Chapter 4

"My father died the day he walked in on the two of you together."

"And now you want me to call his killer my father? Does that seem right to you?"

I stood my ground, refusing to be crushed by any of it.

Althea and my mother's faces went hard as stone.

But my stepfather didn't get angry. Instead he held Vincent back.

"Vincent, don't be rash."

"Neal's misread me for a long time. But he's still my son. I'm willing to wait for the day he calls me father."

Vincent glared at me, shaking with rage. "Neal, you see that? Even now Dad is still taking your side."

Althea didn't step forward. It was as though her patience had finally run out.

She looked at me with those cold, bottomless eyes I knew so well. She never quit until she got what she wanted.

"Since you won't admit you're wrong, don't blame me for being ruthless."

She threw down her warning right there, to every single person in the mall, and no one who shopped here was anything less than rich or powerful.

"Anyone who helps Neal is making an enemy of the Harding family."

"Today, I'm going to make him kneel and kowtow to Vincent and his father in front of everyone."

I'd already told myself she was nothing to me. But hearing her turn on me so coldly, with my own ears, the pain still cut me to the bone.

"You really want your own husband to lose every shred of dignity in front of all these people?"

"Yes!"

"And if you still won't learn your lesson, a husband can be replaced."

Vincent's eyes lit up at that.

Get rid of me, and he could marry Althea.

So on top of the apology, he pushed to humiliate me even further.

"Neal, if you can't pay the bill, you're going to prison."

"If you don't want to do time, kneel down and kowtow to us three hundred times, and say your father was a coward."

Hearing him insult my father, I couldn't stop myself. I swung and drove my fist into his face.

I didn't expect that punch to be the spark. Althea rushed over and shoved me hard.

I lost my footing and went straight down to the floor.

The people around me watched with the most mocking eyes, savoring the joke, the eldest heir of the Henson family reduced to something worth less than a single hair on the foster son's head.

"Neal, you won't shed a tear until you see the coffin, will you."

"You'll never back down until someone teaches you a lesson."

"Manager!"

Manager Lambert came out trembling. "Ms. Harding, what can I do for you?"

"Make him pay the bill right now. Don't give him a second to stall."

"And if he can't pay, don't hold back on my account. Send him straight in and let him sit inside for a while."

Her coldness severed the last thread of feeling I had left for her.

Every person there watched to see how I'd end up, and not one of them would step forward to help me.

It wasn't that they didn't want to. They didn't dare.

"Althea, I'll ask you just one thing."

"When did you fall in love with Vincent?"

I really wanted to know.

Before she could answer, Vincent walked over, smug, and murmured low, "In bed. Pity you were asleep for it."

"Well, brother? Satisfied with the answer?"

"If you are, hurry up and pay. You're exactly like your coward of a father. Dumb as a pig."

With that, he turned away and went back to Althea's side without another glance.

Manager Lambert's face darkened at once as he came over, his manner toward me foul now.

He stopped calling me Mr. Henson and used my name to my face.

"Neal, pay the bill now."

He knew perfectly well my cards were frozen, that I had no money to pay.

"No money to pay? Then there's nothing to do but send you to prison."

"You there, the clothes on his back aren't paid for either. Strip them off and haul him down to the station."

"Yes, ma'am!"

I dropped the first man who came at me with one punch.

"What's the rush? Who said I couldn't pay?"

My mother's face stayed cold as she mocked me. "You animal, we froze all your cards. Everything you have, you have because of us. Where would you get money to pay a bill?"

"And if I do have it?"

"If you can pay this bill, I'll do what you've always wanted. I'll give your father's company back to you."

"Talk is cheap. Why should I believe you?"

"If I go back on my word, may lightning strike me dead."

Vincent moved in to twist the knife too. "If you can't afford it, then sign your shares over to me."

Then he pulled out a stock transfer agreement and threw it at me.

I smiled, and the smile carried a lot. "Get too arrogant and it comes back to bite you."

Everyone looked at me with contempt, sure I was still bluffing with the coffin at my back.

Just then my phone buzzed with a notification. Smiling, I opened it.

"Manager, stop listening to his nonsense, grab him and get him to prison—"

But Vincent never finished. His eyes went wider than lanterns.

"One... one billion..."

Althea flinched hard, her voice suddenly sharp and quick. "Neal, where did you get one billion???"