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 715

    Tedmond rubbed his face with his hands, his shoulders dropping as he recognized Lottie, Hugo, and the others. He let out a long, weary breath that seemed to carry the weight of an entire decade."I sleep so little these days, Mother," Tedmond rasped, his voice thick with fatigue. "The world doesn't stop turning just because I’m tired. And tonight... tonight the world finally moved in the direction I wanted."He looked up at Lottie, his gaze softening as he took in the mud and blood staining her clothes. "You're back. You're actually back.""Hello to you, too," Lottie said softly, her voice echoing in the sterile quiet.Tedmond’s gaze swept over the battered group. Despite the dark circles under his eyes, a flicker of genuine warmth passed over his features. "I’m glad you’re all okay. I wasn't sure the extraction would hold."Lottie took a breath, trying to summon her old spark of defiance. She straightened her spine, pulling away from Hugo’s support just an inch. "I told you, Ted

  • CHAPTER 714

    Hearing that, a slight frown creased Lottie’s face.She wiped a stray drop of mud from her forehead, her mind spinning.“Where is Tedmond?” she demanded, her voice rising. “Is he okay? Is he even inside the perimeter?”Marek’s grin softened into something more conspiratorial. He hopped onto the decaying log Caleb had used for cover, balancing perfectly on the slick bark. “Oh, Tedmond is perfectly fine. Better than fine, actually. He’s exactly where he needs to be to ensure the Syndicate burns from the inside out.”“Then where is he?” Hugo barked, stepping up beside Lottie and placing a defensive hand on her shoulder. “If he’s not here, where the hell is he?”Marek leaned forward, whispering as if sharing a state secret. “He’s at the manor. He’s currently having tea… with his mother.”The silence that followed was absolute.Lottie’s heart skipped. Her breath hitched, and she felt the blood drain from her face for the hundredth time that night. Beside her, Hugo froze, his grip tigh

  • CHAPTER 713

    Lottie’s boot struck Caleb’s chest one final time, a breathless exhale of a decade’s worth of fear.Caleb lay broken, a pathetic heap of white hair and ruined pride, wheezing in the dirt. He looked up at Lottie, eyes pleading for a mercy she no longer possessed.Ivy stepped forward, the silver wire humming between her hands like a funeral dirge.She didn’t look at Caleb. She looked at Lottie.“You’ve reclaimed your soul, Little Hawk. Now let me finish the housekeeping.”With a flick of her wrist, the monofilament wire lashed out.It didn’t miss.It didn’t hesitate.It wrapped around Caleb’s throat with the finality of a closing door.Ivy pulled once, a sharp, surgical jerk, and the Gatekeeper of the Syndicate went still, his eyes forever fixed on the forest canopy he had failed to conquer.She retracted the wire, the silver strand sliding back into her sleeves. For a moment, she stood over the body, blood drying on her cheek into a dark, jagged mask.Lottie trembled, chest heaving a

  • CHAPTER 712

    The Commander’s jaw dropped.His hands began to shake violently in the mud.Memories he had buried under a decade of Syndicate cleanups came screaming back, the cries in the Eastern Sector, the stench of burning chemical vats, and the girl he had personally carved a message into before leaving her for dead in a collapsing basement.“The… the survivor,” Caleb breathed, his voice a ghost of itself. “The girl with the red ribbons. You… you were supposed to be ash.”“Ash rises, Caleb,” Ivy said, finally bending to retrieve one of her wire handles. “And sometimes it learns how to cut.”The forest seemed to hold its breath as moonlight struck the jagged silver of Ivy’s scar.Caleb stared at the ruined skin, his mind racing through the archives of his own cruelty until he found the file he thought he had burned.“The girl with the red ribbons,” he whispered, his voice cracking like dry glass. “You were in the Eastern Sector basement. The incendiary charge… nothing survives a thermite collaps

  • CHAPTER 711

    She gestured with the silver wire handle toward the man holding the rifle to Lottie’s head.“Here’s a bit of free advice,” Ivy continued, her tone shifting to something cold and authoritative. “It would be much better for your health, and the health of your families back in the city, if you dropped those guns right now.”Her eyes darkened further.“Step back, turn around, and let Caleb take his beating in peace. If you do that, I might let you keep your hands.”The guards exchanged a fleeting, uncertain glance.They weren’t used to victims giving orders.“You’re delusional,” the lead guard spat, though his finger wavered slightly on the trigger.From her hiding spot, Molly watched with wide, terrified eyes.She knew these men were the Syndicate’s finest killers, but the way Ivy spoke to them… it was as if she were addressing children.Molly realized that if these men didn’t run now, the forest floor was about to become much more crowded.Caleb, still groaning on the ground, managed to

  • CHAPTER 710

    Caleb was in his element. A whirlwind of white hair and blood-stained silk, he drove Ivy back with the sheer force of a man who had rediscovered his own ego. He felt like the Commander again, the high-ranking predator who didn't just win fights, but dismantled souls."Look at you!" Caleb laughed, his voice cracking with a manic edge as he landed a heavy punch against Ivy's defensive guard. "The great 'Black Vine' is nothing but a withered weed! You spent ten years sharpening your wires and forgot that a boot to the face solves everything!"Ivy staggered, her hand pressed against a bleeding cheek, her breath coming in ragged gasps. She looked cornered, her back hitting the rough bark of a pine. Caleb stepped in for the killing blow, eyes gleaming with the triumph of a man about to reclaim his legend. He coiled his weight into a straight right that would have ended the chapter."Say hi to the women in hell for me!" Caleb roared.But Ivy didn't duck. She didn't weave. She didn't e

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