Chapter 3 Do Not Bother Me

John, with his other hand, angrily yanked out his belt and, using all his strength, swung it violently at Arthur. At that moment, just as the belt was coming down, Arthur suddenly grabbed it. Arthur's eyes grew cold and fierce in an instant, the suffocating feeling of being drowned still vivid in his memory. He fixed his gaze on John. "The so-called head of the Gray family, striking his own son just because he wanted a birthday cake? If this gets out, people will think the Gray family has gone bankrupt!" Arthur's voice was laced with an unsettling ruthlessness, and his sudden shift in energy shocked everyone. They blinked in disbelief, rubbing their eyes, unable to comprehend what they were seeing. Just a moment ago, he had been sitting at the corner of the table, meekly asking for a birthday cake, his voice barely audible. Now, in the span of minutes, he seemed like a completely different person. John was stunned by the coldness in his eyes, momentarily forgetting how to respond. Arthur let go of the belt and glanced at the people in the room. With eyes still cold, he spoke, "From today on, I'm staying in the school dorm. Don't bother me unless it's necessary!" Then, his gaze shifted to Zac. "Especially you, Zac!" With nothing left to his name and still underage, it wasn't yet time to cut ties completely. But he couldn't stand being around the Gray family for another day. When Zac heard Arthur say he was moving to the dorm, a smug smile crept up his face. But when their eyes met, Zac suddenly froze. This is Arthur, the usually quiet one, the boy who never speaks up, who had barely whispered about wanting a birthday cake just moments ago. What happened? Why is he suddenly so different? After saying this, Arthur turned and headed for his small room, casually packing a few changes of clothes. In fact, there wasn't much to pack. Over the years, the Gray family's attention had always been on Zac. Anything they bought was for him. The few clothes Arthur had were already faded and worn. Originally, he slept in the large room Zac had. It was a south facing room with large windows and a balcony. After Zac was adopted at eight, he claimed to have poor health, and the doctor recommended he get more sunlight. As a result, he became fond of Arthur's spacious room with its own balcony. To pacify Zac, who clutched his chest as if about to faint, the Gray family had no hesitation in forcing Arthur to move out of his room. The Gray Residence was enormous, with many rooms featuring balconies, yet Zac insisted on Arthur's. Arthur, being young and naive at the time, didn't fully understand. Though he loved his room and felt reluctant to leave, he thought about Zac's poor health and felt it was only right, as the older brother, to yield. He figured moving to another room with a balcony wouldn't make much difference. To compensate Arthur, his dad promised to prepare another spacious room with a balcony for him. In the meantime, Arthur was asked to temporarily stay in a storage room. Without much thought, Arthur cheerfully agreed. Little did he know, the very next day, Zac cornered him in the school restroom with his cronies and gave him a brutal beating. When Arthur returned home to complain to his parents, he found Zac sobbing pitifully in their arms. Zac accused Arthur of leading a group to bully him at school, trying to stop him from attending classes. Zac claimed he was only saved by some kind hearted classmates who stepped in to stop Arthur's "tyranny." The bruises on Arthur's body were conveniently attributed to these "kind classmates" accidentally hitting him while trying to protect Zac. Arthur felt wronged beyond belief, but no matter how much he tried to explain, his family only believed Zac. They accused Arthur of being jealous and behaving in a manner unbefitting of an elite, punishing him by confining him to the storage room for a month. From that moment, the Gray family's attitude toward Arthur began to change. And his stay in that storage room, originally meant to last a month, extended to eight long years. Whenever Arthur requested to move out of the storage room, Zac would jump in with a look of terror, as if Arthur leaving the room would spell Zac's doom. Arthur glanced around the storage room he had lived in for eight years one last time. Then, with resolute determination, he stepped out. This time, he knew there was little chance of ever coming back. Raelynn, waiting at the staircase, caught sight of Arthur descending and quickly grabbed his arm. Her eyes brimmed with tears as she pleaded, "Arthur, what are you doing? We're the prestigious Gray family, and the school isn't even far from here. If word gets out that you're living on campus, how will people laugh at us? Come on, apologize to your dad. Living at school could never compare to staying at home." Meanwhile, John, nursing his still-throbbing hand, was already furious. Seeing Arthur packing up to leave for the dormitory only fueled his rage.