Chapter 2 Payback Time

Eric knew Monica was now worth billions, and her family had climbed the ranks to become one of Ciderbrook's newest elites. His in-laws were living the high life, while his father lay bedridden, and his mother, disfigured and mentally unstable, was barely holding on. What the hell had happened since five years ago he fell off that cliff? "Sigh ... "Don't even mention it, Eric. Ever since you disappeared, Monica's been like a completely different person." David broke it all down. It turned out, as soon as Eric fell off that cliff, Monica rushed to get his death certificate so she could claim everything as his legal first heir. But that wasn't enough for this venomous woman. She hooked up with Damian Porter, the eldest son of the powerful Porters in Ciderbrook. With the Porters backing her up, Monica got even bolder. She kicked Eric's parents out of their home and framed his dad for selling out the company's interests. She snatched up their shares and buried them under a pile of debt. To pay it off, Eric's father had no choice but to work in the Porters' coal mines, where he ended up with dust lung disease. The more David spoke, the angrier he got. His eyes were bloodshot, and his voice cracked with emotion. "Your mom couldn't take it anymore and tried to appeal to the authorities for justice, but that vicious woman hired someone to throw acid on her! "She went through so much ... After that, your mom just ... " David, usually so strong, broke down, burying his face in his hands as he sobbed uncontrollably. After listening to everything his dad said, Eric was boiling with anger, his fists clenched so tight that his nails dug into his skin, but he barely noticed. "Dad, I'm going to find Monica and get justice for you guys!" Eric said, about to jump up, but right then, someone started pounding on the door. Bang! Bang! Bang! The banging was so loud and hard that dust flew everywhere, and it looked like the old wooden door was about to come off its hinges. Hearing the pounding on the door, David's face went pale, and Evelyn, terrified, cowered in the corner, hugging her head and shaking uncontrollably, clearly scared out of her mind. Seeing his parents like that, Eric stood up and opened the door. Creeeak ... The moment the door opened, a group of five or six people in black stormed in, with a middle-aged guy who looked like a lawyer leading the charge. The middle-aged guy pulled out a contract from his briefcase and handed it to Eric. "I'm Monica's lawyer. This is your death certificate and a contract for voluntarily giving up all your shares in the Goodwell Corporation. "If everything's okay, just sign here." He then tossed a wedding invitation onto the table. "Monica said if you sign quickly, she'll give you an extra 150 thousand and an invite to tonight's engagement party with the Porters." "Imagine the ex-husband going to his ex-wife's engagement party—what a scene! "Hahaha ... " As soon as he said that, the middle-aged guy and his crew started cracking up, laughing so hard they were almost in tears. Eric, though, ignored the laughter. His hand, holding the contract, was shaking slightly. Cold! It was bone-chilling cold! When he was thrown off that cliff, in his darkest and most painful moments, the only comfort he had was knowing that his wife, Monica, was back home. Even if he were gone one day, he was sure she would take care of his parents. But now, after barely surviving and finally returning from abroad, what awaited him wasn't a joyful reunion with his wife or a warm, welcoming home. Instead, he found his father bedridden, his mother burned and disfigured, and her mental state completely shattered. And what about the Duncans? They'd skyrocketed to power, cozying up to the wealthy, living a glamorous life. "What if I refuse?" Eric finally looked up, his face blank as he coldly asked the middle-aged man. "Hehe!" The middle-aged man sneered, then gave a signal to the burly men around him. In an instant, the guys in black closed in on Eric, surrounding him. The middle-aged guy looked down at Eric with a sneer, like he was dealing with an annoying bug. "You really think you can refuse?" It didn't even matter why Eric was still alive. That was irrelevant now. He was just a cornered dog now, with no way to fight back. "Don't ... "Don't hurt my son!" Panicked, David grabbed a handful of crumpled hundred-dollar bills from a bag and held them out with both hands. "Guys, we'll sign the contract. We'll sign!" The hardships of the past five years had worn down David completely. Even with the blatant abuse, he just forced a numb smile, scared that any wrong move might make them turn on his son. Smack! But the middle-aged man didn't even bother to look. He simply slapped the cloth bag out of David's hands, scattering the money all over the floor. Seeing this, David hurriedly bent down to pick up the scattered money, but a large foot came crashing down on him. Already in poor health, another kick could leave him bedridden for days, if not longer. Bang! Before the middle-aged man's foot could land on David, he was hit hard in the stomach and sent flying ten to twelve feet before crashing into the wall with a loud thud. The kick was so powerful that it rattled the whole wall. Suddenly, the room went dead silent. Just before that, Eric moved so fast that no one could even see what happened. It was like a flash, and then the middle-aged guy was flying through the air. "Eric! "Eric, they're all from the Duncans. We can't offend them!" David was totally freaked out. The thought of finally being reunited with his family meant everything to him. He didn't care what happened to him and his wife. But if anything happened to his son, they wouldn't be able to handle it. "Young man, looks like you're refusing the kind offer and asking for a beating instead!" The middle-aged guy, helped up by his men, shot a menacing look at Eric. "Beat him up hard. Whatever goes wrong, Monica will take care of it!" Hearing that, the gang of guys in black grinned at Eric, pulled out their knives, and charged at him. Eric, seeing his dad desperately clinging to him and pleading, pushed down his anger and unleashed a powerful, intimidating aura. The pressure was so strong that the wind whipped up, dust and debris flew around, and it felt like the temperature dropped several degrees. The six guys in black, including the middle-aged leader, collapsed on the ground before him. The force of his presence was so overwhelming that it cracked the red bricks on the ground, and blood spread everywhere, turning the floor completely red. "Spare me, uh ... " Before the middle-aged guy could even finish begging, Eric tightened his grip and lifted him up like a chick. "Tell Monica to use that 150 thousand to buy herself a coffin. Consider it my gift to her! "Get out of here!" Then, the pressure disappeared instantly. The middle-aged guy scrambled away, rolling and crawling as he fled. Eric tightened his fists. "Monica, you're so ruthless! "Five years of marriage, and you not only stole my family's assets but also went after my parents like this! "If I don't get revenge, I'm not even worth being my parents' son!" He then looked at David. "Dad, you and Mom have been dealing with the Duncans' mess while I was gone. "Now that I'm back, I'll take care of everything."