“Some filthy beggar off the streets? I’ve never seen him before in my life.”
“Use your brains, will you? The Wilson Family’s great-grandfather would be what—eighty or ninety years old? This kid hasn’t even grown all his hair yet and you believe he’s that guy?”
Of course he didn’t recognize me. Only the innermost circle of the Wilson Family had ever seen my real face. This steward was new. A nobody. Hope crashed to the floor like shattered glass.
Tommy sneered, hocking up a glob of phlegm and spitting it straight into my face. Then he turned and gave the steward a thumbs-up. “Smart man. That’s my dad right there.”
And just like that, everything made sense. Tommy’s arrogance, his recklessness—he wasn’t acting alone. He was hiding behind the steward’s authority the whole time. A blaze of fury ignited in my gut. My vision turned red as I glared at the man who dared stand in my house like he owned it.
“You let a stranger into the Wilson estate without the master’s permission? You’ve got some nerve.”
SMACK! Another slap from Tommy. More blood, more teeth gone.
“I am the future master of the Wilson Family. I go where I want, when I want.”
“Now shut your damn mouth. You’re ruining the vibe.”