Chapter 2

2.

Everything went black for a second. Warm liquid began to trickled down my forehead.

Scarlett screamed, but not for me. She was worried about the carpet.

"Liam! Don't kill him!" she shouted.

The others quickly pulled Liam back before he could strike again.

"Let it go, Liam. This trash isn't worth it."

"Yeah, we're supposed to be celebrating. Don't let him ruin the mood."

Liam finally stopped. He wiped his hands with a napkin, looking disgusted.

"Throw him out," he ordered.

I was dragged out of the room like a bag of garbage and tossed into the cold hallway.

Scarlett followed me out. Her voice was ice-cold.

"Leo, you forced my hand."

"Liam was right. We don't belong in the same world."

"It's over. We're done."

I propped myself against the wall, shaking as I stood up.

Blood blurred my vision. Her face looked distorted and ugly.

"Scarlett, your father is a scholar too. You know a researcher's work is more important than their life!"

"What you stole was half of my father's soul!"

Scarlett took a step back, her eyes shifting nervously.

"It was an accident! How was I supposed to know your dad was so fragile?"

"Liam said that if you keep your mouth shut, he'll give your dad fifty thousand a year for his care. Until he dies."

"Plus, he'll help you get a decent job after graduation. Isn't that better than struggling on your own?"

I was shaking with rage. I let out a desperate roar.

"Scarlett! My father used to say you were kind and bright! If you have any humanity left, go and report Liam!"

Liam's voice came from behind the door, dripping with mockery.

"Scarlett, why are you wasting your breath on this idiot?"

"He probably doesn't know that we threw his dad's research notes in the trash. Actually, they're being auctioned online as scrap paper right now."

"People are buying them to use as toilet paper. They want to see if the 'genius' germs will rub off on them."

My heart shattered.

Those manuscripts were the result of countless sleepless nights. My father wrote every line by hand!

Liam walked out, smiling. He shoved his phone screen into my face.

It was an online marketplace. I saw the familiar handwriting in the photos. The title read: 'Notes of a Failed Professor―Buy for a Laugh.'

The comments underneath were horrific.

"Didn't this old guy have a stroke? Can he even still write?"

"LOL, I heard Liam Knightley stole his work. Sucks to be him!"

"I'll bid ten dollars. I want to use it for my dog's bed. Maybe my dog will become a genius too."

I lunged for the phone, but Liam kicked me square in the chest.

He sneered at me.

"See? Everyone thinks I'm the genius. Your dad is just a stepping stone."

He turned to Scarlett with a cruel glint in his eye.

"Scarlett, you always said this guy was handsome, right?"

"Let's see something more interesting. Let's see how low he'll go for his pathetic father."

Liam signaled to his wealthy friends.

"Tie him up. We're taking him to the hospital."

"He's going to stand in front of his dad and admit the old man is a fraud. He's going to say the research was stolen."

"As a son, he should know exactly what kind of loser his father is."

My eyes went wide. I looked at Scarlett, begging her with my gaze.

"Scarlett! Please! Don't do this!"

My voice was hoarse and broken.

Scarlett didn't flinch. She just coldly looked away, refusing to meet my eyes.

They dragged me roughly and stuffed me into a car.

Cold ropes bound my hands and feet. Someone shoved a dirty sock into my mouth.

I struggled, making muffled sounds of agony, but it only made them laugh harder.

"You better put on a good show at the hospital. Maybe Liam will throw you a bone if you're a good boy."

The car sped through the night. My heart sank into a dark, bottomless pit.