2024-09-24 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!”
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CHAPTER 698
Marek looked as though he were staring at a ghost.He hadn’t been certain they would find her at all, but now, seeing her like this, alive and awake, he could hardly believe it.His eyes widened, filled with an intensity that bordered on reverence.For a man who had faced down armies, he looked utterly defenseless.The rugged, scarred warrior and the fragile, white-haired beauty stared at each other, the air between them thick with a strange, undeniable pull.“Millicent?” he said again, her full name resting on his tongue like a prayer.Tedmond watched from the bed, his mouth slightly open.He had seen Marek fight, kill, and bleed without flinching. He had never seen the giant look at a woman as though she were the only thing left in the world.Millicent blinked, her heart still racing from the sudden intrusion. She looked down at the massive, scarred man at her feet, then turned toward her son.“Tedmond,” she whispered gently, confusion threading her voice. “Does… does this friend o
CHAPTER 697
The scale of the wealth. It felt like a fairy tale, too vast to fit into the small, dark life she had been living. She looked at his scarred face and the intensity in his gaze, not just pain, but authority. The presence of a man who had clawed his way to the summit of a mountain.How could she be the daughter of such a man… and have lived as though she were nothing?“I… I don’t understand it all,” she whispered. “Washingtons? The richest family? It sounds like madness. But…”A sad, knowing smile touched her lips.“I believe you. I have to. I know my boy. No version of you could have survived the Griffins alone. You would’ve needed a miracle to break them. If being a Washington was your miracle… then I thank God for it.”Tedmond rested his forehead against hers, the Heir and the Outcast finally becoming one.“It wasn’t a miracle, Mom. It was a debt. And now I’m going to make sure every single person who touched you pays it back in full.”Suddenly, a heavy crash echoed from the next r
CHAPTER 696
Ivy stood by the window, her arms crossed tightly, but she had to look away as her vision blurred.The room, once cold and clinical, was suddenly overflowing with a warmth the Washington zillions could never buy.Tedmond squeezed his mother tighter, crying like a child finally found after a game of hide-and-seek that had lasted twenty years.For a few precious minutes, the revenge, the money, and the Syndicate didn’t exist.There was only the scent of sandalwood, the sound of her voice, and the miracle of a bond that not even a decade of darkness could break.“You’re back,” she whispered into his hair, her voice trembling with fierce, possessive joy. “My little bird flew across the world… and he came back to me.”Gradually, the storm of sobbing subsided into shaky, ragged breaths.She pulled away just enough to look at him.They sat suspended in a sacred quiet, simply studying each other.Tedmond’s eyes traced the map of her face. Up close, he saw the fine lines around her eyes and t
CHAPTER 695
Tedmond’s joy was a violet thing, beautiful, rare, and bruised.The realization that she remembered him, that she still knew she had a son, left him overwhelmed. He had spent years bracing for the alternative; he had imagined a thousand ways he might have to explain his existence to a woman who had forgotten he ever lived. After all, how do you find someone after a lifetime apart and simply announce you are the child they lost? He had been certain she wouldn't understand. But then, his joy turned violent.It shifted instantly into a dark, suffocating rage as his eyes fell upon her legs, draped in a shawl, and the mechanical chair that held her."Look at what they did to you," he spat through his tears, his voice thick with venom. "They broke you. They locked you away until your hair turned to snow and your legs... you have to use a chair? I’ll kill them. I’ll burn everything they own for this!"He was sobbing now, a raw, primal sound that echoed off the high ceilings. The sheer fo
CHAPTER 694
Tedmond gritted his teeth and tried to push himself up, his muscles screaming in protest. He managed to lift his torso an inch before his strength evaporated, leaving him slumped back against the rug, gasping for air."Don't," Ivy warned. She stepped forward but kept her distance. "You lost too much blood. Your body is running on empty. You’ll just end up unconscious again."Tedmond’s fist tightened, his knuckles turning white as he pounded his hand weakly against the floor. Pathetic. The word tasted like bile. He had planned for this day for years, visualized his return, his vengeance, the moment he would stand over those who had discarded him. He was supposed to be the storm; the one who would save his mother. Instead, he was a broken mess on a stranger's carpet, struggling to draw a full breath.If not for Ivy, he’d be carrion in the Black Ridge forest. The weight of that debt felt heavier than the bandages on his head."I'm going to help you back to bed," Ivy said. Her vo
CHAPTER 693
"We found you," Ivy said simply, tilting her head. "You and your friend were passed out in the woods, looking more like corpses than men. We couldn't just leave you to be reclaimed by the dirt, so we brought you both here."Tedmond went still. As the heir to the Washington fortune, he was used to lies, half-truths, and people weighing the cost of their words. But Ivy didn't blink."Why?" he asked, his voice hardening with suspicion. "Why would you help us? You saw the gear... the guns. People who carry those into the Black Ridge aren't the type you bring into your home."Ivy’s brow furrowed, a genuine frown marring her face. "Why wouldn't I help an injured person?" she countered, sounding almost offended. "Is that how the world works where you come from? You see someone bleeding out, and you check their ID first?"She stepped closer, looking down at him. "Tell me, if you were in my place and you found two dying men in your backyard, would you have just walked away?""I would have a
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