Protest? Beat up?

A wave of dread washed over him. Caelen sprinted toward the steel mill.

When he got to the gate, a heart-shattering scene unfolded before him.

A group of burly men were holding down his elderly father and beating him mercilessly.

“Stop!”

He screamed, rushing forward, desperately shielding his blood-soaked, barely conscious father. His voice cracked with a sob. “If you keep hitting him, you’re going to kill him!”

“Murder gets you life in prison! Do you all want to rot in a cell?!”

The mention of prison finally made them pause, but they still shouted defiantly, “It’s his fault for not paying us! My family is starving! We need that money to survive!”

“He just sold a huge batch of steel six months ago! The other half of the payment went straight into his pocket, and he’s holding it back! Is he planning to be buried with it?!”

“Yeah! Pay up now!”

As the crowd surged forward again, Caelen used his own body as a shield.

But his father was unconscious, bleeding, his breaths growing weaker…

“Dad…”

He was trembling with fear. He’d overheard the phone call; he knew the final payment never reached his father.

But would they believe him if he told them?

In a moment of pure desperation, he dropped to his knees.

“Uncles, brothers, please! My dad isn’t holding back your money! The payment hasn’t come through! I swear on his behalf, the second the money arrives, you’ll be the first to get it!”

He started kowtowing, his head hitting the ground.

“If I’m lying, may I be struck by lightning and die a horrible death!”

“Please, I’m begging you, let us pass! If my dad doesn’t get to a clinic soon, he’s going to die…”

“…Please, I’m begging you!”

He bowed again and again, his forehead quickly turning a raw, bloody red. Blood trickled from between his eyebrows, staining half his face.

The crowd, stunned by his desperate, self-destructive plea, finally backed away. Only then did Caelen manage to carry his father, step by agonizing step, through the bitter wind to the local clinic.

The old man had lost a lot of blood and didn’t wake up until evening.

But the first thing he said was, “I’m fine here, son. You don’t need to stay. You and Liana are newlyweds. If you’re not home this late, she’ll worry.”

Caelen knelt by the bed, clutching his father’s rough, wrinkled hand, his voice thick with unshed tears. “Dad, you’re beaten this badly, and you’re still worried about me… Let’s figure this out together. Let’s solve the wage issue first, okay?”

“No need… I can handle my own problems.”

“But—”

The old man suddenly broke into a violent coughing fit.

“Dad!”

Caelen scrambled to pour a glass of water. To avoid worrying his father, he’d put on a hat to cover his bruised forehead and removed the bandage from his broken wrist.

Now, a piercing pain shot through his left hand. He trembled, spilling water, before finally managing to fill a cup. “Dad, drink this. Please, don’t scare me…”

After a sip of water, the old man’s coughing subsided, but Caelen’s tears wouldn’t stop falling.

“Silly boy, being stubborn with your old dad again?”

The old man put down the cup and sighed. “I told you, I’m fine… You’re a married man now. You need to work on that temper of yours. I know Liana has always been good to you, always let you have your way, but marriage means living with a whole family.”

“Her family values their reputation. You need to soften up a bit, learn to compromise…”

The more Caelen listened, the more his heart ached.

How was he supposed to compromise?

Julian had brazenly moved into their lives, and everyone was on his side…

But Caelen forced a smile, acting as if nothing was wrong. “Okay… I’ll listen to you. I’m heading back now.”

He didn’t want his father to worry.

He walked out of the room, looking back with every step. The moment the door closed, the smile vanished from his face.

He took a moment to compose himself before walking away. But as he rounded the corner of the hallway, he ran right into Liana, whom he hadn't seen all day.

“Liana?”

A flicker of hope sparked in his chest. He rushed to ask, “Are you here to see my da—”

At the same time, she cut him off, her brow furrowed in a cold frown of disapproval. “Caelen, after a whole day of thinking, you’ve finally decided to come to the clinic and apologize to Julian?”

Caelen choked on his words. He then noticed the thermos in Liana’s hand.

A wave of absurdity washed over him. He asked in disbelief, “So, you didn’t come home all night because you were here, taking care of Julian?”

Their eyes met. Liana showed no sign of guilt, her tone matter-of-fact. “I was just doing what I was supposed to do.”