Was she using my father to threaten me?

Four years ago, my father suffered a sudden stroke and fell into a coma after surgery.

For the past four years, every time I visited him, I went alone. Celene had the area cleared of everyone else.

She said it was to prevent anyone from using the situation to threaten me.

I believed her.

I never imagined that she had been making sure she could use my father to threaten me.

It turns out her so-called “confidentiality” was just a cover-up for her affair with Alden.

It was no wonder she always insisted I visit alone, so she could control everything.

“Celene Zeller, what gives you the right to hit me?!”

The moment those words left my mouth, her expression changed drastically.

She took a deep breath, turned to the staff, and forced out a smile. “I’ve made a spectacle of myself today.

“This is an admirer who’s obsessed with me. Because I helped pay for his father’s medical bills, he’s convinced I have feelings for him.

“He’s quite pitiful, having to care for his sick father while shouldering a massive debt.

“But I never expected him to be this crazy.”

With just a few words, she painted me as a paranoid lunatic.

I let out a cold laugh and advanced step by step.

The people around us scrambled to get out of the way. No one wanted to get dragged into a madman’s mess.

Alden hid behind Celene. His voice trembled. “You! Don’t come any closer!”

Celene stood in front of him and glared at me coldly. “Emrys, that’s enough! Stop making a scene!”

A scene?

She still thought I was just making a scene?

“You claim I’m your admirer? That I took your money and am crushed by debt?”

Her face hardened. “I know you like me, but I have a family. Stop harassing me! Your father still needs treatment, and I’ll continue to cover the costs.”

She was still using my father as leverage against me. She was trying to stop me from revealing the truth.

I stared at her coldly, waiting to see what other outrageous lies she could come up with.

She continued, “I know you acted on impulse when you hurt my child, but—”

Smack!

I slapped her across the face, cutting her off.

In the next instant, I executed a grappling move. I twisted her body and pinned her to the ground, then I kicked her in the back of the knee.

With a thud, she fell to her knees.

I followed up with a shoulder throw, slamming Alden hard onto the ground. He howled out in pain.

I looked down at the two of them. “You’re both worse than pigs!”

The scene spiraled completely out of control. No one had expected me to actually take action so suddenly.

Celene felt utterly humiliated.

She suddenly lost her temper. “Emrys, since you’ve refused my kind offer and chosen this harsh alternative, I’ll have to clap back!

“You dare lay a hand on me and hit my husband? I’ll have your father kicked out of the hospital right now!”

I met her gaze and found it laughable. “Threatening me with my father? Do you really think you’re worthy of that?”

“Whether I’m worthy or not, you’ll find out if you try!”

She gritted her teeth, pulled out her phone, and dialed the hospital. “Cut off medication for the patient in ICU Bed 45 and kick him out of the hospital immediately!”

That was my father’s bed! How dare she?!

I was furious. I snatched the phone from her hand. “Since you dare to harm my father, you’ll see how ruthless I can be!”

Celene tried to grab the phone back, but I slapped her hard across the face.

She glared at me in hatred. “Emrys, who do you think you are? If you want to be rough with me, you’d better consider whether you have what it takes!”

“What it takes? The truth is, this company is mine. Is that enough?”

“Yours?”

Celene sneered with her eyes brimming with mockery. “Emrys, have you been living off others for so long that you’ve lost your mind?

“You say the company is yours. Where’s the proof?

“Or do you think that just because you say it’s yours, it becomes yours? Why don’t you go ahead and claim the whole world is yours then?”

As soon as she said that, she spun around, rushed to the desk, and pressed the intercom button. “Security, come get this lunatic out of here!

“Take him straight to a mental hospital. He’s making a spectacle of himself!

“Consider it a kindness. I’ll cover his expenses at the mental hospital!”

Before long, several security guards stormed in and surrounded me.

I gave them a cold glare. “You’d better think this through. If you lay a finger on me, you’ll lose your jobs.”

My imposing presence had them exchanging nervous glances. Not a single one dared to step forward.

“What gives him the right to boss me around in my own company? Get him!” Celene ordered shrilly.

The security guards immediately pounced on me, and she tried to snatch the phone from my hand.

Just then, my phone rang.

I pressed the answer button. “Mr. Emrys, the hospital stopped treatment for your father. I’m on my way there now! But it’ll take two hours. In two hours, he might…”

My expression changed drastically.

Celene had clearly overheard the call. She shot me a haughty glance. “Emrys, now you know what I’m capable of, don’t you?

“Without me, your father wouldn’t have received any treatment at all!

“I can overlook other things, but you hit my husband and tried to harm my son. I will never let you get away with that!

“Now, get down on your knees and apologize! If you do it well enough, I might let the hospital continue treating him!”

She held up her phone. The screen displayed surveillance footage. The monitors attached to my father had been removed, and he was being wheeled out of the ICU room.

My eyes stung with tears. I wanted nothing more than to rush to the hospital and stop them, but I was held back by security guards.

“You’re panicking now?

“I’m telling you, if you don’t get down on your knees and apologize, don’t even think about leaving!”

Her tone was smug, and her eyes were mocking.

I looked at the woman I had loved for so many years. How had things come to this?

In the surveillance footage, the medical equipment emitted a piercing alarm, and my heart sank further.

“Emrys, no need to panic. Your father’s still alive. But if we wait two hours, there’s no telling what might happen.”

“Celene!”

My eyes were bloodshot as I glared at her. “Tell them to keep treating him! Hurry!”

She snorted coldly, glanced at Alden, and sat down on the sofa with deliberate calm. “Aren’t you always so arrogant? Weren’t you so sure I wouldn’t dare to stop treatment?

“Aren’t you supposed to be fearless?

“Now, if you want your father to continue receiving treatment, you’ll have to show some sincerity!”

She rubbed her knees and drawled, “You see… I’d like to watch you kneel and bow. I’d also like you to apologize to my child and Alden.”

She was clearly smiling, yet her eyes did not hold a shred of emotion.

“But if you’re unwilling to do so, I won’t force you. Still, I don’t want to be the sucker here anymore. As for your father, you’ll just have to save him yourself.”

She gave a subtle signal, and the security guards surrounded me tightly. I could not take a single step forward.

I watched helplessly as my father’s oxygen mask was removed. My heart sank even further.

I could not just stand by and let something happen to him!

Gritting my teeth, I was about to kneel.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed my arm tightly.

“Who dares bully you?!”