A cold smirk crept across Tommy’s face as he exchanged a glance with his lackeys.
“Kill that filthy beast. I’ll take full responsibility.”
Their crazed laughter echoed off the walls as several boots came down hard on my body. My face was smashed into the floor, pressed and twisted under their soles until I could barely recognize myself. I watched helplessly, eyes wide with horror, as Tommy raised his foot. And just like that—Oliver was gone.
“NOOO!”
My scream ripped through the room, raw and broken, as I watched my cat’s fragile body go limp. Tommy turned toward me, his face warped with venomous satisfaction.
“Little pest handled. Now it’s time for the bigger one.”
Without another word, he yanked off his belt and began lashing it across my face. Again and again, each strike landed with a brutal crack, his voice gleeful as he counted.
“One! Two! Three! Hahaha, look at him! His face is swelling up like a pig’s head!”
“Let me add in my ‘Pretty Boy Punches,” one of the cronies joked, landing slap after slap.
My lips split open, swollen and numb. I couldn’t even feel them anymore. Blood and broken teeth slid down my chin like water. The agony turned everything inside my head to static. I could barely make out their words.
Still, I forced my busted lips to move. Somehow, I managed to speak through the pain.
“I... am Wilson’s great-grandfather. If you treat me like this... the Wilson Family will never let you walk out of here alive.”
Tommy burst into laughter, spitting in my face.
“Just because your last name is Wilson, that makes you his great-grandfather? Then I must be the ancestor of the whole Wilson surname! Let me honor my ancestors by tearing that lying rat mouth of yours apart!”
Suddenly, a firm voice cut through the chaos. “Who’s causing this racket?”
Everyone froze. We turned to see a man in the Wilson Family steward’s uniform standing in the doorway, exuding authority and presence. My heart leapt. Hope sparked in my chest.
“Steward! It’s me! I’m Danny!”
For the first time, Tommy’s followers hesitated. Their grip loosened slightly.
“Wait… is he actually someone important?”
The steward looked me up and down, then scoffed.
“Some filthy beggar off the streets? I’ve never seen him before in my life.”