Chapter 3The Debt You Owe Me

Shortly after she left the house yesterday, she couldn't wait to bring Tristan back and move him into the guest room.

Following that, she placed him directly in her company, keeping him glued to her side.

Afterward, she had offered me a sickeningly fake explanation, claiming Tristan was new to the corporate world and would adapt faster if she personally guided him.

Victoria's face shifted from pale to green. She took a deep breath, seemingly too exhausted to argue further, and bluntly announced her move.

"Tristan is waiting outside. I told him to bring in an urgent document."

Without giving us a chance to react, she turned around and opened the heavy oak doors.

Tristan walked in timidly behind her. He wore a crisp white button down shirt, looking the picture of pure, helpless innocence.

The moment he saw Richard, he reflexively shrank behind Victoria's back.

Victoria instantly shifted into a defensive posture. "He is only here to drop off a file. Stop glaring at him like he is a criminal on trial. You are terrifying him."

I looked at Victoria as if she were a complete idiot.

Tristan stood beside her, his voice trembling and soft like a frightened animal. "Victoria, this is a private family dinner. It is... inappropriate for me to be here. I should just leave."

Yet, his feet remained firmly planted to the floor. He didn't take a single step backward.

"You must be exhausted from delivering the files. Stay and eat before you go."

Ignoring any protests, Victoria forcibly pushed him down into the empty chair right beside hers.

That seat was originally meant for me.

The atmosphere in the dining room plummeted below freezing.

Richard stared coldly at Tristan's pathetic theatrical act, a mocking sneer curving his lips.

"Mr. Tristan, we are both grown men. You can drop the victim act in my house."

Richard slammed his chopsticks onto the table, showing zero mercy. "I can see right through your pathetic little calculations."

Tristan's face turned deathly pale. Tears instantly welled up in his eyes. "Mr. Kensington, I... I have no idea what you are talking about."

"No idea?" Richard chuckled darkly.

"Years ago, when you and Victoria were dating in college, she brought you to this exact house for the first time. The second you walked through the doors, your eyes never stopped scanning the expensive decor."

"When you heard the sheer scale of our corporate assets, the raw greed and scheming in your eyes were practically written across your forehead!"

Tristan's entire body began to tremble, acting as if he were enduring unimaginable humiliation.

Seeing this, Victoria slammed her hands onto the table and shot up from her chair.

"Enough!"

She glared viciously at her own father. "It has been years, and you are still exactly the same! You never cared about what was best for me. You just wanted absolute control over my life!"

"When you violently forced us apart, you pushed Tristan into a deep depression! Do you feel even an ounce of guilt? Now that he finally has the strength to step back into the world, why do you have to stab him with such vicious, toxic words?"

"Control you?" Richard was practically shaking with fury.

"If I really wanted to control you, I would never have let Joey suffer alongside you in that basement when you went bankrupt! You ungrateful wretch, have you completely forgotten who dragged you out of hell?"

"I haven't forgotten!"

Victoria's eyes were bloodshot as she screamed back. "I will spend the rest of my life repaying Joey's kindness! But that does not conflict with me making amends to Tristan!"

With that, she violently grabbed the trembling Tristan by the wrist and marched toward the door without looking back.

"Where the hell are you going?" Richard roared behind her.

"I am not staying in this toxic house another second!"

She dragged Tristan away, fueled by blind rage.

From beginning to end, she did not spare me a single glance. She didn't even consider taking me with her.

"Joey, ignore her. Let her roll in the dirt!" Richard was panting heavily. He grabbed my hand. "Stay the night. Have a drink with your old man."

I shook my head slowly and stood up. "Dad, I should go back."

This was a war between Victoria and me.

I could not let him completely sever ties with his own daughter because of me.

Out in the driveway, Victoria's car was still parked.

She was leaning against the driver's door, impatiently scrolling through her phone. Clearly, she was waiting for me.

So, she finally remembered that she had left her husband inside.

I slowly walked toward her.

The glow of the streetlamps stretched my shadow out long across the pavement, making me look incredibly isolated and lonely.

Hearing my footsteps, Victoria looked up. The impatience on her face only deepened.

"What took you so long? Get in." She pulled open the door and slid into the driver's seat.

I walked to the passenger side. Before my hand even touched the handle, a pained groan echoed from the back seat.