2025-12-08 18:17:25Rachel started to feel that something was wrong. She looked at the elite soldiers one by one, noticing that their eyes were not on her or her family at all.
"Mother... Father... I think this is not for us," she whispered, her voice unsteady. "Look. They are all looking at Thom."
Madam Yosie snorted loudly. "What are you talking about? Of course this is for us. Frank must have arranged it. Who else could it be?" she said while showing a proud smile.
Rachel shook her head quickly. "No. They are not even glancing at us. All their eyes are fixed on Thom."
Edmund cut in with a dismissive tone. "That is just a coincidence. How could a low-ranked soldier like Thom get the attention of elite troops? Do not make things up, Rachel."
Thom stayed silent while holding Shenina. His expression did not change, but something in his eyes grew tense.
While they argued, inside the mansion, the Lanster family began to notice the commotion outside.
The sound of footsteps, quiet gasps from the guests, and the soldiers standing in a perfect formation made one of the servants rush inside.
"Sir Frank... there are elite soldiers gathered in front of the house," the servant reported with a worried face.
Frank, the Lanster family's son, stood up at once. "What? For who? We do not have any VVIP guests today."
Madam Lena, the head of the Lanster family and Frank's biological mother, frowned deeply. "Elite soldiers? With a red carpet? Who are they welcoming?"
"I do not know, Madam," the servant replied. "But... it seems they stopped right at the front door."
The Lanster family immediately walked outside, followed by several important guests who were curious.
When they reached the front porch, the sight in front of them left them frozen.
There was no high-profile guest.
No government official.
No major investor.
Only Rachel's family standing at the end of the red carpet.
Rachel, who did not understand what was happening, quickly bowed politely with a nervous smile.
"Thank you, Frank," she said with a trembling voice. "You did not need to prepare such a grand welcome for my family."
Frank froze. "What? I did not prepare anything."
Before Rachel could ask anything else, a sharp voice cut through the air.
Madam Lena stared at Thom, who stood behind Rachel. Her eyes widened in shock and anger at the same time.
She covered her mouth, then pointed at Thom with her eyes growing even wider.
"You!!"
All eyes from the Lanster family followed the direction of her finger.
"Is that... Thom?" one of Frank's relatives whispered, choking on his own voice.
In one second, Madam Lena's expression turned into pure rage.
"Get out of here, bastard," she shouted loudly. "How dare you come to this house! Who invited you?"
Rachel and Madam Yosie looked at each other with pale faces. The idea of bringing Thom to this banquet had started from something simple. Shenina cried and refused to let go of her father. They thought it would be fine to bring Thom as long as he sat quietly and did not cause trouble.
Now, they regretted it.
They knew very well who Madam Lena was. The woman was known for being cruel, harsh, and never hesitated to humiliate anyone she disliked.
And Thom was a thorn in her eyes. Rachel and Yosie had no idea what to say. Their tongues felt frozen.
Even Edmund went silent. His mind was a mess. He never imagined he would face such harsh humiliation in front of so many guests.
But while everyone expected Thom to bow his head or step back like a frightened child, something completely different happened.
Thom lifted his head.
He looked at Madam Lena without fear, without hesitation, and without a trace of doubt.
A small smile formed on his face.
A smile that made the elite soldiers on both sides of the red carpet stand even straighter, as if they had just received a signal.
Thom opened his mouth and spoke calmly, as if greeting a distant relative.
"Hello, Mother. It has been a long time."
The voice froze the entire front yard of the Lanster mansion.
Frank stared at Thom with a clenched jaw. Two other members of the Lanster family stared in disbelief.
Madam Lena looked shaken.
Thom continued in a calm but piercing tone. "No one invited me here. But I came on my own. Is this not my house too?"
He looked right into Madam Lena's eyes.
Then Thom smiled.
A smile that, to the Lanster family, felt like a threat!
