Edith felt her blood boil for the second time and raised her hand to deliver a second blow, but JD finally lost his patience and caught her hand.
"Get your ugly hands off me!” Edith scratched at JD's hand, but he refused to let go as he held on tighter to Edith's wrist.
Talia had never seen this expression on Jayden's face.
It took her a few moments to notice her father was pleading for JD to have mercy; to let go.
How could he watch her treat people this way, especially his own flesh and blood, and still care for her so much?
Since she wanted this drama to end soon, Talia approached JD and wrapped her arms around his shoulder.
Jayden turned to face his crush at his side and noticed the shaking of her head. Seeing the begging impression on Talia's teary eyes, JD finally relaxed the anger within himself as he shoved Edith away, causing her to fall onto her husband's arms.
"We're all adults here, so I really appreciate that we can communicate without using any violence," Snarling toward Talia's parents, he finally gave them a piece of his mind. "If you want to use force, then that's fine with me too."
Dylan pushed his wife next to Abigail as he growled at Jayden. "Boy, you should act like a man. Is this how your parents teach you to behave in front of elders?"
JD raised an eyebrow as he sneered at Talia's father. "I'm just protecting someone dear to me." Glancing him up and down, Jayden snapped back without hesitation. "You're one to talk. With the way you mistreat Talia and her grandma, you look lower than a dog."
The elder man gasped at the crude words. "Boy, you should watch what you're saying. I'm just protecting my wife and daughter."
"Then, are you indicating that Talia is not your daughter?" Jayden sneered at Dylan. "Judging from the way you didn't help her these past several minutes, I can tell that you never truly cared for her."
Dylan protested in a firm voice, "Talia is my daughter from my first wife…" He gasped as he spoke the forbidden word. "She passed away a long time ago… I need to..."
"Save your breath. I don't need to hear your excuses." Jayden walked closer to the three cruel family members with a fierce expression. "I'll let you know now. Talia and her grandma lived under the same roof, so they harbored all the abuse from you guys. However, I'm not them. Lay one finger on me one more time, then I'll take you to court for assault."
At the mention of laws, Dylan and Edith decided not to provoke the young man further. Edith abused her stepdaughter because Talia never had the guts to report to the police. Dylan understood the love from his daughter, even though he turned a blind eye, which caused Talia to bear the mistreatment from his second wife. If they made this young man angrier than necessary, then he wouldn’t even hesitate to send them to jail. They realized that he had a short temper and aggressive nature. They wouldn’t dare to make a mortal enemy out of him.
Jayden turned to glance at Charlotte and Talia. “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to get you both in trouble.”
“That’s okay. It’s not your fault,” Charlotte reassured him. “I’m glad that my Talia finally met you. Please, feel free to stop by anytime.”
Talia nodded in agreement. “Don’t apologize. I’m also sorry for embarrassing you here.”
“The time was 6 PM now. I’ve to leave now since I want to return to the university before midnight.” JD walked toward Talia. “I’ll contact you at the same time when I’m free from studying, so please be patient and wait for my phone calls.”
Talia nodded. “Okay! Take care. And please drive safely.”
JD glanced around the surroundings. Who cares about an audience? He leaned down and pecked Talia on her cheek. “You too.”
Talia blushed and startled at his sweet gesture. She looked at her grandma, who gave her a thumb up. Her eyes landed on her parents, who stared flabbergasted at their intimacy. Turning her eyes to the left, she caught an unexpected response from Abigail’s face. Her stepsister growled and gave her a death glare.
Hm… What was up with her? The way she acted now looks like I stole her man.
10
Talia turned her gaze to Jayden as she huddled closer toward his back. She had never felt this comfortable and safe around this house. With knowing him in a couple days, she realized that the world had become brighter. She could become happier in the next few days without any more worries. Thanks, god, for letting her get to know him. She continued to look at the scene,
JD turned to look at Dylan and Edith one more time and threatened them in a fierce tone. “If I ever see any bruises on Talia again, then I’ll ask my lawyers to sue you two for child abuse. Even though Talia is already an adult, the rules of violence still stand in this country.”
JD walked into the driver seat and put on the seatbelt. He took one glance at Talia and waved at her. He smiled at her and turned on the ignition on his car. Then, he drove his car from her home as he sped toward the horizon.
Talia took a few steps to follow his view. Without any fear, she waved her arm at him as she watched him disappear out of sight. She turned her attention back to her family, who had the worst expression that she had ever seen in her life. She feared about what’s going to come in the next few seconds.
Dylan just directed everyone in the front yard. “Let’s get inside. I want to have a talk with everybody here. Now!”
As everyone strolled inside the house, all five of them stayed in the living room as the tight tension in the house suffocated everyone. Dylan refused to let Talia and Charlotte head to their room since he wanted to discuss the young man they met just now.
“I want us to forbid letting that man come near our house anymore,” Edith complained to her husband. “Talia has changed so much just in a few days. That rude man from earlier is a bad influence on her. What if Talia becomes a gangster in the future?”
Talia held back rolling her eyes at the drama her stepmother was creating once again. She could finally see it. How wrong it is. It's ridiculous in this family.
“Watch your words!” Charlotte finally had the courage to stand up to fight for their rights. “You can’t control us anymore. Aren’t his threats not lingering in your mind at all? I should have taken his stance and reported you two long ago!”
“Dad, please listen,” Talia pled. “I became like this because I want to be independent and help myself. Please, don’t blame Jayden.”
Dylan finally demanded his older daughter. “I’ll decide to take that rude boy’s threats seriously. What do you exactly want from me to make you gain freedom? Do you even have money to get yourself a car? Can you even pay bills, though? You shouldn’t talk nonsense and stick to reality instead.”
“I—” Talia stuttered as her words got stuck in her throat. “I’ll…”
Grandma Charlotte interrupted their conversation. “If you’re that curious, then I will tell you, son-in-law. Do you still remember what happened to my poor daughter? You do realize in your heart that I used the money from my daughter’s life insurance to raise Talia all these years.”
Talia’s father couldn’t respond, dropping his head in shame. He raked his hand through his hair and sat down on the table in a huff. Talia thought his dad still acted the same as in the past, but she noticed something different this time. She saw her father slouch over and put his hands on his face. He let out a moan and Talia thought she heard him sob.