Chapter 108

If it were just Vanessa, she would have been willing to tolerate her. But three more people?

Sure, she

could

afford it—she had plenty stored away—but she didn’t

want

to.

This was the first time Wendy had ever exploded like this. Even Tommy was momentarily stunned.

But once he recovered, embarrassment turned into anger. He shoved her hard.

"A man runs this household. Since when is this your business?!"

Wendy laughed in disbelief, fury blazing in her eyes. "Not my business? The supplies in this house were bought by me!"

She had warned them long ago to stock up. No one had listened. If the house was overflowing with food now, it was entirely because of her.

Tommy shot back loudly, "So what if you bought them? It was still family money—Dad’s money!"

That was the final spark.

Yes, she had used George’s money.

But she had done it for the family.

If not for her foresight, would they be living so comfortably in this disaster?

And him?

Tommy had done nothing but ask for money and cause trouble.

Wendy let out a cold laugh, her gaze sharp as ice.

"If it weren’t for me, do you think you’d be living this comfortably? And you? Other than bringing home random trash, what have you ever contributed?!"

"Who the hell are you calling trash?!"

Tommy’s sore spot had been hit—especially in front of Vanessa’s family.

Humiliated and enraged, he lost control.

He raised his hand and swung it toward Wendy’s face.

But Wendy was prepared.

She dodged to the side—but he moved too fast. The edge of his palm still clipped her chin, sending a burning sting through her jaw.

Without hesitation, she grabbed the cup from the coffee table and hurled it at him.

"Go to hell!!"

Tommy wasn’t nearly as quick or agile as Wendy.

He took the hit head-on.

The glass smashed viciously against the corner of his eye, grazing past it before shattering. Sharp fragments sliced across his cheek, and blood immediately began to seep out—an alarming, gruesome sight at first glance.

"Ahhh! My eye!!"

Clutching the corner of his eye, Tommy howled in pain.

He had never suffered like this in his entire life.

His vision in his right eye blurred, a wash of red flooding his sight as his body trembled uncontrollably.

"Wen-dy!! I’ll kill you!"

He roared in fury, his eyes blazing with murderous intent, as though he truly wanted to tear her apart.

Wendy instinctively took a step back, her lips parting slightly.

She hadn’t expected things to escalate this far. She... hadn’t meant to do it.

"Tommy, are you okay? Quick, let Mom take a look!"

The most panicked person in the room was Fiona.

Tommy was her precious son—her pride and joy. Even the smallest scratch would make her heart ache, let alone this.

George hurried over as well. "Tommy, let me see."

The two of them crowded around him, checking him over from head to toe.

Wendy stood alone on the opposite side, the contrast stark and painful.

"...It’s fine. It’s fine."

After a careful inspection, and confirming that his eye hadn’t been injured, both parents let out a sigh of relief.

The area where Tommy had been struck was already bruising, and the bleeding was only from superficial cuts caused by the glass.

Nothing serious.

Just flesh wounds. With a bit of care, he would recover quickly.

Wendy, who had been quietly tense, worrying she might have caused something irreversible, felt a small wave of relief wash over her at Fiona’s words.

As long as his eye was fine.

Even so... regret crept in. She shouldn’t have lost control like that.

But Tommy’s behavior had been so infuriating—honestly, he had it coming.

As Wendy wrestled with her thoughts, George suddenly stepped in front of her.

His shadow loomed over her.

She looked up to meet his gaze.

"...Dad," she called softly, her voice tinged with grievance. She believed—she truly believed—that only he would understand her.

Everything she had done was for the sake of the family. Tommy was the one who had acted recklessly. As his older sister, wasn’t it her responsibility to discipline him?

George didn’t respond immediately. He simply stared at her, his expression cold.

"How could you do this to your brother?"

Before she could react—

Smack—!

A sharp, vicious slap cracked through the air.

George didn’t hold back in the slightest. The force sent Wendy sprawling to the ground.

She collapsed onto the floor, her head ringing.

George... had slapped her.

Wendy clutched her cheek, turning to look at him in disbelief. The metallic taste of blood in her mouth drove the reality home with brutal clarity.

"Dad... you hit me?"

Had he slapped her—for Tommy?

Wasn’t she the one he loved most?

"I hit you. So what if I did?!" George snapped, pointing at her, his voice shaking with fury. "Tommy is your brother! Were you trying to kill him?!"

Wendy took a deep breath, swallowing the taste of blood. "I didn’t mean to."

"You didn’t mean to?" George’s voice rose, sharp with anger. "That look in your eyes just now didn’t say ’accident’! Wendy, how could you do something like this? I’m deeply disappointed in you! I never thought you’d be capable of hurting your own brother like that!"

His entire body trembled with rage as he lashed out at her.

Wendy felt wronged to the core.

Tommy had started it—yet now, their parents were still taking his side!

"He hit me first!" she shot back.

If he hadn’t raised his hand against her, she would never have retaliated.

At the end of the day, he was the one at fault.

"Even if Tommy was wrong, you shouldn’t have gone this far!" Fiona cried, her eyes brimming with tears as she held Tommy, who was still groaning in pain. Her gaze toward Wendy was filled with blame and disappointment.

Though his injuries weren’t serious and had already been roughly treated, her heart ached all the same.

This was her son.

Her precious boy.

Her whole world.