From Outcast to Legend: Thiago's Rise

Chapter 9

Caius' shouting echoed throughout the neighborhood, which made more residents gather, with whispers spreading everywhere.

Inside the newly purchased house, Thiago calmly observed everything through the property's outdated security cameras.

"So, the news spread faster than expected." He thought, however, he wasn't surprised. Neighborhood gossip always traveled quickly.

Instead of avoiding the confrontation, he smiled and walked toward the entrance, positioning himself in front of the opening, completely blocking the entrance with his body.

Caius immediately tried forcing his way forward.

"Move!"

Thiago didn't budge. "This is private property. You have no permission to enter."

Caius shoved harder. "There is absolutely no way you earned enough money overnight to buy this place. That money must have been accumulated before the divorce. You were still married to my daughter then. So at least half of it belongs to the Morgan family!"

He slapped the metal gate for emphasis.

Thiago laughed and looked directly into the older man's eyes. "Yesterday, Vespera and I legally divorced. Today, I purchased this property."

He held up the ownership documents and smiled coldly. "The dates are quite clear. So tell me, how exactly does a house purchased after the divorce become Morgan family property?"

"You think changing the purchase date changes the truth? It doesn't!" Caius snapped.

"The law recognizes our marriage ended yesterday and this house was purchased today," Thiago began. "I alone signed the contract, paid the down payment, and accepted the mortgage. So this property has absolutely nothing to do with the Morgan family."

Caius, however, stood frozen with an expression that shifted rapidly from confidence to disbelief as the reality of Thiago's words settled over the gathering.

Someone quietly began recording the confrontation on a phone. Others whispered excitedly.

"This is getting interesting. I wonder who's telling the truth."

Thiago simply looked at Caius with open disdain.

When Caius finally finished shouting, Thiago spoke in an unusually calm voice.

"Ownership isn't determined by who yells the loudest." He lifted the folder containing the purchase documents. "It's determined by evidence."

Caius scoffed. "Evidence?"

"Exactly."

"If you truly believe this property belongs to you..." Thiago shrugged."then take the matter to court."

The words instantly silenced Caius. Thiago continued. "Present your evidence. Let a judge decide. If you have proof, use it. If you don't..."

He looked directly into Caius's eyes. "...then stop making baseless accusations!"

Caius's face alternated between red and pale.

Thiago's expression remained cold.

"One more thing."

He pointed toward the street.

"This is my property. You've come here shouting insults and attempting to force your way inside. If you don't leave immediately, I'll sue you for trespassing."

Several neighbors exchanged glances. Although Caius looked furious, a trace of hesitation appeared in his eyes. He wasn't afraid of Thiago.

That house should have benefited the Morgan family. Instead, it belonged entirely to the man they had driven away.

The thought made his blood boil.

Unable to seize it by force, Caius silently began considering other ways to reclaim what he imagined was rightfully theirs.

Before he could speak again, another familiar voice rang out from the crowd.

"Caius!"

Everyone turned. Calista hurried toward the gathering, breathing heavily. She had rushed over immediately after hearing the neighborhood gossip.

"What happened?"

Someone quickly summarized the situation.

As her eyes landed on Thiago standing confidently before his new home, Calista's face twisted with outrage.

Without bothering to confirm anything, she immediately burst into tears. "You heartless man!" Her voice echoed across the street. "How could you abandon your wife and child?"

She pointed dramatically at Thiago.

"You stole their money! You threw them away! And now you refuse to pay alimony!" Several neighbors who had just arrived looked confused.

"What?"

"He won't support them? What kind of man does that?"

Calista continued crying loudly. My poor daughter! She devoted years of her life to you! And this is how you repay her? You robbed her and bought yourself a mansion!"

Some residents who knew little about the situation immediately frowned at Thiago. "No matter what happened, abandoning a child isn't right."

"That's terrible. I thought he seemed like a decent person."

The atmosphere shifted noticeably and Thiago laughed disdainfully.

"You want everyone to hear the truth?" He looked directly at Calista. "Fine. I've spent enough years protecting your family's reputation. Not anymore."

Thiago's voice remained steady.

"The real reason for our divorce wasn't money. It was deception."

Every eye fixed upon him.

"Before Vespera married me, she was already pregnant."

The words exploded like thunder. "The child wasn't mine."

Several neighbors gasped.

"At the time, abortion was strictly prohibited under local law. She couldn't terminate the pregnancy. Nor could she endure carrying the scandal of becoming pregnant before marriage."

"So..." He looked toward Calista and Caius.

"...your family needed someone. Someone respectable and willing to marry her. Someone who could be presented as the child's father."

He placed a hand against his own chest.

"That someone was me."

The silence became almost oppressive. "I raised Evren as my own. I never mistreated him. I paid for his food and all, believing he was my son."

His voice hardened. "Only recently did I learn the truth. He was never biologically mine!"

Whispers immediately erupted throughout the crowd.

"No way..." Is that true?"

"I can't believe it."

Thiago continued, "You all think I abandoned my family?" He shook his head. "Let me tell you what my marriage actually looked like.

For years, I paid nearly every property tax, covered insurance premiums, handled household bills, paid medical expenses, bought groceries, repaired the house, cleaned, drove everyone wherever they wanted, and even handed over money month after month."

He pointed calmly toward Caius. "To them, I wasn't a son-in-law, but a free ATM and a servant.

"Even after learning Evren wasn't my son, they still wanted me back. Not because they cared about me, but because they wanted their unpaid worker to return!" His words echoed through the stunned crowd.

"What?" A woman covered her mouth.

"So he raised another man's child and paid for everything?"

The accusations aimed at Thiago disappeared. Instead, people began criticizing the Morgan family openly.

"That's shameless!"

"If what he said is true, they really used him. No wonder he divorced."

"I would've done the same."

The tide of public opinion turned almost instantly.

Caius and Calista stood frozen. They had known nothing about Evren's true parentage. Both stared blankly at Thiago, then at each other.

"The child..." Caius whispered. "...isn't his?"

Calista's face turned deathly pale and her lips trembled.

For the first time, they realized Thiago had not merely left the family. He had discovered a secret that changed everything.

The surrounding neighbors continued whispering.

"So Evren isn't Thiago's son? Then whose child is he?"

"No wonder Thiago left."

"Poor man."

Under dozens of staring eyes, Caius felt as though the ground beneath him had vanished.

The humiliation was overwhelming.

Calista recovered first. "No!" She suddenly screamed.

"That's impossible! My daughter would never do such a thing!"

She pointed at Thiago with a trembling finger. "You're lying! You're deliberately slandering her after the divorce! You just don't want to pay alimony! That's why you're inventing this disgusting story!"

Her voice became increasingly shrill. "My daughter is innocent! You'll never destroy her reputation!"

Several neighbors exchanged uncertain looks, but Thiago remained expressionless.

Caius finally snapped back to reality, but his humiliation instantly transformed into rage.

"You bastard!" With a furious roar, he charged toward Thiago, raising his fist. "I'll kill you!"

Before he could reach him, however, several nearby residents stepped between them.

"Caius! Stop!"

"Calm down! This won't solve anything. You'll only make things worse."

Two men grabbed his arms while another blocked his path.