Before Evelyn could say anything, Conrad kicked Booth, sending him crashing to the ground on his knees.
Booth’s parents jumped in shock, their faces a mix of anger and fear. “Conrad, we’re family. Why get so worked up?”
Conrad sneered. “Family? As far as I remember, there’s no rule in our Brown family that says you should be lackeys for outsiders.”
Booth’s father, David’s expression darkened. “Conrad, Booth knows he was wrong. He is your nephew. Please, just let him off this time.”
Conrad extended his hand. Andrew opened a cigarette case, and Conrad pulled one out. Andrew immediately lit it.
The red glow of the flame lit up as Conrad exhaled a cold, sinister laugh. He stepped on Booth’s hand, crushing the bones beneath his foot and grinding it with force.
“Ouch!” Booth screamed in pain, but bit his lip, holding back from screaming, his neck turning red, veins bulging.
Evelyn jumped, her voice shaking as she stepped closer. “Conrad, please… Booth… don’t…”
Conrad turned his head, his icy gaze locking onto Evelyn. “What’s it to you? Go back to your room. If you don’t want to stay, I’ll have someone escort you.”
Evelyn’s face drained of color, her body trembling as Ford silently ushered her out.
Only when she reached the corner did her legs give out. She’d heard so much about Conrad-how deep he was, how unpredictable his temper could be. People who crossed him were in for bad luck.
But she thought he had always treated her well. Even though he was a mystery, she never really knew what he was thinking.
This was the first time she realized just how terrifying Conrad could be. At that moment, she thought Conrad was about to kill Booth.
Was Lillian really that important to him?
Evelyn looked at Ford, who was waiting for her to leave on her own. “Assistant Ford, can I ask you something?”
“Of course, Miss Evelyn.”
“If it had been me that night, would Conrad have done the same thing?”
Ford gave her a blank stare, his eyes behind the glasses almost asking, What kind of stupid question is that? He didn’t even want to answer.
But Evelyn needed a clear answer.
“I’m not Mr. Conrad, so I can’t say for sure. But I can tell you one thing: Miss Evelyn, if you have such thoughts, you might not be around Mr. Conrad for much longer.”
Ford said it without waiting for Evelyn to react and turned to leave. Conrad didn’t tolerate fools around him. If she was going to try to be clever and stir things up, she’d better not blame anyone but herself for the consequences.
Conrad glared at Booth, who was nearly passing out from the pain.
“Don’t say I didn’t give you a chance. Go to the ancestral hall, take 50 lashes, or send this little bastard out of the country. If I see him again, I’ll peel his skin off.”
“What? 50 lashes! The whip has steel barbs! If you do that, Booth won’t have a chance! Are you trying to kill him? If he goes abroad, you won’t let him come back?!” Booth’s mother exploded.
Conrad sneered. “Only 50? I got my first dose when I was 13. You didn’t say a word back then. Need me to remind you how it was? What’s wrong with sending him abroad? Let him live his rich and carefree life. I’d still think I got ripped off. If I don’t send him away, I’ll kill him right now!”
Conrad started to reach for his gun.
Booth’s parents froze, quickly rushing to stop him.
“I’ll say it one more time. Either go to the ancestral hall and take the punishment, or get kicked out of the family. It won’t matter if there’s one more of you or one less.”
Booth’s mother still tried to speak, but David took a deep breath. “Fine. Just stop complaining.”
The Brown family’s punishment hall was never kind. Once you went in, you didn’t come out the same.
******
When Lillian opened her eyes again, the room was lively.
Conrad, Hogan, and the others were all there, chatting away and getting ready to play cards.
Conrad was sitting on the couch, shirtless, while a nurse was cleaning his wounds and applying medicine.
“Conrad, you’re so boring. Should I get a game console for us?”
“If you’re bored, get out. You think this is a vacation spot? You’re giving me a headache.”
