Chapter 2 Family #2
His eyes were bloodshot, blazing with such rage that Joseph subconsciously stepped back. Arthur looked like he was seconds away from tearing someone apart.
“Who the hell are you to tell me what to do with my daughter? With my company?” he thundered. “From today, I’m done with all of you. None of you deserve to be called my family. You’re not worthy of Sophia!”
Spit flew from his mouth. His whole body trembled.
“I am breaking off my relationship with all of you!” he declared. “None of you deserve to be called my family!”
“Arthur, listen—” Curtis rushed in, panic flooding his face.
The men in black who had been beating the driver moments ago suddenly stormed out of the room.
In seconds, Joseph, Curtis, and Violet were surrounded.
Rough hands grabbed their arms.
“What are you doing?!” Violet shrieked, thrashing.
Curtis twisted his shoulder, trying to shake them off, but it was useless. The men were built like walls. They locked their grips and started dragging the three of them down the stairs.
Arthur’s breath caught. His eyes widened.
“Wait!” he demanded, rushing after them. “What’s going on? Where are you taking them?”
The men paused and looked toward Magnus.
Magnus stood a few steps away, face cold. He gave a small nod to them.
One of the guards turned back to Arthur. His voice became even harder. “Mr. King, it was your brothers… and this woman.”
He jerked his chin toward Violet.
“They drugged Mrs. Graves and ordered that man to assault her.”
Arthur froze.
It felt like a fist had punched straight through his chest and wrapped around his heart.
All the color drained from his face. Even his ears went pale. His lips parted, trembling slightly, but no sound came out. The muscles in his throat worked as if he were trying to swallow something sharp.
“What…?” he finally forced out, the word scraping past his dry lips. He could barely breathe. “Are you serious?”
No one answered him.
The guards had already grabbed the three and were dragging them toward the stairs.
Joseph struggled wildly, his shoes scraping uselessly against the marble. Curtis twisted his body, trying to grab the railing. Violet kept crying, her fingers clawing at the guards’ sleeves.
“Wait—wait!”
Joseph’s foot suddenly slipped.
His body lurched forward, and he slammed hard into Curtis, knocking them both off balance. Violet shrieked as someone’s elbow hit her. The next second, all three of them went down.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
They hit one step after another, bones striking against sharp edges, their bodies rolling in an ugly, helpless mess.
The guards didn’t move to catch them.
Instead, one of them walked down calmly and kicked Joseph in the ribs, sending him tumbling the rest of the way like garbage being swept aside.
At the bottom, Joseph let out a broken groan. He tried to crawl, palms slipping on the polished floor, but a hand fisted into the back of his collar.
He was yanked upright so violently his head snapped back.
The three were dragged forward again, their feet barely touching the ground, hauled like sacks of trash toward the party hall.
Gasps burst from the guests below.
Some covered their mouths. Others took a step back, afraid they might somehow get involved.
Arthur hurried after them.
His heart slammed against his ribs so hard it hurt. Each beat felt louder than the last. His breath came fast and uneven, and his palms were damp, but his face remained stiff, almost numb.
“Arthur, save me!” Curtis howled, stretching his arm toward him, fingers shaking. “They’re lying! I swear they’re lying!”
“Arthur!” Joseph shouted hoarsely, panic cracking his voice. “It’s a misunderstanding! You can’t let them treat us like this!”
Arthur’s fingers curled tightly into fists.
The tendons stood out against his skin.
But he still said nothing.
His eyes were dark. His jaw was locked. Step after step, he followed.
The grand hall fell silent the moment they entered. The music cut off mid-note. Conversations died as if someone had pressed a switch.
Every head turned.
Under the crystal lights, the three of them were dragged straight into the center of the crowd and thrown down hard. Their bodies hit the floor with dull, painful sounds.
A wave of whispers rushed through the guests.
Before anyone could figure out what was happening, the men reached into their pockets and pulled out black batons.
With a cold flick of their wrists—
Snap!
The sticks shot out, long and solid.
The sharp metallic sound seemed to pierce the air.
Joseph’s eyes bulged in horror.
Violet shook her head over and over, scrambling backward on her knees, her dress twisting around her legs.
“Please… please don’t…”
Crack!
The first strike landed across her shoulder.
A scream ripped out of her throat, high and raw.
Crack!
Another hit Joseph’s arm. He cried out, instantly curling over, both hands flying to protect his head.
Crack!
Curtis tried to roll away, but a baton slammed into his back, forcing the air from his lungs.
Blows rained down from every direction.
Wood smashed into flesh.
Arms. Legs. Ribs.
Joseph trembled, shrinking into himself. Curtis choked, gasping for breath. Violet sobbed and begged, her hair falling wildly into her tear-streaked face.
Their cries overlapped, desperate and broken, echoing across the hall.
Moments later, Magnus walked in with Sophia.
His arm was wrapped tightly around her shoulders, pulling her so close she was almost hidden inside his body. His fingers pressed into her arm possessively, his face hard, eyes fixed straight ahead.
Sophia stayed quiet in his hold, her hand clutching the front of his shirt.
When they looked toward the center of the room, Joseph and Violet were on their knees.
Magnus’s men surrounded them.
Fists kept crashing down without pause. The sound of punches landing, bones cracking, and painful groans filled the air.
Timothy stood beside them with his arms crossed over his chest. His face was blank, but his eyes were cruel, satisfied, as he watched the beating continue.
Joseph was already bleeding. His hair was a mess, lips split, one eye swollen. Violet cried beside him, shaking, trying to shield herself, but no one stopped.
The moment Joseph saw Magnus and Sophia coming down the stairs, terror exploded across his face.
