Chapter 386

Mr. Augustine, let me take off your shirt first. Marvin didn't even flinch. He had been whipped repeatedly; his white shirt was torn, revealing bloody wounds. He said nothing, suffering silently. His stoicism angered Lily further. She seemed crazed, consumed by the single thought of beating her son to death.

Olive went upstairs. Reaching the study door, she heard the sound of whips and pushed it open, just in time to see Lily swinging the whip, another blow about to land on Marvin. Olive's eyes widened. She sprinted forward, pulling Marvin away, yelling, "Stop hitting him!" The whip, aimed at Olive, whistled through the air. She closed her eyes, bracing for pain, but the expected impact never came. Looking up, she saw Elvis. He had followed her, stepping forward to shield her, taking the blow himself.

The scene was bizarre: Olive tightly hugging Marvin, Elvis protecting her from behind. Sandwiched between the brothers, Olive trembled, bewildered. "You… why are you here?"

Lily, enraged by Elvis's arrival, lashed out again at him. She regretted not having killed him as a child. Now, she unleashed her fury on him. Elvis, however, reacted swiftly. He pulled Olive into his lap, his eyes narrowing as he caught the whip in midair. He coldly surveyed Lily: "Are you crazy enough?"

Lily, furious, tried to retrieve the whip, but Elvis held it firm. Then Alpha entered, his gaze settling on Lily. "You've beaten two boys. Calm down; don't make a mess of this house." Lily felt humiliated. Alpha's word was law; she reluctantly relinquished the whip.

Alpha ordered a maid to summon the family doctor to tend to the injured brothers. Olive used scissors to cut Marvin's shirt, revealing numerous wounds. The doctor quickly attended to him. Marvin's face was pale, covered in a cold sweat. Olive wiped his forehead, whispering, "Marvin, does it hurt?" He shook his head. "No, I'm okay."

Elvis, seated across from them, observed Olive tending to Marvin with a hateful glare. He'd been injured protecting her, yet she only showed concern for Marvin. A nurse approached to undress Elvis, but he reacted violently, kicking over a chair. He turned to Olive, his displeasure evident. "Olive, are you blind?"

Seeing her inaction, he threatened to expose her "crime"—the incident with the medicine. Olive, accepting his challenge, approached and, rather than unbutton his shirt, cut it off with the scissors. She whispered, "Elvis, you're unacceptable! Don't tell Marvin what happened that night; if you do, I'll never forgive you!"