The Frazier family's lobby.
Oscar sat on the main seat of the couch. He scowled and looked angry, steadily closing his eyes and listening quietly to the sound of the whipping in the garden.
Jane squeezed her handkerchief and kept crying. Her voice was already mute because of persuading for too many times.
But Oscar was really furious this time, completely ignoring her pleas for mercy.
Half of Irene's face was still swollen from the beating she received last night, making her look like she was eating something big, which was a bit comical. And her face looked a bit miserable with the tear stains still wet.
She had been kneeling on the cold tiles of the hall for an hour.
Since childhood, Oscar spoiled and cared her and Garrett very much.
This time Oscar was determined to punish them.
The gloomy and horrible atmosphere lasted for another two minutes.
Garrett, hanging in the garden and being beaten, screamed more and more faintly.
It seemed like he was not able to sustain it any longer!
Irene endured the sharp pain in her knees and marched to Oscar's feet, grabbing his pant leg and crying for mercy.
"Dad, please spare my brother! He can't take it anymore. He was set up by that bitch Lyra! How can you just punish your own kid? You should go and help me fix Lyra! Get rid of that Melissa!"
Oscar looked at her in shock and was so angry at her words that he viciously lifted her hand away.
"How could I have raised a daughter like you? Arrogant, domineering, flouting the law, turning black and white upside down, and so mean-spirited that you want to kill everyone at the drop of a hat! What a sin!"
Irene was lifted to the ground by him and stared at him, sneering.
"Wasn't it all taught by you? It was you who told me to be more ruthless when dealing with things. And it's for my long term benefit. My only fault is that I didn't do it thoroughly enough!"
"You!"
Oscar was so angry that he was dizzy. Shaking his hand and pointing at her, he was unable to say a word.
Irene: "If this time, I succeed, my brother may be able to marry Lyra. She has the right to inherit her family's property. If she marries my brother in the future, will the property belong to all our family?"
"We will no longer have to be inferior to the other big families because we are in the bottom position of the four big families!"
"Dad, I did this all about our family. You shouldn't treat me and Garrett like this! And he knew nothing about this. He didn't deserve to be beaten!"
Oscar grunted heavily, "He is your brother, but also the pride of our family. He did not admonish you, but also fool around with you and do such a disgrace to our family!"
"Dad!"
Oscar turned his face away, unmoved.
A servant in the garden ran toward them in a panic, "Mr. Oscar, Mr. Garrett has passed out again! If you continue to beat him after he wakes up, I'm afraid he'll die. Mr. Oscar, please spare him!"
Irene and the sobbing Jane were both startled at the same time.
Oscar's eyes were slightly complicated and he didn't say anything.
Jane's eyes were fierce. She quickly took a fruit knife on the table, against Oscar's neck.
"Mom, you!"
"Jane! What are you doing? Put the knife down now!"
Oscar and Irene spoke up at the same time.
Instead of dropping it, Jane pushed it an inch closer, and the skin of his neck was cut with a shallow bloody mark.
"Oscar, Garrett is my son! If you want to beat him to death, I don't want to live any more! Why don't you just kill three of us? Then you can marry again and have another son?"
"Fine, I won't beat him anymore! Put the knife down! Let's have a talk."
Facing with his wife's death threat, Oscar finally gave in.
Garrett was carried back to his room by the servants, and Irene, who was distressed by her brother, followed him all the way upstairs to treat his injuries.
The couple was soon the only left in the hall.
Oscar had already vented his anger out. Now he was smoking a cigarette calmly.
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