Third person's POV
Tabitha was already suffering from excruciating pain. And then she was aggravated and verbally insulted by Zander, which made her so pissed off.
Derek's hug made her feel like an abandoned puppy finally seeing its owner.
She reached out and hugged him, saying, feeling utterly aggrieved, "Finally, you're back."
Derek gently caressed her face. Though she had makeup on her face, he could tell at a glance that something was off with her expression.
"What's wrong? Where do you feel uncomfortable?"
Seeing those gossipy onlookers looking forward to a drama unfold, she didn't elaborate. Instead, she forced a smile, suppressing the pain, and said, "I'm fine. As long as you're back."
Noticing the cold sweat on her forehead, Derek figured that she was probably sickened by Phoebe and Zander's disgusting behavior earlier.
He realized he had to deal with the situation quickly.
Then he comforted her gently, "Don't be afraid. I'm back now, and no one gets to pick on you anymore."
After comforting Tabitha, he shifted his gaze to Phoebe. "I've heard everything that's happened in the last few days. Since it's Grandpa's birthday party, I was going to deal with you after today. You wanna leave? Well then. Truman, pack up her belongings."
Phoebe's plan was to kick Andrea out, and she was stunned. How come she ended up being the one who got kicked out?
Filled with unwillingness, she grabbed Ambrose's hand at once and said, "Ambrose, did you hear that? No matter what, I am his elder. How could he disrespect me like this?"
Before Ambrose said anything, Derek beat him to it, saying, "You cut ties with the Greenwood family twenty years ago. Now, I am the heir of the family, which puts me in charge of the family. Sir, please take your wife and leave my house."
Derek had lost all patience and wanted to end things as quickly as possible.
His words were blunt, humiliating Ambrose completely.
In the past, Derek used to care about the so-called kinship. Yet the way Ambrose treated Andrea as well as Tabitha was outrageous.
And that justified whatever Derek was about to do next.
Who got to morally kidnap him if he had no morality at all?
Blood was thicker than water? Bullshit. Ambrose had never cared about him the second he was born. Why should he please Ambrose?
"How dare you speak to me like this! I am your father!"
Derek sneered. Not even bothering to respond to Ambrose, he turned around and politely said to the other guests, "Sorry that you had to see this. I have some family matters to attend to today. Another day, I'll host a better party and invite everyone to attend."
His demeanor was majestic, and his natural aura of leadership was compelling.
Zander was effeminate, whereas Ambrose was so clueless. They were nothing compared to him.
The way Derek behaved was the way the Greenwood family's head should be.
Although the onlookers wanted to watch a good show, since Derek had said so, they could only leave.
"OK, Mr. Greenwood."
Alvin looked around and finally picked up a white towel from the side before walking towards Phoebe.
"Phoebe, you wanna do it yourself, or do you want me to help you?"
Phoebe was dumbfounded. How could Derek actually do this? He was ruthless!
Ambrose had lost all his authority as Derek's father. He roared angrily, "I dare you!"
Phoebe cried even harder with Ambrose backing her up.
Hearing Ambrose's roar, Derek grabbed the towel and forcefully stuffed it into Phoebe's mouth, saying, "I've warned you already."