“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 772
The doctor nodded, closed the folder, and quietly excused herself.The three of them sat in the silence of the afternoon light until Millicent broke it."Well," she said, her voice dry and faintly amused. "It seems I am going to be a great deal of trouble for some time yet."Perseia made a sound that was half-laugh, wholly genuine. "Mother, I think you've been in trouble your entire life. The legs are irrelevant."‘Mother?’ Persis’s brows arched.Millicent turned to her, and something warm moved across her face. "I think," she said, "that I am going to enjoy having you in the family very much."Persis said nothing. She just looked at her hands and smiled, letting the moment be exactly what it was.*****The restaurant Perseia chose was the kind of place that didn't bother putting its name on the door. It didn't need to; the city knew it by reputation and by the particular quality of silence inside, the kind money buys, not the kind that happens by accident.The tables were set far
CHAPTER 771
Persis went still."I know you've been managing the initial portfolio," Perseia continued, her voice measured. "The one transferred to your care after the restructuring. I’ve watched how you’ve handled it.”“You haven't just maintained it; you've rebuilt parts of it from the ground up, quietly. It’s deeply irritating because you deserve credit you never take.""Perseia—""I'm not finished." She held up one finger. "That portfolio was always meant to be the foundation, not the whole. You’ve known for a while; you just weren't ready to stop thinking of yourself as the person who maintains things and start thinking of yourself as the person who owns them."Persis opened her mouth, then closed it."You're not that junior associate anymore," Perseia said, glancing toward the corridor. "Whatever this life is settling into… you need the full picture. Your name needs to be on the right things.""The previous portfolio," Persis said carefully. "You want me to focus on that first. Before anythi
CHAPTER 770
She turned back to her son, her expression firm."I would like to go with her, Tedmond. I am tired of being a patient. I want to be a woman having tea with her daughter-in-law and her sister. I want to feel the sun on my face without a medical chart attached to it."Persis looked between the two, her sister’s chaotic energy and Millicent’s fragile, growing strength. She felt an unexpected surge of warmth. "If Millicent is going... then I’m going, too. I’m not letting you two gang up on my reputation without me there to defend it."Perseia clapped her hands, her diamonds flashing. "Perfect! The car is a two-door, but we’ll make it work. It'll be cozy."Tedmond remained unconvinced. He scanned the driveway through the window before looking back at his mother. He saw the light in her eyes, the first spark of independence since the basement, and knew he couldn't take it from her."Fine," Tedmond said, his voice tight. "But we are not doing this unprotected."As the three women headed t
CHAPTER 769
"Oh, look at you!" Perseia giggled, wiping a mock tear before straightening her posture. "Relax, Persis. You look like a cat guarding a bowl of cream. I’m joking! I have no intention of stealing your Tedmond." She waved a hand dismissively, the diamonds on her fingers splintering the morning light. "He’s far too brooding for my taste; I prefer men who aren’t constantly calculating the trajectory of every person in the room."Perseia’s gaze sharpened. "Besides, I have my own targets. I just wanted to see if you still had a spine under all that legal jargon. It seems the boy, excuse me, the man, has been a good influence."Tedmond didn't relax. His eyes remained fixed on Perseia, his jaw set like stone. "If the comedy special is over, we have an appointment to keep.""Not without Persis, you don't," Perseia countered, her humor evaporating into a stubborn pout. "I didn't drive like a maniac just to talk to the wallpaper. Persis, get your bag. We’re leaving.""I am not going, Perseia,
CHAPTER 768
The morning sun spilled across the duvet as Persis lay propped against a mountain of pillows, a heavy, leather-bound thriller resting in her lap. She traced the printed lines with a restless finger, her mind drifting from the plot to the unnatural quiet of the house.The silence was a luxury she wasn't used to, yet every creak of the floorboards made her pulse hitch. She couldn’t help but wonder if the shadows were already closer than they realized.The vibration of her phone on the nightstand shattered the stillness. She glanced at the screen: Perseia.With a weary sigh, Persis slid the green icon across. "If you're calling to ask if I’ve survived the week, the answer is—""The answer is that you’re a terrible sister!" Perseia’s voice crackled through the speaker, sharp and buzzing with high energy. "I’ve been waiting by my phone for several days. 730 days! And not so much as a text. Is that how we’re playing it now? You get a man, and suddenly your own blood becomes a ghost?"Per
CHAPTER 767
His gaze shifted to a cluster of mutilated photos. They were images of Millicent and Marek in their younger days, sharing a milkshake on a park bench, fingers entwined. In everyone, Marek’s face had been aggressively scarred away. The paper was shredded where his features should have been, gouged by a knife or a fingernail until only a jagged hole remained.The man reached out, his finger tracing the void where Marek’s smile used to be. "You were just a footnote, Marek. A distraction. A fly buzzing around a masterpiece."The display continued, growing increasingly invasive, less a record of a woman and more the lair of a predator. There were shots of her swimming in a lake, captured from the shadows of the treeline; photos of her sleeping in her childhood bedroom before the highway incident; even the most mundane fragments of a life: grocery shopping, reading on a bus after refusing the car the butler had sent, tying her laces.Every move she had ever made had been documented, ca
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