’ll have

More Chapter
Explore and read good novels for free
Free access to a vast number of good novels on MegaNovel app. Download the books you like and read anywhere & anytime.
Read books for free on the app
Scan code to read on App