"Darien Eugene, you killed my grandfather and my father—how dare you show your face? Don’t forget who saved your family from ruin. Without us, the Eugene Family would be nothing!"
"You ungrateful bastard. I must have been blind to ever fall in love with a monster like you!"
And with that, I slapped him hard across the face.
The sting on my palm was sharp. Red finger marks bloomed on his cheek.
"Elodie, are you insane?" Vienna rushed over, pushing me away as she fussed over his swollen face.
What surprised me most was Darien’s reaction. He did not lash out. He was not even as angry as I expected. If anything… there was guilt in his eyes.
I pointed at both of them—my voice trembling, thick with rage.
"And you, Vienna."
"You want Darien so badly? Fine. Take him. Let’s see how sweet stolen love really tastes."
"Your precious Daelan Family could never beat the Dawsons in business, so you lied, cheated and sabotaged. You couldn’t win fair and square, so you stabbed us in the back. But now I know the truth—and I swear, I’ll repay every drop of blood. Tenfold. A hundredfold."
Vienna crossed her arms and scoffed, her expression smug. "Ah, you finally figured it out? So what? What can you do to the Daelan Family now?"
I stared at her perfect little face—and for the first time in my life, I wanted to destroy it.
Thud!
"Ugh! Elodie!" my mother cried out.
Austin had picked up a basketball and hurled it straight at her as he stood there laughing darkly. Just to vent Vienna’s anger, he had actually struck my mother with a basketball.
I dropped to the floor, cradling her limp body in my arms, panic clawing its way up my throat.
"She deserved it," Austin warned, his voice sharp. "Anyone who dares mess with my sister deserves to die. I only hit her once and that’s because Darien still has a soft spot for both of you. Otherwise, neither of you would leave this house alive."
He spun the basketball on his finger, smirking, completely unfazed by what he had done.
I knew I was outnumbered. I had no choice but to run—my only priority now was getting Mom to the hospital.
In the end, Darien was the one who drove us. I sat in the passenger seat, silent for a long moment, then turned to him and asked, my voice bitter.
"You killed my grandfather and my father… and now you’re the one driving my mother to the hospital?" A hollow laugh escaped me. "Don’t you think that’s ridiculous, Darien?"