Harold rose to his feet, stepping closer to Tedmond and Kyle, a maniacal look in his eyes. “You should know your place, bastard. Max is only here to finalize the marriage between him and Melody. It would help if you stayed out of it. Go home now!”The words hit Melody like a ton of bricks. “How dare you treat me like a thing you can just marry off to your useless son, Max?” she bellowed. “Get out of my house before I call the cops!”“We would’ve gotten what we wanted before the cops arrived,” Max said. “And even if they do come, we have more than enough money to get them off our backs.”Melody’s glare intensified. “You bastard! How are you even related to Tedmond? He’s ten times better than you’ll ever be.”Max began rising to his feet, his nose red and slightly broken, with blood trickling down to his jaw.“That won’t last long,” Max said. “Once we deal with him, you’ll stop admiring that son of a maid.”Tedmond, however, remained silent after hearing his father’s words. Harold grinn
His eyes scanned the room, swiftly counting the number of thugs.Just as Max had said, he often took punches from Max. Although Tedmond had taken fighting lessons alongside his basketball classes from Kanis, he hadn’t found much need to use them while still with the Griffin family.He had learned to fight so he could eventually leave the Griffin family once he earned enough money to be independent. However, he had been kicked out before his plan worked, and that was when he found his mother's family.Now that he was no longer in the Griffin family, there was no need to hide his skills anymore.A smile curled on his lips. This would be the first time he tested his abilities to see how much he had learned.“Seems like your love for Melody is so intense that you feel the need not to run away,” Max mocked. “I guess that’ll all be over once you get beaten to a pulp, and I’ll marry her like I planned.”Maxine placed her hand on Max’s shoulder. “Yep. Then I’ll have a star as my sister-in-law
“Tell me what happened before any of us arrived?” Melody questioned.They were all in the living room, and the blood mess on the floor had been cleaned up by the maids. They had waited for Kevin to return before continuing the discussion.Mrs. Karishin cleared her throat. “Well, I would have done something if they hadn’t threatened me with the president of Xinca,” she revealed.Tedmond’s brow furrowed. “You were threatened by the president of Xinca? What kind of threat was it?”Tedmond still couldn’t believe they were dragging his name along just because he had told them to make a presentation. He hadn’t even picked them yet, and now they were wasting time on something else. He would need to shift the presentation date to the next day.“Yes, he claimed that Maxine is dating the president of Xinca and that he’s a fool for her,” Mrs. Karishin replied, making Tedmond frown. “They said he would do whatever she wanted, including making us bankrupt.”Tedmond’s fist tightened. Those bastards
Hearing her words, Tedmond flinched and forced himself not to look at her. He knew that if he did, she might be able to read the expression in his eyes. He couldn’t let that happen.His heart pounded as he struggled to find the right words. Was she questioning him, or had she known his identity from the start? Was that why she approved of his friendship with her son? Like he had always thought, rich families only befriended people who matched their status. Now that she had discovered who he was, he couldn’t keep lying to them.“What are you saying, Mother?” Kyle asked, his confusion clear. “What do you mean he’s the son of the Washington family? Didn’t you see his father, Harold Griffin? I’ve bullied him a lot, and I know his history. There’s no way he’s from the Washington family. Why would you even ask that, Mother?”Melody and Kevin exchanged glances, and Tedmond’s head snapped up to look at Kyle.“If that’s the case,” Mrs. Karishin said thoughtfully, placing a hand on her chin, “
Tedmond read the expressions on the others' faces. Although their mother had just called Melody’s design trash, no one seemed surprised. It was as if they had heard it all before. Even Melody didn’t react; she seemed to have accepted her fate.Soon, a smile curled up her lips. “Well, it wouldn’t hurt to try, and I won’t give up if I fail. Now that I have someone who likes my designs, I’ll make sure he sees them every time.”Mrs. Karishin sighed. “Alright. I’ll believe you one last time. After all, this is your hundredth attempt.”Hundredth time? Tedmond was stunned by her determination. She had failed ninety-nine times and still hadn’t given up. That meant she had a passion for jewelry, despite being a famous actress.“Yes, Mom,” Melody said. “I’ll prepare the presentation soon.”Kevin couldn’t believe his mother was going to let Melody proceed just because Tedmond had said she could.“Mom! Are you just going to let her go because Tedmond asked her to?” Kevin questioned. “If she gets
“Right, Tedmond?” Melody questioned, holding his gaze. “It wouldn’t be hard to show us your daughter if she really exists.”Tedmond quickly thought it over. There was no one he could claim as his baby mama, and if he couldn’t come up with a name, they’d figure out he was lying. But he wasn’t ready to tell the truth just yet.He still needed the Griffins to believe him, and he wanted them to follow the script he had created. So, he chose not to keep up the claim of having a baby mama.“That’s true,” Tedmond replied.Melody’s lips curled. “Then tell us who your baby mama is.”Mrs. Karishin nodded, curious to see who Tedmond supposedly had a child with. She wondered what the woman might look like and what achievements she might have to be worthy of Tedmond’s taste, especially since he had rejected Melody. The woman must be far more successful and beautiful.“I’d like to know who she is too,” Mrs. Karishin added. “I know many people in high society, so if you say her name, I’d probably re
“Hold on!” Tedmond yelled. “Why are you all acting like this?”Ignoring his question, Melody glanced at him. “I can’t believe I lost to Perseia. Why didn’t you tell me you have a wife?!” she shouted.Tedmond’s brows rose. “A wife? I’m not married.”“Not married?” Melody glared at him. “Don’t tell me you only see her as your baby mama. You can’t just see someone like her that way! She’s the perfect wife material anyone would want!”“You even have a child with her! Why haven’t you used that as an excuse to marry her?!” Kevin bellowed. “You should’ve married her a long time ago! Now, another man might come into her life!”Kyle nodded in agreement. “That’s right! I’m not sure how you’re okay not taking advantage of the situation.”Mrs. Karishin still couldn’t believe it. “If you have a child with Perseia, why haven’t you married her yet? I’m sure you both love each other if you have a child.”Tedmond stared at them blankly. What they were saying made no sense to him. He couldn’t understan
Perseia groaned, flicking herself on the forehead as she stared at the pile of files on her desk. She glanced at her wristwatch, narrowing her eyes.In an instant, all the files in her hands were thrown carelessly into the air, landing haphazardly on the floor."When am I going to be done with these files?" she muttered, throwing her hands up and leaning back in her chair. "I’ve been working non-stop and haven’t gone home yet. It's been two days already! When will I be done?!"Even though no one was in the room, she vented her frustration. The office was soundproof so that no one could hear her anyway.She sat like that for a few minutes, staring at the ceiling. Although she might be the perfect woman for the Damon family, she still found the workload exhausting and longed for a vacation. However, there was no time for that, given the circumstances.Her business always came first. She could take a break once she found someone capable of handling everything."Ms. Damon!" a male voice y