Chapter 1 - Worse than a dog

-The Tyris Family’s Manor

In a very luxurious manor, decorative lights and chandeliers lit up the extravagant family manor.

Tonight, was the 65th birthday of Grey Tyris, the Patriarch of the Tyris. As such, the whole Tyris family was in a celebratory mood.

Why wouldn’t they be? This was the birthday of the most important person in the Tyris family.

Less than two decades ago, the Tyris family was one of the poorest families in the city and were on the verge of going bankrupt when Grey Tyris, the Patriarch of the Tyris family scored a very lucrative deal with a noticeably big family.

As a result of this, the Tyris family that were on the verge of snuffing out like a flame in the wind revived from the ashes like a phoenix.

The deal gave the Tyris family a period of rapid development that was unprecedented in the city, and in less than two decades, the Tyris family was now one of the four richest families in the city, valued at over five hundred million dollars.

It was no wonder that Grey Tyris was treated the same as a god in the Tyris family.

Due to how important his status was, the whole family manor was remarkably busy. They had to make this birthday occasion a worthy one. The House cleaners moved around quickly, dusting the already neat decorations, while the chefs in the kitchen cooked up very delightful and exquisite dishes worthy of the occasion.

After more than four hours of constant hustle and bustle, the scene for the birthday celebrations was finally set.

Currently, the Patriarch of the Tyris family was already present in the gathering. As the star of the occasion, why wouldn’t he be?

Dignified members from the other prominent families in the city started showing their presence in the Tyris family manor. Their attendance was guaranteed; after all this was an especially important event. They had to be here to give the Tyris family face due to their standings.

Now, the upper echelons in the Tyris family were already present and started welcoming the visitors from the other prominent families.

Of course, the visitors all came with expensive and extravagant gifts.

They were not the only one with gifts, however. The Patriarch’s children, grandchildren and their spouses also brought so many expensive gifts.

“Mr. Tyris, as you are a devoted fan of the Greek mythology, this is a jade statue of the Greek god Zeus. It is made of pure jade stone, one of the most expensive gems in the world. I got it for eight hundred thousand dollars…”

“Grandpa, this is a three-hundred-year-old herb. When brewed to perfection, it has an invigorating effect that strengthens the body. This is the best gift for you, as it can make you much stronger than you are right now. I got this for six hundred thousand dollars…”

Turn by turn, different people came to present the extravagant gifts they got for the Patriarch.

Looking at the expensively wrapped gifts in front of him, Grey Tyris laughed heartily. The entire atmosphere was joyful and happy.

Suddenly, the door to the great hall opened and two people, a young boy of around 17 years of age and a middle-aged woman walked in.

The young boy who walked in was dressed very shabbily. The black shirt he wore had holes in more than five places. It was obvious that it had been torn and patched repeatedly.

The young boy was majorly skin and bones; an obvious sign that he was very malnourished.

However, despite his shabby and sickly appearance, one could easily decipher that the young man was quite good-looking.

He had glossy midnight black hair that flowed down his shoulders, which made even the most attractive lady present in the manor jealous, with piercing blue eyes. Despite his appearance, his eyes were very sharp; a sign that he was very aware of his environment.

The middle-aged woman who followed closely behind him was not as malnourished as the young boy, but she was quite malnourished. Nevertheless, there was a striking resemblance between both, as she was also dressed as shabbily as the young boy.

The moment the duo walked in; the joyous atmosphere at once died down.

The expressions of joy and happiness that were on the faces of the visitors instantly died out and looks of disgusts promptly appeared on their faces. The Patriarch who was revelling in the praises and heaps of gifts he received did not wear his emotions on his face like his descendants and guests did, but he was just as displeased as them.

“Isn’t that Min Tyris?” someone in the crowd murmured in a disdainful tone.

“Yes, she is.” Another answered in the same tone.

“I can’t believe she had the audacity to show up. With how much shame she had brought to the Tyris family one would think that she would just crawl in a hole and wait for her death.”

“How shameless would one be to still show up at the birthday celebration of the Patriarch of the Tyris family?” someone asked, his tone laced with disgust.

Murmurs of similar context could be heard from the guests throughout the great hall of the Tyris Manor.

The middle-aged woman now identified as Min Tyris flinched slightly. The pressure of more than a hundred people staring at you, especially with a disdainful expression was no joke.

The young man clenched his fists tightly at the insults the middle-aged woman received but kept on walking. He did not want to be here either, but he had no other choice.

The murmurings increased in volume, but despite the insults the young boy received, he did not turn back to leave. Instead, he held the middle-aged closely to him and walked slowly towards where the Patriarch of the Tyris family was.

When he got close enough to him, he knelt on his knees and begged in a meek tone.

“Grandfather, could you please lend me five thousand dollars?”