Samuel and Reuben had grown up listening to Nicola go on about the past.
Over the years, she’d been married to Old Mr. Smith, her favorite pastime was throwing dirt on Holden’s parents-and cursing Holden whenever she had the chance.
Samuel and Reuben had seen Holden’s behavior firsthand over the years. To Samuel, Holden was nothing but a complete lunatic.
“That’s only because he hasn’t shown you his true colors yet,” Samuel said stubbornly. “Wait until he lays a hand on you-then you’ll see what kind of issues he really has.”
Nicola used to say that Holden was just like his father, Thomas. Thomas never hit women, sure… but, well, he never beat up his uncles either.
If Holden could punch his own uncle, what was to stop him from hitting a woman someday? After all, uncles were rare, but women were everywhere.
So obviously, by Samuel’s logic, Sarah would definitely be on the receiving end of some domestic violence.
Sarah flexed her fingers, cracking her knuckles. “Oh yeah? Well, how about I give you a taste of it first? Maybe Butler Ted and I should rough you up for all the times you bullied Holden.”
Samuel took two steps back. “When did I ever bully him? It’s always been the other way around!”
Sure, when Holden was little, Samuel had picked on him-mostly because he had the numbers to back him up. But that didn’t last long. After Holden beat him within an inch of his life, Samuel never dared to mess with him again. From then on, Holden was the one dishing out the punches, and Samuel was too scared to even fight back.
Sarah wasn’t buying it. “You expect me to believe he hit you? He’s the gentlest person I know.”
Samuel stared at her, feeling like he was losing his grip on reality. “Are you seriously delusional? That guy’s ten times more ruthless than me! All that kindness? It’s an act! He’s way better at pretending than you think. You women only fall for it because he’s good-looking. But just because I’m not as handsome, I get labeled the bad guy?”
Sarah shrugged. “If he hit you, I’m sure you deserved it.”
Afraid Sarah and Butler Ted might actually team up to beat him, Samuel turned and bolted.
After Samuel left, Reuben and Nicola dozed off where they sat. As much as they cared about Old Mr. Smith’s condition, getting some sleep seemed more important to them at the moment.
Sarah hesitated for a second, then sent Holden a message: When are you coming back?
She didn’t get a reply right away. He was probably swamped with everything going on.
Just as she was about to close her eyes, her phone buzzed with a text from Holden: Heading out soon.
Not long after, a nurse came in and woke everyone up.
Apparently, Old Mr. Smith had made it through the crisis and was awake for real this time-not just drifting in and out like before.
Sarah’s heart skipped a beat. A part of her wondered if this was just his final burst of energy before the end.
Nicola, Samuel, and Reuben all rushed to see him, and Sarah, with Butler Ted in tow, started to follow.
But Reuben stopped her. “You’re just an outsider. You didn’t have any bond with my father. Wait outside.”
Sarah smirked. “You calling me an outsider doesn’t make it true. Did you swallow mine and Holden’s marriage certificate or something?”
As someone who carried the Smith name, Reuben was used to being fawned over by women-never challenged.
He’d always played the obedient son around Old Mr. Smith and Holden, but there was no way he’d let some woman walk all over him now.
Reuben had never dealt with a woman so defiant. His face darkened with frustration, and, losing his patience, he rolled up his sleeves, ready to teach Sarah a lesson.
Samuel, with his head ducked, watched from the sidelines, enjoying the show.
He was actually hoping Reuben would hit Sarah-because if Reuben laid a hand on her, Holden would definitely beat the hell out of him later. And knowing Holden, the injuries Reuben would end up with would be a lot worse than the last time Samuel got thrashed.
Before Reuben could make a move, Butler Ted swiftly pinned him with a joint lock.
Sarah didn’t miss a beat-smack!-she slapped Reuben across the face.
“Holden only shows you some respect because Grandpa’s still alive,” Sarah said, shaking the sting out of her hand. “Once he’s gone, what face do you think you’re gonna have left? Don’t forget, you’re not even Holden’s real uncle. You’re just the kid of the side chick who crawled her way to the top. That’ll always make you less than us, got it?”
Reuben was stunned, completely blindsided by being hit by a woman.
Even though Nicola had been at odds with her sons, Samuel and Reuben, these past few days, they were still her boys. There was no way she could stand by and let someone else slap them around.
Besides, Nicola had always been touchy about her past. If she hadn’t seduced Old Mr. Smith at Old Mrs. Smith’s bedside back then, she never would’ve made it into a family this powerful.
She had been just a nurse back then-no chance of climbing that high otherwise. Old Mrs. Smith was dying anyway, so what was the harm? Was it really so wrong for Old Mr. Smith to remarry after his wife passed? Every wealthy man did it.
Nicola’s face turned pale with rage. “Sarah! He’s your elder! Where are your manners?”
Sarah gave her a cold, dismissive look. “I only show respect to people who deserve it. If you’re itching for a slap, Grandma, feel free to step up-I don’t mind a little hand pain.”
Nicola nearly exploded. Pointing a shaking finger at Sarah, she stammered, “You-”
Sarah smirked. “Me? What about me? You want to talk about manners? What about how you people treated Holden when he was a kid? Can’t I dish out a little payback on his behalf?”
Sarah didn’t believe their nonsense about Holden being just like his father or mentally unstable. To her, it was obvious: these people had driven Holden to the edge.
With a family like this around, even the sunniest child would grow up cold and detached.
Nicola’s chest heaved with fury. She was on the verge of tears, not just from the slap but from the memories.
Sure, she could admit to herself that she had seduced Old Mr. Smith, but she hadn’t abused Holden-not physically, at least. God knew, Holden had always been a vindictive little demon, perfectly capable of hiding his true self.
Nicola could only dream of harming him. With the influence of his maternal family, acting like an evil stepmother would’ve gotten her taken away within days.
No, Holden wasn’t just a demon-he was a shameless little liar, too, going around telling people he’d been mistreated.
Reuben’s lips trembled with anger. “When I was a kid, Holden broke my arm-I was in the hospital for two-”
Smack!
Sarah hit him again.
“Shut up! You must’ve deserved it. Why do you think he never laid a hand on Butler Ted?”
Butler Ted, still holding Reuben down, smiled slightly. “Yeah, why didn’t he ever hit me?”
Samuel grinned, watching his brother and mom take a beating. He felt lucky to have stayed quiet-and out of the line of fire.
The nurses and doctors standing nearby didn’t dare say a word as they watched the chaos unfold.
Sarah glanced toward the door and tilted her chin. “So, are you gonna let me in, or not?”
This time, nobody tried to stop her.
Butler Ted released Reuben, who stood there with a stormy expression, practically vibrating with rage.
Samuel wasted no time slipping into the room. As soon as he reached the bedside, he called out, “Dad!”
Old Mr. Smith lay there with his eyes open, but when he tried to speak, no words came out.
Reuben noticed his mouth moving like he was trying to say something. Without hesitation, he shoved Samuel aside and grabbed the old man’s hand. “Dad, is there some inheritance you haven’t told us about?”