Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The new stepmother refused to comply.

That night, when Dad went to her room, she struck him on the head with an ashtray.

Grandma, who doted on Dad as her only son, was enraged and immediately stopped giving the new stepmother any food or water.

Dad's forehead was wrapped in bandages, his face dark with anger.

"Damn it, I knew this woman would be trouble, but I didn't expect her to be this stubborn."

"She actually broke my head! If it weren't for her father's wealth, I'd have beaten her to death!"

Grandma looked at Dad's wound, her heart aching. "Why are city women so delicate? You can't even hit or scold them when they hurt you! Son, maybe we should just give up."

"Give up?!"

"Mom, do you know how rich her family is? If we succeed, we'll have billions. All of it will be ours."

Grandma had never heard of such an amount of money and her eyes widened in shock.

Dad patted Grandma's hand, reassuring her. "Mom, don't worry."

"She may be defiant now, but wasn't Rena's mom the same way?"

"Once Rena was born, didn't she become obedient?"

Grandma glanced at me, her lips curling in disdain, but she was convinced by Dad's words.

"You're right, son."

"No matter how difficult a woman is, she'll calm down for the sake of her child."

I hung my head, wringing the fabric of my clothes in my hands.

The teardrop-shaped necklace around my neck rested on my collarbone, cold and chilling.

It felt like my mother's tears on my skin.

The new stepmother's name was Lillian, a beautifully poetic name.

When Mom was alive, she often recited poetry to me.

"In the land of water, reeds grow under the frost, the cold water and mountain colors blend into the twilight. Who says a thousand miles separate us from tonight, dreams of departure are as long as the frontier."

So, I liked her name.

But Dad and Grandma didn't like it. They even mocked it, saying "Lillian" sounded like "bite" in Chinese, implying she was born to be a man's plaything.

Every night, Dad went to her room, and soon, I would hear the new stepmother's painful moans.

I slept in the woodshed next door, under a thin blanket, always unable to fall asleep.

I thought about what Mom had said.

Mom said that good people would be rewarded in the end.

But she was wrong.

After just five days, the new stepmother gave in.

When I went with Dad and Grandma, she lay on the bed, her face pale, her eyes empty.

When she saw me, she paused, tears welling up in her eyes.

Facing Dad, her tears fell like broken pearls, large and heavy, onto the bed.

She looked pitiful and fragile.

She had lost weight, her once perfectly shaped waist now even more slender.

Dad's eyes darkened with desire immediately.

"Cory, please give me something to eat."

The new stepmother crawled humbly, sobbing and begging, "I surrender. As long as you give me something to eat, I'll do whatever you say!"

"I'm so hungry, I can't take it anymore."

Dad smiled triumphantly and looked at Grandma. "See, Mom, what did I tell you?"

"She was pampered and couldn't endure hardship. It only took a few days for her to beg for mercy."

I stared at his monstrous face, Grandma's disdainful voice ringing in my ears.

"Of course. I thought she was as tough as Rena's mom."

"Back then, Rena's mom was as stubborn as a mule. She held out for almost a month, fainting from hunger several times before she surrendered."

The new stepmother's face turned pale.

Dad frowned. "Mom, why are you bringing up a dead person? It's bad luck!"

"Lillian knows what's best for her. It saves trouble and suffering."

With that, he pushed Grandma and me out of the room, his eyes filled with lust.

He cleared his throat and spoke with false righteousness.

"Alright, Mom, I need to get to business and continue our family legacy."

"You two, get out."

Grandma agreed without hesitation, grinning from ear to ear, nodding repeatedly.

I slowly lifted my foot, hearing Dad's satisfied sigh from the room, and silently clenched my fists in anger.

Mom, please wait a bit longer.

I will drag these beasts from the human world down to hell.