“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 705
Caleb watched their display of defiance, his finger hovering over the trigger. He didn’t fire. Instead, he lowered the barrel and began to laugh, a deep, mocking sound that echoed beneath the dark canopy.“Oh, this is precious,” Caleb sneered. “The damsel in distress and the court jester think they’re a strike team. What’s the plan, Charlotte? You’re going to punch me with those delicate knuckles while the boy tries to prune me like a hedge?” He took a mocking step forward, completely unafraid. “Do you truly believe your fists and that rusted sliver of metal are faster than a 9mm round? I can put a hole in both your hearts before you even cross the three-yard line.”“Maybe,” Lottie said, eyes locked on his gun hand. “But you’re arrogant, Caleb. You want us alive so you can claim your prize. You won’t shoot to kill… not yet. And that’s your mistake.”Hugo tightened his grip on the knife, the rusted metal biting into his palm. He looked at Lottie, saw the unshakable resolve in her b
CHAPTER 704
Hugo’s chest heaved, his legs shaking from adrenaline and the long trek through the woods, but he stood like a stone wall. He blocked her completely, offering Caleb no line of sight to the Asset he so desperately wanted to reclaim.Caleb’s hand drifted toward the holstered Glock at his hip. A cold, predatory smirk returned to his face.“You think a bit of teenage bravado is going to stop a bullet? Move, boy. Or I’ll make sure your death is the last thing she sees before I take her back to the compound.”“Then start shooting,” Hugo challenged, his jaw set. “Because the only way you’re getting to her is over my corpse. And I promise you, by the time you’re done with me, the rest of our team will be here to turn you into Swiss cheese.”Lottie stared at Hugo’s back. For years, she had been the one shielding him, the one making the smart decisions while he played the fool. But looking at the breadth of his shoulders now, she realized Caleb was wrong. She wasn’t weak; she had simply ch
CHAPTER 703
"Go ahead. Push. Let's see if you have the stomach to break the skin of the man who used to feed you. Or have you forgotten that everything you are, every breath you take, was paid for by my hand?"Lottie’s face burned with humiliating heat. Every word was a lash, a reminder of the years she had spent under his thumb, beholden to his "generosity.""You didn't give me anything!" she hissed, her anger bubbling into a jagged, desperate rage. "You stole my life and called it a gift!""I gave you a name! I gave you a future!" Caleb roared. His voice turned thunderous as he stepped closer, forcing her to either stab him or retreat. "And look at you now. Cowering behind a tree, starving, bleeding, and holding a toy. We both know who is stronger here, Charlotte. You’ve always been the bird, and I’ve always been the sky. You can fly as hard as you want, but you’re still inside me."He reached out, his hand closing around her wrist with the crushing strength of a vise."Drop the toy before y
CHAPTER 702
Lottie froze.The tart juice of a wild berry stained her fingertips a deep, bruised purple, mimicking the dried blood on her thigh. The rustle in the undergrowth wasn't the light, hurried step of Hugo or the heavy tread of Marek. It was rhythmic, intentional, and chillingly confident.She pressed her back against the rough bark of the oak, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird. But she was too late. A beam of light, sharp and clinical, sliced through the dark and pinned her."Eating berries in the middle of a war zone," a voice drawled, smooth as polished stone and twice as cold. "You always did have a terrible sense of timing, Charlotte."Lottie’s blood turned to ice. She knew that voice.She squinted against the glare as a man stepped into the small circle of light. He was clad in high-grade tactical gear, but it was his hair, stark, shimmering white even in the gloom, that marked him. He was the commander who had ordered the strike on the clearing; the man wh
CHAPTER 701
She scanned the shadows, her pulse jumping at every snap of a twig. ‘Where are they?’ she wondered, her eyes burning with unshed tears. ‘Tedmond... Marek... Hugo?’She wanted to scream their names, but she knew better. The men with silenced rifles and thermal goggles were still out there. She was a target, and she had to stay small.**A mile away, near the scorched earth where the helicopter had fired its initial payload, two shadows moved cautiously through the smoke. Hugo was limping, his hand gripping Molly’s shoulder for support.When they reached the clearing, Hugo stopped dead, his face twisting.The area had been hollowed out by the blast; craters pocked the ground, and the trees were blackened skeletons."No," Hugo choked out. "Lottie was near here. She was supposed to be right here."Molly scanned the destruction, her heart sinking. "Hugo, look at this place. If she was caught in the blast...""No! Look there!" Hugo pointed toward the steep incline leading down to the dar
CHAPTER 700
“Fine,” Tedmond whispered, looking at Ivy with newfound respect. “Go on my behalf. Find them. Bring them to the clearing at the end of the tunnel. If you are not there in two hours...”"We'll be there," Ivy promised. She checked the clip of a sleek handgun pulled from her waistband, then glanced at Marek. "Come on, Heart-Blossom. Let’s see if you can keep up with a girl."Marek let out a short, grim bark of a laugh. "Try not to get in my way, Doc."As they disappeared into the hallway's shadows, Tedmond sank onto the edge of the bed, his hand finding his mother’s. The house felt suddenly hollow, the air thick with the realization that their escape, and the lives of their friends, now rested in the hands of a stranger and a man with a mangled hip.The door hissed shut, leaving the room in a heavy, echoing silence. The adrenaline that had propped Tedmond up began to drain away, leaving him fragile."I have so much to tell you, Mom," Tedmond rasped, his voice thick with the urge to b
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