Chapter 6 The Rockefeller Family

"No! No! Stella..."

Sophia woke up screaming. James immediately grabbed her hand.

"Honey, it's okay. You and Stella are both fine."

Only after hearing James's words and seeing her parents in the car did Sophia finally relax.

When she saw Stella sleeping peacefully in Josephine's arms, she nearly burst into tears.

"James, I was just taking Stella to the park this morning, and then I blacked out and woke up somewhere completely strange. I... I have no idea what happened. Thank you. Thank you for saving Stella and me."

James felt a deep ache in his chest. Seeing Sophia in this way filled him with guilt.

He was about to speak when Josephine's mocking voice cut in.

"Sophia, don't give credit where it's not due! You know perfectly well James is useless. You think he had what it takes to save you? It was Mr. Black who did it — he brought in the police special operations unit and got you out himself. James was just another person who got caught there. That's all."

Richard?

Sophia frowned slightly. She found it hard to believe, but thinking about it, it made sense. James had been in the military for four years, but how could someone like him possibly mobilize a police special operations unit to rescue her?

"As long as you and Stella are safe, it doesn't matter who saved you. The truth will come out eventually," James said gently. "Honey, now that I'm back, I won't let you suffer anymore."

"The truth will come out? James, you've got some nerve trying to take credit. Give it a rest," Robert said with contempt.

Ignoring Robert's comment, James started sharing some funny stories from his four years in the military, hoping to help Sophia recover from the ordeal as quickly as possible.

Shortly after, the Ford Explorer pulled into the underground parking garage of a high-end hotel in downtown Luminous City.

Judging by Sophia's expression as she held the still-sleeping Stella, she was furious about being brought straight to the baptism ceremony. But beneath the anger was a deep sense of helplessness.

As they got out of the car, Josephine spoke up.

"James, let me tell you — once we get up there... forget it. You don't have the guts to talk back anyway."

James said nothing. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted someone and suddenly spoke up.

"Sophia, you all go ahead. I need to take a call."

Sophia nodded.

"Okay."

Having grown up together, Sophia had never once held anything against James. After everything that had happened, her anger from the day before had faded.

They hadn't gone far when James stopped. An elderly butler in a sharp black suit appeared from behind a concrete pillar.

"Mr. Rockefeller, your grandfather would like you to come home."

James shook his head.

"Mr. Stevens, aside from my adoptive father, you're the only person in the Rockefeller family I'll still speak to. Go back and tell them — I will find out the truth behind my adoptive father's death. And anyone connected to it—"

"Will be shown no mercy."

The old butler, Everett Stevens, watched James walk away and shook his head with a bitter smile.

"Mr. Rockefeller, even though you've refused, your grandfather's gift must still be delivered. Whether you accept it is entirely up to you."

The adopted son who was once thrown out of the family — who could have imagined he would one day return like a king? Things were about to change.

In a private room on the fifth-floor banquet hall of the hotel, Robert, Josephine, and Sophia walked in. A white-haired old man sitting at the head of the table immediately frowned.

"Get out of here and go to the side room with the younger ones! You have the nerve to be late to Jack's baptism! Get out!"

Robert didn't dare breathe a word. He nodded and bowed frantically.

"Yes, yes, Father. You're absolutely right. We'll go to the side room right away."

None of them noticed that John Wilson — Robert's older brother and the grandfather of Jack, today's baptism honoree — was staring at Sophia and Stella with a look of shock.

Why were they still here?

The group moved into the adjacent private room, and immediately a loud burst of laughter rang out.

"Ha! I knew it — Robert and Josephine always end up getting kicked in here with us."

Tommy laughed and stood up, then suddenly went silent. He stared in disbelief at Sophia and Stella, who were still being held by Josephine.

"How... how are you two still here?"

Sophia's expression darkened instantly. She looked straight at Tommy.

"Tommy! What do you mean by that? Do you know something?"

The whole abduction had come out of nowhere — of course, Sophia had questions.

"Know something? Sophia, know your place! What gives you the right to interrogate me? You really think Richard still wants anything to do with you?"

