“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 795
Persis paused, her wine glass hovering an inch from the table. "Which family are we starting with, Tedmond? If the Architect is gone to ground, who is left to bleed?"Tedmond set his glass down. He didn't answer immediately. "The families are different," he said finally.Persis waited."The Architect operated through them, but not with them. There's a distinction." He turned the glass once, a slow, deliberate rotation. "Some knew exactly what they were part of. Others used the same way everything else was used, as architecture. Structure. Load-bearing walls that didn't know they were holding up someone else's house.""So you're not going to move on all of them at once.""No.""Which one first?"Tedmond was quiet. The candlelight between them did what candlelight does: it made everything look warmer than it was, softening the edges of a conversation that had none."There's one," he said. "On the periphery. Adjacent rather than central. I've been watching their movements since the v
CHAPTER 794
Thomas stepped out from the shadows of the stone archway, his silver hair perfectly coiffed despite the morning heat. He carried a crisp white towel over his arm, his eyes scanning Persis with a quiet, paternal pride, a look he carefully masked behind a professional veneer.Persis wiped a streak of sweat from her jaw. "Thomas.""Ma'am," he replied, stepping forward to offer the towel."Tell Tedmond I’m ready," she said. Her voice was resonant, stripped of the tremors that had plagued her just days prior. "Tell him the Subject has been retired. I’ve learned the basics, and I’m done hitting the mat. It’s time we prepare for the real thing. The Griffins have had a week of peace; that’s a week too long."Thomas bowed his head slightly, acknowledging the cold steel in her tone. "I shall convey the message immediately, ma'am. Mr. Washington has been... anticipating this shift in the atmosphere."He paused, his gaze softening as he took in the faint bruises peaking from the edge of her s
CHAPTER 793
Persis didn't aim for the ribs this time. She didn't aim for the head. She went for the one thing Maya assumed she wouldn't: the space between them.She dropped low, her shoulder slamming into Maya’s hip with the frantic strength of someone fighting for air in a sinking car. It wasn't pretty. It wasn’t a move found in any textbook. It was a desperate, gravity-driven collision.Maya’s eyes widened for a fraction of a second, the first hairline fracture in her professional mask. She hadn't expected the polished, high-society woman to throw herself into a dirty, shoulder-first tackle. Maya staggered, her heel catching the edge of the padded mat. For one glorious, impossible second, she lost her balance.Persis didn't let up. She scrambled over the trainer, fingers clawing at the rough fabric of Maya’s tactical vest, teeth bared in a snarl."I am not... a subject!" Persis hissed, her voice cracking as she swung a wild, frantic elbow.Crack.The sound of bone meeting a padded should
CHAPTER 792
Tedmond’s jaw tightened, but he didn't pull away. He recognized the look in Jaxson’s eyes; it was the same one he saw in the mirror every morning, the look of a man who would burn the world to protect what was his."Fine," Tedmond rasped. "But you stay in the observation wing. You don't interfere with the training.""Deal," Jaxson grinned, though the warmth didn't reach his eyes. "I’ll just sit here and take notes on how many times she hits the mat. For forensic evidence, obviously."Persis watched the two of them, the two most protective, stubborn men in her life, finally reaching a shaky truce. It was exhausting and overbearing, yet for the first time since the kidnapping, it made her feel completely, untouchably safe.Maya, the trainer, let out a sharp, impatient whistle."If the testosterone summit is over, I’d like to start. Every minute we waste is a minute she stays a victim. Washington, get out. Wyatt, shut up."Tedmond gave Persis one last, lingering look at a silent promis
CHAPTER 791
Persis didn’t wait for a second invitation. She stepped into the changing room, the door clicking shut behind her.She stripped off the robe, her skin still prickling from the morning chill, and pulled on the high-compression tactical leggings and charcoal-gray racerback tank Tedmond had prepared. She tied her hair into a knot so tight it pulled at her scalp, then faced the mirror. The bruising on her wrists from the zip ties had faded into an ugly blend of yellow and purple, a map of her own helplessness.She traced the marks with her thumb, her expression hardening."Never again," she promised her reflection.She stepped back onto the mat, her bare feet silent on the high-density foam. Tedmond stood by the equipment rack, arms crossed, watching her with an unreadable expression. The trainer was already waiting, holding a pair of strike pads, but it was the third person in the room that made Persis stop dead.Leaning against a squat rack in the far corner, wearing a tactical hood
CHAPTER 790
Thomas stood there, his face a mask of calm professionalism, though his eyes carried a quiet gravity.“Pardon the interruption, sir, ma’am,” he said, bowing slightly. “But the delivery has arrived. The instructors from the Mediterranean detail are in the foyer. They are… eager to begin the assessment.”The room fell silent.The digital war with Jaxson was momentarily eclipsed by the physical reality of what was coming next.Tedmond looked at Persis, his gaze lingering on her face.“The trainers are here. Are you sure you’re ready for this? There is no halfway with these people.”Persis took a deep breath, her eyes flashing with a cold intensity. “Open the back door for Jaxson, Albert. And Thomas… tell the trainers I’ll be down in five minutes. I’m tired of being the subject. It’s time I became a hunter.”“Wait, wait!” Albert yelped, his fingers hovering over the keyboard like the console might bite him. “If I’m letting a Fed into the Sanctum Sanctorum, I need to speak to him first.”
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