Chapter 3Beef And A Thirty-Year Grudge

"What did you just say?"

Tristan stood frozen in place. The furious color instantly drained from his face.

He probably thought my desperation for marriage was my ultimate weakness. He thought dropping the ultimate ultimatum would force me to surrender immediately.

"I said, the wedding is off."

I repeated it slowly, keeping my voice perfectly flat.

"As for my suspension, feel free to convene the board whenever you want. Assuming you can scrape together a majority vote."

Tristan's face shifted from green to pale white. His finger trembled as he pointed at me.

"Brian, do not regret this! You really think you can keep this empire running without me?!"

"You are just bluffing to save face. Let me tell you right now, I am done tolerating your ego!"

He spun on his heel and stormed out, slamming the door so hard the walls vibrated.

I sank back into my chair and rubbed my throbbing temples. Suddenly, the landline on my desk rang.

"Hello, is this the family of Jack?"

An urgent, panicked female voice came through the speaker.

"This is the West End Psychiatric Facility. Your brother was severely triggered a few minutes ago. He went into a manic episode and smashed his head against the wall."

"He needs stitches right now. You need to get here immediately!"

"I am on my way!"

I grabbed my car keys, sprinting out of the office. I blew through two red lights and screeched into the hospital parking lot.

The second I stepped into the inpatient hallway, a shrill, hysterical voice echoed off the linoleum walls.

"Don't you dare block me! I am going to show everyone exactly how this psychopath beats people up!"

"His sister is trying to murder my dad, and he is sitting here faking insanity to assault people!"

I shoved my way through the crowd of nurses and patients. At the end of the hall, my brother Jack was pinned down on a bench by two large orderlies.

Thick layers of gauze were wrapped around his forehead. Fresh, bright red blood was already seeping through, staining the white fabric.

He was violently shaking, mumbling incoherently through chattering teeth.

"I won't steal anymore. I promise I won't steal again. Please don't hit my mom..."

And right there, shoving her phone aggressively into my bleeding brother's face, was Hailey.

She was practically shouting into the lens.

"Look at this, guys! This is the evil CEO's actual brother!"

"He is an absolute lunatic! He just tried to strangle me!"

The blood rushed straight to my brain. I lunged forward, snatched the phone right out of Hailey's grip, and smashed it mercilessly against the concrete floor.

The screen exploded into a million shards. Hailey shrieked and jumped back.

"What are you doing?! You have no right to break my phone!"

She lunged at me like a feral cat, her manicured nails aiming straight for my eyes.

I sidestepped her sloppy attack, raised my hand, and slapped her hard across the cheek. The crack echoed sharply down the corridor.

Hailey stumbled, completely stunned. She clutched her red cheek, staring at me in pure disbelief.

"You hit me. You actually hit me!"

She threw herself onto the dirty floor and started thrashing around, kicking her legs.

"Murder! The evil boss is trying to murder me!"

Heavy, frantic footsteps echoed from the other end of the hall.

"Stop it right now!"

Tristan sprinted over, breathless. He didn't even glance at my brother, whose head was still leaking blood.

He went straight to Hailey, wrapping an arm around her shoulder to pull her up.

"Hailey, are you okay?"

Tristan's voice was dripping with intense, protective concern. There was absolutely no way these two were just strangers or 'employee and family'.

Hailey immediately collapsed against Tristan's chest, sobbing into his shirt.

"Tristan, she hit me! She smashed my phone into pieces and slapped me!"

"I just came here to check on her brother. How was I supposed to know he was a dangerous psycho who attacks people unprovoked..."

Tristan whipped his head around, his eyes burning with disgust.

"Brian, have you completely lost your mind?! Why the hell did you break her phone?!"

"She is just a naive young girl! Why are you bullying her?!"

"Your brother is a certified lunatic. For all we know, he bashed his own head against the wall just to cause a scene!"

I watched Tristan instinctively shield Hailey with his body. I looked at his absurd, self-righteous expression, and the absolute last shred of warmth I had for him turned to ice.

"She intentionally triggered my brother. Smashing her phone is letting her off easy."

I pointed a rigid finger at Hailey.

"She showed up at a psychiatric ward with a live stream, deliberately provoking a severely mentally ill patient."

"Tristan, are you legally blind?"

Tristan shoved Hailey further behind him.

"Brian, stop spewing venom! Hailey is innocent. She doesn't understand how these things work!"

"You are so consumed by hatred you have become completely unhinged!"

He pointed dismissively at my brother.

"Look at him. He is a pathetic ghost. All he does is drag you down and cause nightmares for everyone around him!"

"Besides, he is literally insane. Who knows if he didn't just snap and attack her?!"