As Tommy spoke, a blond boy of about five in a little suit ran over to Josephine and kicked at her leg, saying arrogantly, "Put that little bastard down. I want to mess with her!"

Josephine actually smiled and set Stella down on the sofa, saying sweetly, "Of course! That's exactly why I brought Stella — so our Ronan has someone to play with."

This boy was the grandson of Josephine's oldest brother. Every time he saw Stella, he bullied her.

Sophia forgot all about questioning Tommy and rushed toward Stella.

"Mom! How could you do this! Stella just went through something terrible!"

But Josephine blocked her way and said coldly, "Shut up. This whole family depends on your grandfather, and Ronan is his most beloved great-grandson. Step aside. This is what you get for turning Richard down."

Smack!

At that moment, Ronan slapped Stella across the face while she was still half asleep, and cheered, "Wake up, little bastard! Come play with me!"

Stella's cries instantly filled the room.

"I want Daddy, I want Mommy..."

Sophia felt like her heart was being ripped apart, but Josephine and Robert held her firmly in place so she couldn't move an inch.

"Stella, you don't have a daddy. You're a bastard. Kids really do forget things fast."

Tommy walked up to Sophia with a grin, and his words only made Stella cry harder. Meanwhile, Ronan was pinching Stella's little cheeks.

"No! Let Stella go — please, I'm begging you."

Sophia screamed until her voice broke. Her parents, standing right beside her, didn't react at all — they were actually praising Ronan for being such a good boy, as if Stella had nothing to do with them. It was a complete reversal of the worry they had shown back at the highway exit.

"You know what, Sophia, honestly, it would've been better if you hadn't come back." Tommy swirled a glass of red wine. "If you want Stella to stop getting picked on, then get on your knees and shout it a hundred times!"

"I'm a filthy woman who doesn't deserve to be part of the Wilson family!"

Tommy's face twisted into a vicious grin as he shouted the words. The next moment, the door to the private room was kicked wide open.

The heavy, solid wood door slammed into the wall with a thunderous bang.

A figure appeared in the doorway, silhouetted against the hallway lights like a war god returning from hell.

A voice, cold as ice, cut through the room.

"The one who's going to kneel — is you!"

Sophia called out without even thinking of herself.

"James! Hurry — save Stella!"

Seeing it all with his own eyes, James's expression turned to stone. Stella was being tormented by that little monster, and his own in-laws were just standing there — this clearly wasn't the first time.

"Daddy! I want Daddy, I want Mommy."

Ronan still had his fingers pinched around Stella's little face, grinning from ear to ear, as if the harder she cried, the happier he was.

"Let go!"

The sharp command made Ronan flinch. He stumbled back several steps and fell to the ground, bursting into tears.

Tommy's face went red with fury.

"Damn it! James, you come back from the military and suddenly forget who you are? How dare you yell at Ronan like that?"

James stepped toward Stella on the sofa without even glancing at Tommy.

"You dare ignore me—"

Tommy moved to block him. James hit him with a clean, military-style straight punch that sent him crashing into the table. Red wine glasses shattered across the floor.

James picked Stella up and swept his gaze coldly across everyone in the room.

"You people dare call yourselves my wife's family?"

Then he turned to Robert and Josephine.

"And you two — you dare call yourselves my wife's parents? My daughter's grandparents?"

Robert, no longer holding Sophia, was shaking with rage. He pointed at James.

"You... you actually hit Tommy? James! Have you lost your mind?"

Tommy had been punched, and Ronan had been frightened into tears. Today was going to be a serious problem.

Tommy spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, his face contorted with fury. He couldn't believe it — he, Tommy, had just been hit by James, a useless live-in son-in-law, a castoff from the Rockefeller family. It was the greatest humiliation of his life.

"Fine. Very fine. James, if I don't make you kneel on this floor and slap yourself in the face today, I'll take your damn last name!"

James handed Stella back to Sophia, then slapped Tommy hard across the face again.

"Who do you think you are, making Sophia kneel and say filth like that?"

Tommy tried to speak. He got another slap. Visibly, several teeth flew out of his mouth.

"Get on your knees and apologize to Sophia!"