I watched the sports car disappear down the road and let out a soft scoff.

Joyce probably had no idea that even her real father had to lower his head with respect when faced with mine.

My family had always been low-profile, and I'd spent most of my life studying abroad. I hadn't made a habit of wearing expensive clothing, so clearly she thought I was an easy bone to pick.

That idiot probably thought I was some expendable pawn my family had sent to hers in a desperate cling to power.

Fine. Since she obviously had some unaddressed daddy issues, I'd discipline her properly!

The very next day, I drove straight to her villa. Only the housekeeper was there, saying that Joyce was still in bed.

I pushed open the master bedroom door, and was greeted by the thick stench of alcohol. Inside, Joyce lay sprawled over the bedroom, while a man laid beside her.

It was Lucius, one of his hands wrapped in bandages.

He was wearing nothing but boxers, stretched out casually next to Joyce, scrolling on his phone.

When he saw me, he wasn’t flustered in the slightest. Instead, he deliberately draped one leg over Joyce’s body.

"Woah, if it isn't the violent maniac? Joyce already told me that I can live in this house as long as I want, and throw anything that belongs to you away!

"I'm her daddy after all, so it's only natural I take care of my daughter."

I nodded calmly and walked to the bedside.

Then I yanked the blanket away.

The morning chill jolted Joyce awake. She blinked groggily, then exploded the moment she saw me. "What's wrong with you? Who let you in here?!"

Instead, I pulled out my phone and snapped several rapid-fire photos of the two half-dressed figures on the bed.

Then I opened a group chat. It was a group chat filled with Joyce's rich, trashy friends, one she pulled me into just to humiliate me.

Then, I sent the pictures.

[I came to see my girlfriend early this morning, and I found a thief in the house! Joyce, your dad's not very proper, is he? Why is he sleeping in the same bed as you? Wait… are you into incest, perhaps?]

The group chat exploded. All the people who'd been waiting to see me make a fool of myself ended up becoming enthusiastic spectators.

[Damn, that's wild! Joyce really knows how to play 'em, huh?]

[Hey, so that "we're just good friends" shtick they did was just so they could climb onto each others' beds easily, huh?]

Joyce's phone started ringing nonstep. She grabbed it, glanced at the screen, and her face turned red with anger.

"Henry! Delete those messages right now!"

She screeched, jumping off the bed and trying to snatch my phone away from me.

I nimbly evaded her, reaching for a golf club nearby, something Joyce kept around just to look classy, no doubt.

Crash!

I smashed the club straight at the floor lamp beside us, shattering the glass instantly.

The deafening crash made both Joyce and Lucius flinch.

I held the club loosely in one hand, weighing it as I smiled without warmth.

"Why should I? I'm just a fiancé, concerned for your private matters. I mean, he's not really your father, sure, but if you do this while acting like father and daughter outside, what's going to happen to the Foster family's reputation?"

Lucius's face went pale. "What nonsense are you spouting? We're completely innocent! This is just brotherly affection!"

I hooked the club under a piece of lace underwear on the floor and lifted it slightly. "Brotherly affection, huh?"

Joyce gritted her teeth. "You're crossing the line, Henry! He and I are clean! His hand was injured last night, so he just needed someone to take care of him!"

"Oh," I said mildly. "Take care of him, huh?"

I nodded.

"Fine, if that's the case, then you should behave like a proper caretaker."

I pointed the club at Lucius.

"Get dressed, and get out."

As I spoke, I casually swung the club once.

Lucius yelped in fear. Forgetting about his injured hand, he scrambled into the bathroom to change.

Joyce was trembling with rage.

"You scumbag! I'm calling off the engagement!"

I stepped toward her, pressing the golf club against her shoulder and forcing her back onto the bed.

"That's not your decision to make," I said calmly. "It's for your father to decide. And besides…"

I leaned down, locking eyes with her.

"Until I get bored, you'd better be good. If not, well… who knows what my golf club's going to hit next?"

Let it be known that Joyce Foster was the type who never learned her lesson.

After the mess I'd made, she behaved herself for two days, then promptly came up with something new.

It was Lucius's birthday, and he'd booked the most luxurious club in the city center.

Joyce had someone tell me: "If you don't come tonight, I'll cancel our engagement tonight and announce that Lucius is my boyfriend!"

I raised an eyebrow.

So she wanted to put Lucius in my place?

Well then, who was I to not offer a congratulatory gift?

-

That night, I put on a perfectly tailored black suit and fastened the Patek Philippe on my wrist, one that was worth a fortune. Then, I headed to the club.

The private room was thick with smoke and noise. Joyce sat on the sofa, while Lucius, dressed in a ridiculous semi-see-through outfit, had her wrapped in his arms, feeding her fruit.

The people around them cheered loudly.

"You're a lucky one, Joyce!"

"This is true love! Henry is nothing!"

The moment I stepped inside, the room fell quiet.

Lucius picked up a drink and swaggered over, his gaze dripping with contempt.

"Well, well, if it isn't Henry. What, are you here to beg for forgiveness?"

He pointed at several bottles of strong liquor on the floor. "Joyce said that if you finish all those bottles at once, bow to me and call me daddy, then she'll consider not breaking off the engagement with you."

Joyce raised her chin at me arrogantly. "This is your last chance, Henry."

I glanced around the room, my eyes settling on the empty seat at the head of the table.

"I heard there was supposed to be someone important coming tonight," I said, not responding to them at all.

Lucius grinned, full of himself. "Of course! My sponsor is coming, you know? She's like a mom to me. She's a real heavyweight in this city, so once she gets here, she'll crush you!"

"Sponsor, huh?" I laughed. "What's wrong? Did you switch to mooching off of a woman instead once you got sick of being a dad?"

Lucius's face went green as he opened his mouth to snap back, and the door swung open.

A voluptuous, middle-aged woman walked in, flanked by several bodyguards.

Lucius's eyes lit up, and he rushed over immediately. "You're finally here, Mom! Someone's bullying me!"

She wrapped an arm around his waist, her hand squeezing him in a way that wasn't very decent. "Who's got the nerve to bully my precious boy?"

Joyce stood up at once, her attitude flipping immediately. "Madam Winter, you're here!"

Madam Winter?

I almost laughed on the spot.

Eliza Winter was nothing more than the wife of a man who'd become rich out of nowhere. She used her husband's money to keep young men, bragging about having connections everywhere.

In front of my family, she wasn't even worth mentioning.

Yet Joyce Foster was willing to flatter someone like this for Lucius's sake? Even turning a blind eye to their unusual relationship?

She was so stupid it was laughable.

I shook my head, taking out my phone.

"Well, since we're all calling reinforcements, let me do it too."

I put the call on speaker. "Hello? Someone here wants me to kneel, call them daddy, and says they're going to kill me."

Joyce laughed coldly. "Wow, listen to you. Calling for help already? How many backers do you think you have out there?

"Let me make this clear. With Madam Winter here, it doesn't matter who you call. You're kneeling tonight."

Eliza snorted arrogantly. "Kid, tell that backer of yours to hurry up. I'll teach them how this world works."

Twenty minutes later, the doors slammed open, and a middle-aged man stepped in, his presence instantly commanding silence.

The room froze.

Joyce stared at him, her face draining of color.

"...Dad?"