“Sophia!” he screamed, his voice breaking. “I promise it had nothing to do with us! We only came to see you! When I heard the noise, I came to save you. We didn’t do anything wrong!”
Timothy suddenly moved, his jaw tight. He stepped forward and kicked Joseph brutally in the chest. Joseph’s body flew backward and slammed onto the floor with a painful thud.
Before he could even breathe, Timothy bent down, grabbed Joseph by the collar, and dragged him up.
His fist smashed into Joseph’s face repeatedly.
Each punch was heavier than the last until Joseph’s face turned blue and black, blood dripping from his mouth onto Timothy’s hand.
“We know everything,” Timothy said coldly, his voice calm but deadly. “There are cameras everywhere. Did you really think your crime would go unseen?”
Joseph’s whole body shook violently. His breath came out in broken gasps.
His desperate eyes shifted away and landed on Arthur.
Arthur stood a few steps away, his face dark, his stare icy and full of fury.
Magnus’s jaw tightened.
The muscles along his face moved sharply, his eyes burning with terrifying rage. The air around him felt suffocating as he started walking toward them.
Sophia grabbed him tighter. Her fingers twisted into his clothes. She moved closer, standing on her tiptoes, pressing herself against him, hiding in the curve of his body. She buried her face in his neck.
“Magnus, I don’t feel well… I want to go home,” she whispered.
Her voice trembled. Her breath was warm but uneven against his skin.
Her legs gave way. She almost collapsed, but Magnus caught her instantly.
His arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her back before she could fall. Panic flashed across his eyes for just a second.
Without wasting another moment, he bent down and lifted her into his arms. He held her tightly against his chest.
Sophia rested her head on his shoulder, her arms sliding around his neck. Her fingers clung to him weakly while her eyes stayed closed, her face pale.
Joseph cried out desperately, blood covering his face.
It dripped from his chin to the floor, mixing with dust and shame. His body shook so hard he could barely stay upright.
“Mr. Graves, please forgive us! It was a mistake!” he sobbed, his voice hoarse and broken. “We are Sophia’s family. You can’t be so heartless to us. Sophia will forgive us—please!”
Magnus looked at him as if he was already dead.
His eyes were dark, empty of warmth, like a man deciding where to bury a corpse.
“You chose the wrong person to offend.” His voice was terrifyingly calm, but it made everyone in the hall feel a chill run down their spine.
He turned to Timothy, his expression ruthless.
“Leave these animals half alive,” Magnus said. His fingers adjusted the cuff of his sleeve, calm, controlled. “Then hand them to the police. And make sure they don’t come out until they’re dying or can’t even breathe on their own.”
“Understood, Mr. Graves.” Timothy lowered his head, his expression turning colder. “We’ll find plenty of reasons to keep them in jail for a long time.”
Joseph dropped heavily onto the floor, his palms slamming against the tiles as he clutched his chest. His face turned pale, lips trembling, breath coming in short, broken gasps like he might pass out at any moment.
Violet swayed where she was.
Her body shook so badly she could barely remain upright. Her vision blurred, her ears ringing. From the day she was born, no one had ever dared to touch her, let alone beat her like this. Pain burned across her skin, something she had never experienced before.
Her swollen eyes moved back and forth between Sophia and Magnus.
Fear swallowed her whole.
With a choked sob, she dropped to her knees. Her palms scraped against the ground as she crawled forward, her hair falling messily over her face.
“Mr. Graves…” she cried, her voice breaking apart. “I just had a crush on you. I didn’t know better. I’m sorry! Can you forgive me? I swear this is the last time. Please let me go.”
Tears poured down her cheeks, dripping onto the floor.
“Mr. Graves… I only liked you. I didn’t know better,” she sobbed again, moving closer, desperate. “Please forgive me. This is my last mistake, I promise. Please let me go. I won’t ask for anything. I’ll just stay by your side. I really like you… please…”
Her shoulders trembled violently.
Yet even while begging, she lifted her wet lashes and tried to look at him in a soft, tempting way, forcing what she probably thought was her most pitiful, lovable expression.
Magnus felt disgust twist in his chest.
His jaw tightened.
He turned his face away as if even one more second of looking at her would stain his eyes.
His gaze turned icy as it landed on Violet.
The warmth in his eyes vanished, replaced by something terrifyingly cold. Then he shifted his attention to Timothy and jerked his chin toward her.
“Make sure she doesn’t come out until she’s at least eighty,” Magnus said, each word dropping without mercy. “I never want to feel this disgusted again.”
“What?!” Violet’s scream tore out of her throat.
Her body lurched forward as if the ground had disappeared beneath her feet, fingers clawing against the floor, panic exploding across her swollen face.
But Magnus didn’t spare her another glance.
He turned his back on her completely.
Sophia remained secured in his arms, held tightly against his chest as he strode away from the chaos of the party. His grip never loosened, his arm firm around her waist, as if he was afraid someone might rush forward and snatch her from him.
Timothy watched his boss leave.
Seeing how tightly he held Sophia, as if afraid someone might steal her away, brought a small, smug smile to Timothy’s lips.
A small, knowing smile slowly tugged at Timothy’s lips.
Under his breath, he muttered, “Mr. Graves keeps saying he doesn’t like Mrs. Graves, but he hasn’t once asked me to take her from him to get treated.”
His eyes followed them all the way to the exit.
“He hasn’t let her go even once since she touched him. If it were anyone else, he wouldn’t even bother. He’d walk away and leave me to handle everything.”
Timothy let out a quiet huff of amusement.
“But when it comes to her…”
He shook his head lightly.
“He watches every breath she takes. And yet he still says he doesn’t like her.”