"You absolute cretin!"
The middle-aged man didn't slap him. Instead, he clenched his hand into a fist and lowered it slowly, his knuckles turning white from the restraint. The aura around him flared erratically, heating the damp air of the chamber. If only he weren't his brother's son, or if he were the family head, he would have reduced this trash of the family to ashes way long, long ago.
"You will ruin this family sooner or later with that peanut-sized brain of yours!" he roared, his voice echoing off the stone walls. "Do you think this is some playground game? Do you think you can just snatch people off the streets because your fragile ego was bruised?"
Ronald flinched at the volume but didn't back down completely.
He lowered his head, biting his lip. His eyes, hidden by his bangs, burned with a mix of humiliation and stubborn resentment. He couldn't understand why his uncle was making such a big deal out of this.