His gruff voice sounded in the room, and Lillian could barely make it out, everything still a little blurry…
Hogan chuckled, “See, your little caged bird is hurt, and we’re here to see her, and you’re still kicking us out? Look at the good stuff we brought. It’ll help her recover. Once Lillian wakes up, we’ll cook it up for her, and she’ll be full of energy-maybe even have a couple of big strong boys for you.”
“Get lost,” Conrad grumbled with a laugh.
Hogan walked over to the bed. “George really sucks. She’s been in a coma for so long, and there’s still no sign of her waking up?” Then he stopped, wide-eyed. “Shit! You’re awake?”
Before Hogan could finish, Conrad jumped to his feet.
“Mr. Conrad, your wound-!”
Conrad didn’t care about the wound at that moment. He pushed Hogan aside and saw that Lillian’s eyes were really open. “Call the doctor!”
The whole room emptied out in a hurry, and after a brief moment of chaos, George shooed everyone out.
“All non-essential people need to leave. You need to step aside too, Mr. Conrad, or how can I check her?”
Reluctantly, Conrad stepped aside and frowned. “Why does she look so spaced out? Are you sure she’s okay?”
George came in with a specialist and grabbed the check-up form. “If you’re still worried, we can arrange a more detailed exam later. You and Lillian both need to go. It’s good that she’s awake now, but I think she’ll need a psychological assessment too.”
Conrad couldn’t quite figure out how he felt. It was the first time he didn’t argue with George. “Fine.”
“Everything seems okay for now. Let’s get the tests done.”
“I’ll get ready and bring her over.”
Once everyone left, Conrad sat down beside Lillian’s bed. “Do you remember where this is?”
Lillian wanted to say that she had amnesia and didn’t remember anything, but before she could, she broke into a cough.
Conrad frowned and gently lifted her, patting her back to help her breathe.
Lillian looked at the wounds on Conrad’s chest, which looked raw and ugly.
“You’re hurt?” Her voice was so fragile, so small.
Conrad lowered his gaze. “It’s nothing serious.”
He’d had worse injuries before.
“Cough, cough, cough…”
“Don’t talk. Let’s get you checked out first. You’re fine with me here.”
Lillian managed a faint smile. “I think this is the first time I’ve heard you talk like this.”
It had been three years, and he’d never said anything like that before.
“If you like hearing it, just behave, and you’ll hear more of it. But first, you have to be okay. Lillian, I pulled you out of the sea myself, and I won’t let anything happen to you. Got it?”
This man, as always, was so domineering.
“Lillian!” Melissa burst in, dropping her bags onto the couch with a thud, nearly knocking Conrad off balance.
“What happened to you? If I hadn’t noticed you hadn’t been home for two or three days, and if George hadn’t picked up my call, were you planning to hide this from me forever?”
Conrad was getting impatient. “She just woke up. Try shaking her up even more and see what happens.”
Melissa froze and then suddenly realized Conrad was actually here.
Melissa quickly diverted her gaze and muttered, “What’s he doing here? Didn’t you two break up?”
Conrad crossed his arms. “You can speak a little louder if you want.”
George walked in then. “She’s ready for her check-up.”
As George was about to leave, he turned and glared at Melissa. “Stay here. I’ve got some things to deal with with you later.”
Melissa instinctively shrank back, grabbing Lillian’s hand. “I’m so screwed.”
Lillian didn’t even have a chance to ask what had happened between Melissa and George before the nurses came in to take her for the check-up.
Seeing that the nurses were small and thin, Conrad immediately bent down and scooped Lillian up in his arms. “Let’s go.”
“Mr. Conrad, your shoulder-!”
George smirked. “Let him. It’s the reckless ones that die first.”
“Quit talking. You can’t even carry a woman anymore? No wonder your wife’s always running off.”
The two men threw insults back and forth as they headed toward the examination room.
Lillian, who was being carried, thought to herself: You two are both getting up there in years. Isn’t it a little inappropriate to be fighting like this?