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Chapter 13
In the end, under the growing pressure and nonstop shouting, Frank gave in.In front of all the guests, with his face burning red and his hands trembling, he lowered his body.Frank knelt!The sound of his knee hitting the floor was clear, as if it slammed directly into his pride.Several people started recording without hesitation. Phone screens lit up around the hall, capturing a moment Frank would never be able to erase.Everyone knew who Frank Lanster was.He was one of the major conglomerates. The rightful heir of the Lanster family. For years, he had been known as arrogant, domineering, and untouchable by criticism.There were many rumors about how cruel and inhumane he was toward his employees, yet no one ever dared to report him to the police. No real scandal had ever appeared on social media.Not because the rumors were false, but because Frank always paid the media to bury them.On the internet, there were only stories about his achievements, his wealth, and his charisma. He
Chapter 12
Frank trembled when Thom’s words echoed in his ears.The atmosphere in the hall felt oppressive, as if the air itself had grown heavy and refused to move. His face burned, his chest rose and fell, and for the first time that night, his confidence collapsed in front of dozens of merciless gazes.“What do you mean by talking to me like that?” Frank snapped at Thom, his voice shaking slightly even though he tried to sound fierce.“How dare you say something like that to me? Have you gone crazy because these people are respecting you? Do you want me, your own brother, to kneel in front of everyone and in front of you?” Frank continued.He let out a short laugh, forced and breaking halfway. “How rude of you, Thom! You have crossed the line.”Thom did not answer right away. He simply stared at Frank with a calm, almost cold expression, as if the anger in front of him was nothing more than background noise not worth acknowledging.When Thom finally spoke, his voice was flat but clearly heard
Chapter 11
“Alright, deal,” Thom said.The guests whispered among themselves.“Crazy… he is really sure the card is real.”“He might be richer than the entire Lanster family.”Those praises made the Lanster family turn pale.Benny stepped forward. He raised his hand, trying to calm the growing wave of admiration.“Everyone, please calm down!” he shouted loudly. “Calm down!”The guests stopped talking.Benny took a deep breath, puffed out his chest, and spoke with a fake righteous tone, as if he held the moral authority in the room.“We are all Thom’s family,” he said while pointing at himself and his mother. “So we know his personality very well.”“And what my mother said is true. Thom has always lied and imagined things since he was young.”Some guests became unsure again, while others exchanged glances.Madam Lena smiled proudly because her son supported her narrative.Benny continued, “And about this black card… If it is real, we are sure of one thing. It does not belong to Thom.”“He must ha
Chapter 10
Thom stood tall, his face calm even though the entire hall was filled with wild stares and loud whispers.“Unlimited or not, what matters is that I will pay for all the auction items I won. They all belong to me. So hurry and process the transaction,” Thom said.Around the room, guests began whispering louder.“No wonder… he is the son of the late Mr. Lanster’s second wife.”“If that is true, it is not strange that he has an unlimited card.”“Maybe he received part of the inheritance before Mr. Lanster died.”“I thought he was a poor soldier… looks like he is not.”The whispers spread like wind, changing the atmosphere from mockery to curiosity and respect.But on the corner of the stage, someone’s body was growing hot, burning with anger and disbelief.Madam Lena.Her blood hissed like boiling water. Even her two sons, Frank and Benny, did not have an unlimited card.She, the first wife of the Lanster family, did not have that card. How could the stepson she always insulted be the on
Chapter 9
Everyone turned their heads toward Thom. Even the MC froze before accepting the bid.“A new bid from the gentleman over there! Nine thousand dollars!”The MC’s voice echoed, and the room erupted in shock.Madam Yosie almost screamed. “What are you doing, Thom? Do you really have that much money?”Frank stared at Thom with anger and disbelief. “How dare you raise your hand!” he snapped.Benny only laughed softly with his arms crossed. “Let us just wait. He is only raising his hand. In the end, he will not be able to pay. And when that moment comes, he will embarrass himself.”The MC lifted the next item, an antique music box decorated with gold leaf carvings. Its chime used to be Thom’s lullaby when he was a child. The price jumped fast, five thousand… ten thousand… twenty thousand… until it stopped at thirty thousand dollars.And just like before, Thom raised his hand without hesitation.“Forty thousand dollars!” the MC shouted.The room burst into whispers and gasps.Frank slapped
Chapter 8
Hearing that, Frank laughed loudly, then turned to Rachel with a mocking expression.“Rachel, does your husband have money to pay for everything on that table?” he asked loudly. “He cannot even buy you the branded bags you want. I was the one who bought them for you, right?”Rachel gave Frank a sweet smile, a smile that stabbed Thom like a blade in the chest.“Of course he will not have much money,” Rachel said lightly, as if it was something normal. “And yes, you were the one who bought me all those luxury items. So I really thank you, my honey.”Frank nodded proudly, then looked at Thom with an arrogant gaze, as if Thom meant nothing.“See?” he said with a mocking tone. “Your own wife admits you do not have money.”Rachel let out a small snort, then elbowed Thom’s arm hard. “Do not ask for his money to buy all those useless old items!”Thom slowly shook his head.“I will not,” Thom said flatly.Rachel was ready to sigh in relief.Thom continued, “I will use my own money.”Rachel imm
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