Chapter 169:
Thinking it was all Elena’s fault, Darren lowered his hand, his face burning with humiliation, and bolted from the scene. He jumped into his car, stomped on the accelerator, and sped home without looking back.
By the time Darren returned home, the sky had darkened.
The heat outside was stifling, yet the moment he stepped indoors, a sharp chill ran through him—perhaps the air conditioning had been set too low.
The Griffiths household wasn’t large. Aside from Aldin, there was his only son, Leonardo Griffiths, his daughter-in-law Jaelyn Griffiths, and their only grandson, Darren.
Jaelyn reclined on the couch, a facial mask covering her skin as she admired her freshly painted nails.
As soon as Darren walked in, Jaelyn quickly sat up. Pressing the mask against her face, she mumbled, “Darren, don’t my nails look beautiful?”
“Gorgeous, absolutely stunning.” Without sparing her nails a glance, Darren offered a half-hearted compliment and rushed upstairs toward Aldin’s study.
Watching him disappear up the steps, Jaelyn huffed, “Always in such a hurry. If Aldin sees him like that, he’s bound to get lectured again.” Aldin was strict when it came to Darren’s upbringing, and neither Leonardo nor Jaelyn ever dared to interfere.
But at that moment, Darren had bigger concerns than another round of scolding. Too many people had overheard Joseph’s remarks. Provoking either Wesley or Malcolm would lead to disaster, yet he had managed to offend both. Once word got out, Bill would undoubtedly seize the chance to cause trouble.
As soon as Darren entered the study, Aldin’s voice thundered before Darren could utter a word, “Kneel down!”
Darren’s heart pounded. “Grandpa, let me explain…”
A heavy thud echoed as the cane struck the floor. “I said, kneel!”
Darren hesitated briefly, but the unyielding look in Aldin’s eyes left no room for argument. He dropped to his knees. Still desperate to plead his case, he tried again. “Grandpa, something happened today—”
Aldin silenced him with a raised hand. “I already know. You disregarded my warnings, misjudged Elena’s character, and insisted on marrying Sylvia. And now, you’ve angered both the Johnsons and the Spencers. You brought this upon yourself.”
“Grandpa…” Darren’s eyes widened in disbelief. “You already know?”
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Without another word, Aldin lifted his cane and brought it down hard on Darren’s back.
A sharp grunt escaped Darren’s lips as he lurched forward.
The cane struck again. And again. More than a dozen times before Aldin finally stopped.
By then, Darren was drenched in sweat, his body trembling from the pain.
Aldin snarled, “You idiot, I’m doing this for Elena’s sake!”
Gritting his teeth, Darren forced himself to endure the punishment.
After the lashing, Aldin’s voice lost some of its edge. “There are only two solutions. First, the one responsible for this mess must clean it up—go to Elena and ask for her help in resolving this. Second, Gerald turns eighty next month. Find a way to meet Wesley then.”
