At the entrance, three figures stood frozen for a moment.
Evelyn ,Graham Larson,and Edward Larsonall stared at the ultra-luxury villa district in disbelief.
Even the wealthy Larson family had never set foot in such an exclusive area.
Edward, however, recovered first—and recovered with anger.
"Graham, look at the daughter you've raised," he snapped."Spending the Larson family's money like water. Does a birthday party require renting a villa this luxurious?"
But Graham had already made his decision internally—he was done bending to the Larson family.
He replied calmly:
"Holly has spent less than a tenth of what Lucas and the others have burned through since childhood. And it wasn't even Larson money—everything came from what Evelyn and I earned ourselves.
Holly can spend it however she likes."
Edward let out a cold laugh.
"Well aren't you bold now, Graham.I hope you're this tough in front of Dad later.
And your precious daughter's boyfriend tying up Lucas and the others—we'll settle that score properly once we get back."
Evelyn quickly stepped in:
"Big Brother… please, let's not argue outside. We're family. Let's deal with the situation first."
Edward grunted.
"Then tell Holly to come out and greet us.Or do we not deserve even basic courtesy anymore?"
Evelyn sighed, already exasperated. She called Holly while whispering to her husband:
"Graham, later… make Holly apologize properly. Otherwise they won't let this go."
Graham gave her a tired smile.
"Before you ask Holly to apologize…have you even figured out who's right and who's wrong?"
Evelyn frowned.
"She tied someone up.If she doesn't apologize, how can this possibly be resolved?"
Graham didn't respond.He simply sent Holly a text:
"Holly, your uncle and the others are here.If you don't want to see them, go back to campus for now.Don't worry, I'll handle this."
Just then—
Edward's phone rang.A video call from Lucas.
Edward immediately answered.
The video opened, showing Lucas kneeling on the floor inside the villa—his knees bruised and red, rope marks still on his wrists.
Edward exploded immediately:
"Why are you still tied up?!Your knees are bruised!That rotten girl Holly—did she actually make you kneel for three hours?!"
Lucas panicked.
"No, Dad—Dad, I'm fine! They said they notified security already, so you can just walk in—"
Before he could finish, the call abruptly hung up.
Edward trembled with fury.
"They hung up on me?!They did it on purpose!"
He was right.
Jason Carter did it intentionally.
He wanted Edward to see the bruised knees,to ignite the conflict fully.
Because Jason understood the root issue:
The biggest obstacle between Holly and the Larson familywasn't Holly herself…
It was her parents' entanglement with the Larsons.
If he wanted to free Holly—
the Larson family needed to be broken first.
And Jason Carter?
He never did things halfway.
As expected, the conflict exploded instantly.
Edward Larson's fury shook the air:
"Graham Larson, look at the wonderful daughter you've raised!Tying up her cousins, making them kneel until their knees are bruised!"
He was shaking with rage.
"I was willing to let her off earlier," he continued, voice rising,"but after this? She's done. She will be expelled from the Larson family!"
With that, he dialed Ronald Larson, the family patriarch.
Evelyn's face paled.
"Big Brother… isn't that too much? It's just a squabble between kids. Why escalate it to… expulsion?"
Edward snapped:
"Since middle school she's been running around outside every day—wild, unrestrained, no discipline at all. And now she doesn't even respect her own cousins."
At "wild and unrestrained," Evelyn's expression suddenly changed.
Because those words—for a girl—were cruel and deeply judgmental.
Before, when it came from younger cousins, it was bad enough.But hearing it from an elder confirmed something darker.
She pressed her anger down:
"Yes… making them kneel for three hours was too much."
"But Holly has been bullied by them since she was little. Do you still remember? When she was FIVE, and Graham and I were away on a business trip? They forced her to kneel for hours. A little girl crying alone—yet not a single adult helped her."
"And the countless times they excluded her or bullied her…Did any of them face real consequences?"
"Why is it that Holly defends herself once,and THAT is enough to expel her?"
Edward shoved his hands on his hips, furious:
"Little Sister, what nonsense are you talking about?That father and daughter pair has NEVER respected the elders.And now you're siding with them too?"
"What happened when they were children was normal play among kids. Does that count? They're adults now. Holly must take responsibility for her actions."
Before Evelyn could respond, Edward got through to Ronald Larson.
After hearing the story, Ronald immediately erupted:
"OUTRAGEOUS! Bring them back first.We'll hold a family meeting to vote on whether she should be expelled!"
Evelyn's heart trembled.
Her own father…was seriously considering expelling Holly.
A long silence followed.
Then she took the phone from Edward.Her voice was calm… and heartbreakingly resigned:
"Dad, I finally understand."
"Maybe you never considered Graham and Holly as real family."
"You looked down on Graham from the very beginning.You opposed our marriage.You demanded he become a live-in son-in-law—and even then, you still belittled him."
"I used to tell myself:If Graham achieves something, Dad will surely see his worth.But the moment he did, and circumstances shifted slightly…you stripped away everything he earned."
"You always said Holly changing her surname angered you.But have you ever asked why?She didn't change her name out of rebellion.She was disappointed."
"She stayed home when she was young,quiet and obedient,yet she was bullied by her cousins over and over.When did you ever protect her?"
"They bullied Holly countless times—and NOTHING happened to them.But Holly defends herself once,and she's to be expelled?"
"This is because, in your heart,you never treated her as equal to the others."
"I finally understand that saying:'The greatest mountain in the world is the prejudice inside one's heart.'"
"No matter how hard Graham or Holly try—it's pointless."
"If you want to expel her, then do it.But know this—I am leaving the Larson family too.From today onward, I am marrying OUT."
And with that—
Evelyn hung up.
Graham looked at his wife, his eyes already reddening.He took her hand, full of love and pain.
Evelyn's tears fell too.She finally realized the truth:
Her husband and daughter didn't fail to belong…
The Larson family never gave them a chance.
"Little Sister… you…" Edward stammered, stunned.
Evelyn didn't look back.
"No need for more words, Big Brother.Let's go—the gate is open."
She took Graham's hand and walked straight into the community.
Edward and the others hurriedly followed, furious but anxious about their kids.
They stormed through the open gate…
rushed into Villa No. 1…
flung open the door—
And what they saw insidemade every single one of them…
freeze in absolute shock.
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