They called him Weak, He Became Untouchable

The Confrontation

 

Andrea stared at Maria Konstantinou in complete bewilderment, his mind struggling to process her words. "Sister?" he whispered, his voice barely audible. "But that's impossible. I'm an orphan. My grandmother raised me after my parents died when I was seven."

Maria's expression grew gentle, filled with years of suppressed emotion. "Andrea, there's so much you don't know. So much I need to explain about our family, about who you really are—"

The shrill ringtone of Andrea's phone cut through her words like a knife. 

Sofia's name flashed on the screen, and both siblings fell silent. Andrea hesitated, his finger hovering over the answer button.

"Take it," Maria said quietly. "Let's see what your ex-wife wants now."

Andrea swiped to answer, putting the phone on speaker. "Hello, Sofia."

"Well, well," Sofia's voice came through, dripping with venom and cold satisfaction. "I didn't expect you to be so bold, Andrea. Not only did you escape, but you even managed to hook up with some woman. How resourceful of you."

She thinks Maria is just some random woman I'm sleeping with, Andrea realized, feeling a mix of disgust and exhaustion at Sofia's assumptions.

"And breaking into my villa?" Sofia continued, her tone becoming more vicious. "Assaulting my security team? You've really outdone yourself this time."

"Sofia, what are you talking about? I never broke into anywhere—"

"Don't lie to me!" she snapped. "My bodyguards are unconscious, and you're mysteriously free. Did you think there wouldn't be consequences for your actions?"

Andrea felt his stomach drop. She's going to punish Grandma. I know that tone.

Sofia's voice turned silky with malicious pleasure. "Since you want to play games, Andrea, let's play. I'm cutting off all medical expenses for that pathetic old woman you call grandmother. She'll be thrown out of the hospital within the hour."

"What?!" Andrea bolted upright in the hospital bed, ignoring the dizziness that washed over him. "Sofia, you can't do that! My grandmother is dying! She needs those treatments!"

"Should have thought about that before you decided to rebel against me," Sofia replied coldly. "Actions have consequences, darling."

"Sofia, please!" Andrea's voice cracked with desperation. "If you have a problem with me, take it out on me! Don't punish an innocent old woman! Do you have any humanity left?"

Sofia's laugh was as cold as winter wind. "Humanity? For a useless man who deliberately hurts others? For someone who breaks into homes and assaults people? I don't think so, Andrea."

This is exactly what she wanted, Andrea thought bitterly. She knew this would destroy me. She's been waiting for an excuse to use Grandma against me.

"However," Sofia continued, her voice taking on a mockingly generous tone, "I'm not completely heartless. If you get on your knees right now and apologize to Nikolas for what you did to him, I might consider reinstating the medical coverage."

"I never touched Nikolas!" Andrea shouted, his rage finally boiling over. "You know that! You're choosing to ignore the truth because it's convenient for you!"

"The truth?" Sofia's voice turned arctic. "The truth is that you're a jealous, violent man who can't accept that I love someone else. Now choose, Andrea. Your pride, or your grandmother's life."

Before Andrea could respond, Maria smoothly took the phone from his trembling hands. Her transformation was instant and terrifying—gone was the gentle, caring woman, replaced by someone with an aura of dangerous authority.

"Listen carefully, Sofia Georgiou," Maria said, her voice colder than Sofia's had ever been. "My name is Maria Konstantinou, and Andrea belongs to me now. If you ever threaten him or his family again, you should be prepared for consequences you cannot imagine."

There was a moment of stunned silence on the other end. Then Sofia's voice returned, sharp with confusion and anger. "Who the hell do you think you are? Some nobody trying to intimidate me? Do you have any idea who I am? What my family can do?"

"Oh, I know exactly who you are," Maria replied, her tone remaining deadly calm. "A spoiled little girl playing with people's lives. But playtime is over, Sofia. Touch Andrea or his grandmother again, and you'll discover what real power looks like."

"You can't threaten me! I'll call the police! I'll—"

The line went dead. Maria had ended the call and was already blocking Sofia's number with swift, efficient movements.

When she looked back at Andrea, her expression softened immediately, concern replacing the cold fury that had been there moments before. "I'm sorry you had to endure that for so long. No one deserves to be treated like that."

Andrea sank back against the hospital pillows, feeling utterly drained. "You don't understand, Maria. I've already given up on Sofia. I know she's not worth my love anymore. I was planning to leave with my grandmother, start over somewhere new."

But now she's going to hurt Grandma before I can get her to safety, he thought desperately. I wasn't ready for this. I thought I had more time.

"But I wasn't prepared for this," he continued aloud, his voice barely a whisper. "My grandmother's illness is getting worse, and the treatments are the only thing keeping her stable. If Sofia cuts off the funding now..."

A commotion erupted in the hallway outside—raised voices, the sound of wheels on linoleum, someone crying. Andrea's blood turned to ice as he recognized one of the voices.

"Grandma?" he breathed, jumping out of bed despite Maria's protests.

He yanked open the ward door and his heart shattered at the sight before him. Four nurses in crisp white uniforms were roughly wheeling his grandmother's bed down the hallway, her frail form looking even smaller under the harsh hospital lighting.

"Please," his grandmother was saying, her voice weak but dignified. "Let me at least gather my belongings. I don't understand why this is happening so suddenly."

They're being so rough with her, Andrea thought, his hands clenching into fists. She's ninety-three years old and they're treating her like garbage.

"Stop!" Andrea shouted, running toward them. "Stop right now! You can't just throw her out like this!"

The lead nurse, a woman with sharp features and cruel eyes, barely glanced at him. "Oh look, it's the grandson. The one who can't pay his bills."

"I can pay!" Andrea protested. "There's been a misunderstanding!"

The nurse sneered, looking him up and down with obvious disgust. "You? Pay? Don't make me laugh. You're nothing but a pathetic leech who married into money. Now that your sugar mama has cut you off, you're showing your true colors—just another worthless parasite."

Her words hit like physical blows, each insult designed to humiliate him in front of his grandmother and the other staff members who had stopped to watch the spectacle.

"Look at you," she continued, her voice growing more vicious. "Crawling around like a beaten dog, begging for scraps. Your own wife threw you away like trash, and now you expect us to feel sorry for you? Pathetic."

Andrea took a step forward, his vision blurring with rage. How dare she talk to me like that in front of Grandma? How dare she—

A gentle but firm hand landed on his shoulder, stopping him mid-stride. Maria had appeared beside him, her presence immediately commanding attention from everyone in the hallway.

"Don't worry, Andrea," she said, her voice carrying an undertone that made the temperature seem to drop several degrees. She smiled, but there was nothing warm about it. "I'll take care of everything here."