Chapter 4 The Motherless Child
At the Thomas Villa.
"Mr. Thomas, dinner's ready."
"Mr. Thomas?"
That evening, the Thomas family's maid, Faye, had finished preparing dinner and was calling everyone to eat, but Mason was nowhere to be found.
"Mr. Thomas?"
"Mr. Thomas, are you here?"
Faye searched the children's room, the garden, the entertainment room... but Mason was nowhere to be seen.
"Mr. Thomas, where are you?"
"What's all the yelling about? It's so annoying."
A stunning woman with an outstanding figure and presence descended the stairs from the second floor.
"Mrs. Thomas, Mr. Mason Thomas is missing again," Faye said urgently.
"So what if he's missing? He'll come out to eat when he's hungry," Xanthe Thomas said with a cold smile, indifferent.
"But..."
"He's just a kid. If he doesn't want to eat, let him be! Why make such a fuss?" Xanthe's sharp gaze swept over Faye.
Faye immediately lowered her head, not daring to say more.
Xanthe had once been Kian Thomas's secret lover for many years. After Kian's first wife, Hazel Carter, mysteriously disappeared eighteen years ago, Xanthe seized the opportunity to marry Kian and become his second wife, making her James's stepmother.
Xanthe had little affection for James and even wished he were dead. After all, only if he died would the Thomas family's wealth potentially fall into her hands.
But she hadn't expected James and Mason to be so resilient. Even after their yacht exploded, they had survived.
"I don't want to eat! Take it all away!"
From a room on the second floor came the sound of dishes breaking and a man's angry curses.
A month ago, James had taken Mason on a private yacht trip for the boy's birthday. Unexpectedly, the yacht exploded in the middle of the sea. In the critical moment, James had shielded Mason with his body.
In the end, the yacht was reduced to a pile of scrap metal, but both of them miraculously survived.
However, Mason had injured his left leg and was now crippled. Moreover, Jams was half-paralyzed, blind, and unable to care for himself.
Xanthe sneered inwardly. 'So what if they're still alive? A paralyzed man can do nothing but lie in bed and wait to die.'
Meanwhile, Mason was crouched in a dark corner of the stairs, looking up at the second floor.
James was throwing a tantrum again.
Since the yacht accident a month ago, James's temper had worsened. He no longer cooked for Mason, and Mason didn't dare go to his room.
Mason touched his empty stomach and slowly stood up, heading to the kitchen.
He remembered that there was a small piece of bread left in the kitchen drawer from yesterday.
'There it is!'
Mason's eyes lit up as he opened the drawer and reached for the bread.
Suddenly, a chubby hand reached over and snatched the bread from his hand.
"Little cripple, you are stealing my bread again!"
A chubby boy, taller than Mason, held the bread above his head, taunting him.
"Give me back my bread!"
A flash of determination crossed Mason's eyes as he lunged at the chubby boy, trying to reclaim the bread.
But Mason was weak and hadn't eaten in days. He didn't have the strength to tackle the boy.
"Little cripple, this bread was bought by my mommy. What right do you have to eat it? You are a motherless child!"
"I have a mom!"
The two boys ran around the kitchen, wrestling with each other. They accidentally knocked over a table, spilling hot soup onto Mason's arm.
"What are you two doing in the kitchen?"
The adults, hearing the commotion, rushed to the kitchen and were shocked by the scene that met them.
The kitchen was a mess. Mason was on the floor, his left arm red and swollen from the hot soup, starting to blister. His right hand clung tightly to the chubby boy's ankle.
"Erik!"
Opal cried out, rushing into the kitchen to pick up Erik Thomas, not sparing a glance at the dirty Mason on the floor.
"Mommy, he stole my bread and hit me!" Erik tattled first.
"Mason, why did you take Erik's bread? Let go!"
Opal finally noticed Mason still holding Erik's ankle and raised her hand to hit him.
"Stop!"
A commanding voice rang out, and everyone stepped aside as James's grandmother, Qiana, slowly entered the kitchen, leaning on her cane.
She looked at the mess in the kitchen and frowned slightly.
"Faye, take Mason to treat his burn."
"Yes, madam."
Faye stepped forward to help Mason up, but he suddenly sprang up, snatched the bread from Erik's hand, and ran off.
"Little cripple, give me back my bread!"
Erik shouted at Mason's retreating figure.