The sharp crack of a slap echoed through the Ellis family's living room. Burton's left cheek flared red instantly, the mark already beginning to swell as he sat trapped in his wheelchair.
Bianca rushed forward, torn between anguish and desperation. "Dad, why strike the boy? Burton understands his mistake," she pleaded.
"Because you've all enabled him," Rodney snarled, his finger jabbing accusingly at his son Christian and daughter-in-law Bianca. His voice dripped with bitter frustration.
Christian kept his head down, not daring to argue. "Dad, please stay calm. What's finished is finished. We have to figure out how to protect Burton. Any longer and Harold's crew will be at our doorstep."
The words nearly sent Rodney into apoplexy. "You... all you do is create disasters for me! Is there a single useful thing you can accomplish?"
