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Chapter 2 - 2: Backstabbed

Zade was genuinely taken aback by this news. He knew grandfather Melbourne loved him so much, but he didn't know it was to this extent. Melbourne the first, aged seventy, was the owner of all riches under the name 'Melbourne'. He was the one who had picked Zade from the gutters after Zade helped him one night from some thieves. He had then handed Zade over to his only child and son, to adopt and bring Zade up along with his four children. 

Zade wasn't that surprised the grandfather could do something like this, because the man never hid how much he liked Zade whenever he was present. He liked how Zade had a hustling spirit and was never entitled, unlike his grandchildren who were lazy and only liked to lavish their grandfather's money, without having any goal in sight.

"I- I don't think you guys have to go to this length. I'll talk to him and ask him not to do that. Heck, what am I supposed to do with all the billions I'm supposed to inherit? I'll rather it be shared between us all, I promise." Zade urged, and he meant those words. 

"We don't want to share what rightfully belongs to us with you." Travis and Scott announced at the same time as they folded their arms.

Zade was so hurt, especially because he did so much for them and always put them first. He had taken falls for them more times than he could count. 

What he was just realizing now was that he had just been used this whole time. They never saw him as a brother or a part of the family. 

How cruel.

His eyes focused on Sera once again and the betrayed feeling returned to him ten folds.

Zade was so hurt by her betrayal because she was nothing before he met her. He believed that after his own life got changed by grandfather Melbourne, the humble thing to do was to also help people like him. In the middle of donating to the poor and financially helping out wherever he could, he met Sera. She was everything he ever wanted: good characters, pretty and funny… so, right after they started dating, he completely transformed her life.

Only for her to stab him in the back like this.

If he could turn back time, he'd have flung her away a long time ago, even though it would have hurt because he genuinely loved her. 

He guessed this was what happens to people like him that still believed pure and genuine love still exists.

How stupid of him.

"Guys, c'mon… let's talk this out some more." Zade focused on his brothers again, and he instantly noticed that Malik was absent. 

Before he could ask for his whereabouts, Malik reemerged with a sharp knife from his kitchen, and Zade's eyes instantly widened.

"This house was gifted to you by grandfather Melbourne on your birthday three years ago, right? It was supposed to be mine. But after your arrival, everything got disrupted." Malik's eyes were brimming with rage as he regarded Zade from across the room.

Zade's heartbeat accelerated and the sight of the sharp knife in Malik's grip, which reminded him of the fact that his life was in real danger. 

He needed to act fast.

As Malik approached him, he desperately searched his brain for something to use to stall him.

"Look, you can have the house if you want. I'll move out tonight, I promise." Zade quickly pushed those words out as Malik kept approaching him, knife gripped firmly in his hand. 

Malik briefly stopped walking and let out a scoff. "No, that won't do. You need to completely stop breathing."

The rest of his brothers nodded behind him and the panic within Zade shot up, hitting him with the scary truth that nothing was working to stop them from attacking me.

"What if I disappear, guys? I'll just travel to a far away country, yes? I'll drop your family name and I'll never ever contact grandfather. I promise." 

While speaking, Zade took slow steps backwards as he assessed Malik's movements. His eyes were mainly focused on Malik's shoulders so he'd be able to read the movements of his hands.

"That's much worse! Grandfather won't care about us, he'll only be worried about finding you. The best thing to do is to kill you so we can present your lifeless body to him." Malik stopped right before Zade, then his right shoulder moved and he swung the knife, making a swift whoosh sound as the knife cut through the air which Zade's head was just in, a fleeting moment ago. 

While Zade was crouched down, he tried to headbutt Malik's jaw, but he read me perfectly and blocked the hit with his elbow, and at the same time, he kneed me hard in the stomach thrice in a row, making a hard cough to rattle out of me as pain shot through every inch of my body. 

Fuck. That hurt.

Zade was way weaker than normal because of all the injuries he got tonight. Before he could catch his breath, Malik was bringing the knife down and he jumped out of the way, but it managed to slice down the side of his arm

Blood gushed down Zade's side and he gritted my teeth tightly and let out a sharp, choked sound as a searing pain shot through his side.

Malik was grinning darkly as he twirled the knife between his hands like a freaking psychopath. Behind him, their brothers and Sera were all watching and laughing like they were both acting out a comedy play for them.

When Zade focused on Malik again, he silently admitted to himself that instead of fighting a losing battle, it was better he run for his life instead.

When he spun around and attempted to run in the entrance of his house, he was blocked by a crackling Malik. Not wasting a second, he turned sideways and ran upstairs then he slammed and locked the bedroom door behind him and as he slid down the door, he fished out his phone and quickly dialed the police.

It rang but it went unanswered and Zade let out a curse as he tried again. His heart was in his throat and this time, his eyesight was starting to get hazy. He couldn't properly see the writings on his phone.

When the police picked up, relief flooded Zade's veins and he hurriedly explained the situation to them. As he was still speaking, a hard kick landed on the door he was leaning against it, right before his brothers demanded he open up for them this instant.

He managed to rat off the address to the police, and had already dialed his grandfather's number before the door was broken down, then he was kicked hard in the face, which sent him flying into a table that collapsed with a sickening crack. Zade's sight blurred and pain gripped him so tightly, he struggled to breathe or move. He also realized his nose and mouth were bleeding from the impact of the kick.

Charlie snorted after picking up his phone which flew from his hand after that kick. "Oh, look. He's calling grandfather. I bet that old fuck would answer his call. Mind you, he blocked the rest of us from reaching him." Charlie spat out, and coincidentally, the call was answered at the same moment.

Zade instantly wanted to shout, but the twins shoved a cloth into his mouth and pinned him down with their feet.

Charlie took his sweet time speaking to his grandfather about how he and his brothers were searching for Zade but are yet to find him. He even put Sera on the phone, who fake cried as she narrated how Zade was kidnapped by some masked men while they were out on a date, but his car and phone were left behind.

After the call, they didn't waste time. They were all extremely angry, so they began to stab Zade one after the other. They took turns, and each stab brought fought extinguishing pain that worsened with each passing second. Zade was choking on blood, and his eyes was starting to flutter close when Sera collected the knife and announced that she wanted to join in on the fun. 

When she brought the knife down, Zade gripped the sharp end tightly, stopping its descent with his bare palm, ignoring how it deeply cut into his palm and made blood drip over his face and throat while white hot pain shot through his hand. 

With the last of his strength, he loosened his hold on the knife and twisted her wrist. She yelped and instantly dropped the knife, and Zade caught it and quickly shoved it through her chest before anyone could react. The shocked expression on her face was priceless before she realized what just happened.

Zade felt a deep sense of satisfaction within himself just as she fell over him, blood gushing from her chest to mix with the blood gushing from his own stomach.

It was like time got frozen and everyone's mouths hung open as they gaped at the sight before them.

What happened next was a blur. Zade's brothers scattered around. Charlie tried to revive Sera, but she was limp in his arms

As everyone was cursing and screaming, Charlie dropped Sera, then walked right up to Zade to break a large vase over his head.

The world blackened out around him after that.

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