Robbie's POV
I stood there, stunned, trying to make sense of what my father had just said. How could he lie so easily? If he didn't know anything, then why the hell did the kidnapper stop right in front of our villa? For a sightseeing detour?
Mum looked just as suspicious. Her voice sharpened.
"Ric, a child's life is at stake, your grandson's life."
"I have no grandson," Dad cut in coldly, his glare slicing the room in half.
My fists clenched. "I don't give a damn if you see him as your grandson or not; he's my son. And I won't let you hurt him."
He raised a brow, his voice colder than ice. "You think I'd stoop so low as to harm a child?"
"Then explain this: why the hell did the kidnapper stop here?" I snapped back. My voice matched his sharp and frigid tone.
"What nonsense!" Dad exploded, slamming a hand on the desk. "How dare you accuse me of—"
"It's not nonsense. The kidnapper's car was caught on surveillance. It stopped right outside this villa. The cops will be here any minute to question you," I said, fire burning behind my eyes.
Mum crossed her arms, eyes blazing. "I'm ashamed of you, Ric. I never thought you'd sink so low, hurting a child just to stroke your ego."
Dad scoffed, furious. "You're disappointed in me? Then let me tell you, I'm disappointed in your pathetic excuse for parenting. Look at him!" He gestured toward me with disgust. "Accusing his own father, chasing after some opportunistic gold-digging omega—"
"Da—" I started, but Mum cut in.
"You have no right to talk about parenting when you barely acted like a father! You were married to your business, Ric, not to us."
He shot back, "And why do you think I focused on business? For you two… for this family. And this is the thanks I get, my son destroying everything our ancestors built because he's obsessed with a fucking omega?"
"How exactly am I destroying anything by loving Tony?" I yelled. "You're so stuck in outdated bullshit about 'family honor' that you'd rather see your own son miserable, just so you can keep up appearances!"
Dad hissed through clenched teeth, "I'm doing what's best for you. You have no idea what it means to carry the Walker name. What do you think society will say if you marry an omega? Just because he can give birth doesn't change the fact that he's a man. And now you want to make that lowborn whore the bride of this family?"
BANG!
I slammed my fist into the door beside me, my entire body shaking. Mum gasped, but I couldn't care less. I was seeing red.
"Oh, so loving an omega ruins the family's image," I said, my voice trembling. "But living with someone you don't love, that's fine?"
Dad sneered, "How do you know you won't fall in love with Sarah eventually? Sometimes it takes time."
"You lived with Mum for twenty-six years. Did you fall in love with her?"
The room went still. The air turned glacial.
Mum's hands flew to her mouth. She shook her head, her eyes wide and glistening.
Dad's fists clenched until his knuckles turned ghost-white.
"Shut your mouth, you insolent brat," he seethed.
"Shutting me up won't change anything," I said, voice cracking. "You're still living by the rules of men who've been dead for generations. You're so desperate to appease ghosts that you're destroying the living."
"Enough!" Dad roared.
Before I could fire back, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I took a deep breath, pulled it out, and answered. "Tanya?"
"Mr. Walker," she said, "there were no suspicious individuals around Tony at the hotel. I reviewed all the CCTV footage. And as for the Chairman… besides the cocktail party, Tony had no interaction with him."
I frowned. I remembered that night, Tony told me about the party Dad threw in honor of some special guest. He'd mentioned how Dad was watching him like a hawk, just waiting to humiliate him. But I never asked who the guest was. Tony never gave details, always trying to protect me, always thinking things were his burden to carry.
"He was in the kitchen that night, right?" I asked, already dreading her reply.
There was a pause.
"…Didn't Tony tell you, Mr. Walker?"
My heart skipped. "Tell me what?"
"Tony wasn't in the kitchen that evening. The Chairman had specifically requested that he host the party."
My stomach knotted.
"…What?"
"Yes," she said quietly. "I confirmed it with Miss Diana from the event team. Tony accidentally fell over the Chairman's special guest, but the Chairman let it go with a warning."
Fell? Tony? He would never do that. Not without a reason.
I turned to Dad, who suddenly looked tense. Mum noticed too. Her eyes narrowed.
"…Who was the special guest?" I asked slowly, not looking away from him.
Tanya answered in a puzzled voice. "I thought you already knew. It was Mr. Stephan Olsen—"
I didn't hear the rest. My blood froze.
The phone slipped from my hand and hit the floor. I could still hear her voice, but it sounded far away. Mum took a step toward me.
"Robbie? What is it?"
I turned toward Dad, my voice hollow. "Don't tell me… you introduced Tony to Mr. Olsen."
Mum's mouth dropped open. Her face drained of color.
Dad didn't respond. He stood still, eyes fixed somewhere behind me, arms crossed tightly behind his back.
"You did!" I gasped. "You… you threw Tony and Twen to a fucking wolf!"
"I never handed over your son," Dad snapped, but his voice was low now, almost ashamed. "I never meant to involve the boy. I only wanted that omega gone."
"RIC!" Mum cried. "How could you?!"
I stared at him, broken. "You wanted Tony gone… knowing what kind of sick bastard Olsen is? You knew what he was capable of, and still, you handed Tony over? I never imagined you'd fall this low. And now, thanks to you, both Tony and my son are in danger."
"I didn't put the boy in danger!" he barked, slamming the table. "I told Olsen, explicitly, to leave the boy out of this. That perverted freak wanted leverage to control Tony, and when I realized how far he was willing to go, I backed out."
"That doesn't change a goddamn thing!" I shouted. "Whether you gave him Twen or not, you opened the door and let that monster in! You gave him access… you did this!"
"NO!" Dad suddenly bellowed, voice thundering through the room. "The boy is not in danger!"
We both stared at him.
"I have him," he said.