Chapter 7 Standing Up for Him

"What?" Owen slammed the table in disbelief. "What's going on?" At that moment, Frederick entered the room, escorting Ethan, who had been apprehended. When he saw his family, Ethan immediately begged for help, saying, "Dad, Mom, Grandpa, please help me!" Lydia was terrified when she saw her son covered in blood and said, "Oh, my gosh! Ethan, who did this to you?" "It was Bradley the cripple! He ordered someone to whip me for twenty lashes in total!" "What? Bradley did this to you? How could he have been so violent?" Lydia asked as she wiped away tears while examining her son's bruised back. When Arthur saw this, he felt a surge of rage within him. He couldn't believe that Bradley, as a disabled person, would dare to treat his son this way. It was entirely unacceptable for him. "Poor kid! Dad, you must stand up for Ethan. Bradley has gone too far! Ethan kindly brought him wedding gifts, and this is how he repays his kindness!" Lydia sobbed, tears streaming down her face. With a grim expression, Arthur asked Owen, "Dad, what is wrong with Bradley? I don't understand why he would be so cruel to his own nephew." Despite his family's pleas, Owen turned to Frederick and said, "Frederick, please explain to me what exactly happened." "Owen, the situation is like this," Frederick said politely as he took a step forward. "Ethan went to the Royal Garden Mansion this morning. He insulted Mrs. Austin and splashed her with milk. Bradley taught him a lesson as he wanted to defend his wife." "I didn't say anything inappropriate! People who are disabled or mentally challenged are an ideal match. Bradley has been in a wheelchair his entire life, so what aspect of him can be said to be capable?" Ethan mumbled. When Arthur heard this, he noticed Owen's face darken significantly as he glared angrily at Ethan. Owen hated it when people called Bradley disabled, and Ethan's words were sure to irritate him. "You deserved to be punished," Owen said, picking up the teacup in front of him and throwing it at Ethan. "I believe that giving you only twenty lashes is not enough." The teacup smashed into Ethan, drenching his face in tea and leaving him terrified and unable to speak. "Dad, Ethan is only a child, and he knows nothing. Besides, he's seriously injured. I will give him a lecture later. Please don't be angry!" Arthur interjected, turning his gaze to Ethan and issuing a stern reprimand. "Apologize to your grandfather right away!" Arthur knew Owen had always been partial to Bradley, and since it was Ethan's fault this time, a timely apology would be the best course of action. "Grandpa, I'm sorry." "Hmph! You should apologize to Uncle Bradley and his wife, not me," Owen growled, his face dark, his hands on his chest, inhaling deeply. Arthur said softly, "Sure! When Bradley has calmed down, I will personally bring Ethan to apologize to him." Lydia felt a surge of anger when she saw Owen being harsh to her son, but she couldn't show it. She had to do as she was told until Owen died because he was still the head of the Austin family, and she wanted his inheritance. Owen decided not to pursue the matter further after seeing them apologize sincerely. He turned to Frederick and said, "Go tell Bradley that he can bring his wife to visit me when he's avaliable." "Got it." After Frederick had left, Arthur asked Ethan to have a talk with him in the study. "About that cripple, Father..." "You worthless idiot!" Arthur slapped Ethan across the face before he could say anything. "Who gave you the permission to do that to her? I had that moron marry Bradley just to confuse him! You almost ruined it all for me!" "She's a complete moron with no brains at all! What else can she do?" Ethan expressed his resentment. He was in excruciating pain due to the twenty lashes he had already received, and another blow to his face nearly brought him to death's doorstep. "She's easy to handle precisely because she's a retard! Remember, the Lawson family is still on our side. As long as the Lawsons back us up, that girl will be our most effective weapon against Bradley!" When Arthur realized his son was a complete idiot and a loser, he became enraged and wanted to continue beating him. "Arthur, why are you so angry?" A voice came from behind them. Lydia walked in slowly while reproaching him, "Ethan did you a great favor, yet you treated him so viciously. It's too much." "What do you mean?" Arthur replied. "Didn't you want Bradley to be baffled by that moron? Ethan got punished confirms that Bradley has feelings for her. You can now negotiate a collaboration with the Lawson family. We can leave Bradley to the Lawson family at that point. Isn't that more interesting?" Arthur's eyes flashed a chilling glint at this news. "You're correct. Bradley will be close to death if he falls in love with that little idiot!" Bradley was smoking a cigarette in the study of the Royal Garden Mansion, next to the enormous window that stretched from floor to ceiling. He was bathed in a holy light from the sun. A black shirt highlighted his broad shoulders and muscular figure, and his slim legs looked perfect in his black suit pants. Elegantly commanding and handsome, he exuded nobility and power. His aura of coldness, on the other hand, was equally potent. Besides Frederick, no one else was permitted in the room, so Bradley felt like he had entered a magical kingdom where all his secrets were safe. Here, in this place, he was completely himself. Bradley lit the cigarette in the crystal ashtray next to him, took a few long drags, and walked over to the leather chair. The monitor behind him showed surveillance footage from all over the Royal Garden Mansion. His eyes traveled across the monitor before settling on the scene in the dining room. His wife sat at the table, staring at the meat that had just been served to her. He had ordered Rosa to make this dish for Freya in the morning, but she hadn't touched it. "I thought she like meat. Is it because she doesn’t like the flavor?" he wondered. The door softly knocked as he was contemplating, and a voice said, "Mr. Austin." "Come in." The door opened quickly, and Frederick cautiously closed it behind him before entering. "Everything has been taken care of, Mr. Austin. They didn't dare to cause any more trouble after learning you did it to protect Mrs. Austin. Owen also asked if you could bring Mrs. Austin to see him whenever you got free time." "Very well. Tell him I'll be there!" "Yes." Bradley gazed at the surveillance for a while after Frederick had left. "She didn't even touched the meat. Could it be that kissing me was her true intention?" he thought. Bradley showed an almost imperceptible smile. He then sat in his wheelchair and left the room.