King of War's Dominance

Chapter 73

“What are you pleading for?” Mr. Edmund finally asked. He looked at Frank and Benny in turn, clearly confused. “You came all this way, bringing the entire family, even Madam Lena in that condition… what exactly are you pleading for?”

Madam Yosie leaned forward as well. “Yes,” she said in confusion. “Pleading for what? You are making all of us wonder.”

But none of the Lanster family answered.

Frank lowered his head. Benny bit his lip. The other relatives stared at the floor, as if the wooden patterns there were far more interesting than the reality they had to face.

“Well,” Thom said flatly, as if deciding something. “I will leave my daughter with Jasmine first.”

Since returning from the military, Thom had always guarded his daughter’s mental state carefully. No shouting, no arguments in front of her. Shenina’s world had to remain clean. Adult problems were not for her to hear yet.

Thom walked toward the kitchen.

There, Jasmine stood by the kitchen counter, stirring matcha tea. The gentle aroma of that filled the small space. When she saw Thom enter, she smiled.

“Hi,” Jasmine greeted lightly. “Are there guests outside?”

“Yes,” Thom answered briefly. “Are you busy?”

Jasmine shook her head. “No. What is it?”

“Can I leave my daughter with you for a while?”

Without hesitation, Jasmine nodded. “Of course.”

Thom handed Shenina to her.

“Jasmine,” Thom said before turning back. His tone was low but serious. “Please do not go into the living room with Shenina until I come back here.”

Jasmine understood his meaning. She nodded slowly. “Alright.”

Thom returned to the living room. His face became cold again, closed off. He sat on one of the sofas, directly facing Frank and Benny. His presence alone was enough to make the air in the room feel heavier.

Frank looked at Madam Yosie and Mr. Edmund, then spoke in a voice he forced to remain calm. “Auntie… Uncle Edmund… could you leave us alone for a moment?”

Both of them were startled.

“What?” Madam Yosie blinked. “Why all of a sudden?”

Frank lowered his head slightly, his attitude polite yet firm. “I just do not want outsiders to hear our family’s private matters. This is truly an internal issue of the Lanster family.”

The words sounded neat. Reasonable. But what he did not say was far heavier. Frank did not want them to know the truth that he was no longer an heir of the Lanster family.

If Madam Yosie knew, if Mr. Edmund knew, then all that respect would vanish. And Frank was not ready to face that destruction of his pride.

Madam Yosie looked at Mr. Edmund. The two of them exchanged glances for a few seconds.

Finally, Madam Yosie smiled faintly and stood up. “Alright,” she said. “For the sake of my future son in law, I will do whatever you ask.”

Mr. Edmund nodded in agreement. “We understand.”

Without much talk, the two of them stepped out of the living room, closing the door behind them. The sound of their footsteps faded away, leaving the room in a silence far more oppressive than before.

Now, only the Lanster family remained. And Thom.

Thom leaned back against the sofa, looking at them one by one. His gaze was calm.

But it was precisely that calmness that made Benny swallow with difficulty.

Madam Lena sat weakly in the wheelchair, the IV still dripping slowly. Her eyes were fixed on Thom, filled with exhaustion and something resembling fear.

Frank let out a long breath.

“We came here to meet you,” Frank said, “because you are the only lawful heir of the Lanster family.”

He swallowed.

“So… please,” he continued, the word coming out with difficulty, “do not seize our assets.”

The room fell silent.

Frank continued, as if afraid Thom would cut him off if he paused too long. “We are family,” he said quickly. “At least… we share the same mother. Even if not the same father.”

“And then?” Thom asked.

That single word alone made the pressure in the room increase.

Frank clenched his fists. His pride rebelled, but the pale face of Madam Lena in the wheelchair made him endure.

“We plead with you. We truly plead… that you do not claim our assets.”

Benny could not hold back anymore. “Yes,” he said quickly. “We beg you. Please do not seize our assets.”

Thom smiled faintly. A smile that was not warm at all. “I feel a sense of deja vu in this situation.”

He looked up at the ceiling for a moment, then looked back at them. “Fifteen years ago, I also came to the Lanster family living room. Standing exactly where you are standing now.”

Frank froze.

“I came to ask for a piece of bread,” Thom continued flatly. “I was hungry. My younger sibling was too. My mother had just been fired from her job. We had no money.”

Benny swallowed. Madam Lena moved her fingers weakly.

“I remember it very clearly,” Thom continued. “I stood in that living room, and you said that I had to plead.”

“And I pleaded,” Thom went on.

Thom leaned forward. “But you, Frank… you said that the word plead alone was not enough.”

“Do you remember what you said back then?”

Frank lowered his head. His shoulders trembled. “Yes, I remember,” he answered softly.

“Say it,” Thom ordered.

The silence felt like a knife at Frank’s throat. But he knew there was no turning back. “I… said,” his voice was barely audible, “I told you to lick my shoes.”

Thom fell silent for a moment. Then he slowly clapped his hands.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

“Your memory is very good, Brother,” Thom said.

That word sounded like mockery.

“So now I want to do the same thing,” Thom said again.

Benny and Frank widened their eyes.

“I also want to feel what it is like to have my shoes licked by people who plead to me,” Thom continued.