Adam froze. His expression, which had been tinged with hope just monts before, darkened instantly.
His hands clenched into fists at his sides, and for a mont, it seed like he might lunge at Mark right then and there.
"What did you just say?" Adam’s voice was dangerously low.
Mark leaned back in his chair, unfazed, his smirk widening.
"Oh, co on, Adam. Don’t act so righteous. You know how these things work. A week. That’s all I’m asking. And in return, your money problems vanish." He chuckled.
"That’s a pretty generous offer, don’t you think?"
A heavy silence filled the office.
Adam took a slow breath, his entire body trembling with barely restrained fury.
"You disgust ," he finally spat.
Mark’s smirk disappeared. His expression hardened.
"Careful, Adam," he warned.
"You’re not exactly in a position to be turning down offers. You need this money. Your children need this money. Are you really going to let your pride get in the way?"
Adam lifted his chin, his eyes burning with defiance.
"I’d rather starve than sell my wife’s dignity for a di."
Mark’s gaze turned cold. His fingers tapped rhythmically against the desk.
"Tch. I figured you’d be difficult." He sighed dramatically.
"You know, I was going to be generous. I was going to help you. But now?" He shrugged. "Now, I think I’d rather watch you suffer."
Adam’s jaw tightened, but he said nothing.
Mark waved his hand,
"Though I would hate to see Mary suffer. After all, if she had accepted my proposal instead of yours, she might have lived a better life.
Just see her now, though the ti has favored her and didn’t leave any traces of the difficult life she is having now, her eyes had turned quite dull. The exhaustion in her eyes could be hardly hidden.
She chose you over , however, you have nothing. She is definitely with you, because of your personality.
If only...if only she had chosen back then..tch...tch. But is alright. Now, I have beautiful assistants accompanying . Only...I just can’t tolerate it.
I can’t tolerate to accept defeat. Adam rember how we used to be best friends? We can be back together as a friend.
I can also lend you money, just help to overco the obsession in my heart. I...truly want to sleep with Mary for once-"
Punch.
The sickening crack of bone against flesh echoed through the office.
Mark’s head snapped to the side, his smirk vanishing as pain blood across his jaw. He stumbled slightly, catching himself on the desk, eyes wide with disbelief.
Adam stood before him, breathing heavily, his fist still clenched, his entire body shaking with fury.
"Don’t you dare say her na again," Adam growled, his voice raw with barely restrained rage.
Mark let out a slow breath, licking the tallic taste of blood from his lip. Then, to Adam’s disgust, he chuckled. A slow, condescending laugh.
"You still have that temper," Mark mused, tilting his head back to look at Adam.
"That’s why you always lose. Because you’re too easy to provoke."
Adam’s fists clenched even tighter.
His body scread at him to hit Mark again, to beat the smugness off his face, to make him feel even a fraction of the pain and humiliation he had inflicted.
But he couldn’t.
Not because he was afraid.
But because he knew.
Knew that Mark was waiting for it. Knew that this was what Mark wanted. He wanted Adam to lash out, to lose control, to do sothing that could be used against him.
He wouldn’t give Mark that satisfaction.
Adam exhaled sharply, straightening. He t Mark’s gaze with cold, unyielding resolve.
"You’re pathetic," Adam said, his voice steady now.
"Still clinging to the past like a bitter child. Still trying to hurt because you couldn’t have what you wanted."
Mark’s smirk faltered just slightly.
Adam took a step back.
"Do whatever you want, Mark. Spread your lies. Cut my salary. Make my life hell. I don’t care. But you will keep Mary out of your filthy mouth."
Mark narrowed his eyes, rubbing his sore jaw. "Brave words for a man drowning in debt."
Adam didn’t respond. He simply turned and walked out of the office, his shoulders squared, his back straight.
He had nothing. No money. No power.
But he still had his dignity.
And he would rather suffer a hundred lifetis than let a man like Mark take that from him.
........
Back in the present, the room was deathly silent as the footage ended.
Lucas’s hands trembled as he gripped the edge of the desk, his knuckles turning white. His siblings sat frozen, their faces pale, their expressions stricken.
Aurora pressed a shaking hand against her mouth. "Mom..." she whispered, horrified.
Adriana wiped at her eyes furiously, unable to stop the tears from spilling down her cheeks.
Theodore’s jaw was clenched so tightly it ached. His entire body felt numb, his mind struggling to process what they had just seen.
Their father—
Their kind, hardworking father—
Had been enduring this tornt for years.
And they had never known.
Lucas took a slow, shuddering breath.
His rage was unlike anything he had ever felt before. It burned through him, sharp and searing, leaving no room for hesitation or doubt.
They had all lived in blissful ignorance, believing their father’s sacrifices were enough to sustain them, believing that his silence ant that everything was fine.
But the truth was ugly.
Aurora slowly muttered,
"Everything...make senses...Mark was always after Mom. He was jealous that mother had chosen father...hence he went out of his way to humiliate father every day."
Olivia continued,
"Maybe Mark was angry about the punch and hence he colluded with the rich man to fra Father."
All of them nodded.
The cause and effect was clear to them and everything made sense.
However, instead of the clarity they were seeking, all they got was heaviness.
The life of adults is complex.
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