Chapter 6 Family Confrontation

"You're full of it! This house was given to me by mom as a wedding gift! We bought it from Quinn for 20 grand." "Who the hell are you? Get the hell out of here!" Anthony snapped, his tone laced with displeasure and arrogance. Howard turned to Quinn and saw her tear-filled eyes and anguished expression. Seven years ago, this villa was worth over a million dollars, and now it would easily start in the eight-figure range. Yet Anthony had bought it from Quinnie for a mere 20 thousand dollars? At that moment, Bianca called out, her voice loud and clear. "Uncle Anthony, it was because I got sick and needed money that mom sold the house. Grandma and you tricked her—" "Shut up, you little bastard!" Anthony bellowed, his face contorting with rage as he glared at her. Frightened, Bianca shrank back and hid behind Quinn. "A bastard? Did you just call your own niece a bastard?" Howard's eyes flashed with a blood-red haze as an overwhelming aura erupted from him. As he stepped toward Anthony, the young woman standing beside Anthony rolled her eyes and sneered, "If she's not a bastard, what is she? She has a mother who's a homewrecker and a father who's a murderer. Who knows whose kid she really is?" Howard's figure blurred as he suddenly accelerated toward Anthony and the woman. In an instant, his right hand shot out like lightning. First, he delivered a slap to Anthony's face, then turned and slapped the woman with equal force. Anthony staggered backward, clutching his burning cheek. Meanwhile, the woman spun around and collapsed to the floor, clutching her face in pain. "She is the daughter of Howard and Quinn. From this moment on, if any of you dare call her a bastard again, I'll break your damn mouth!" Howard's voice was ice cold as his piercing gaze locked onto Anthony and the woman. Quinn stood frozen, her heart a mixture of shock, gratitude, and fear. This man, who looked so much like Howard, had been helping her since he appeared. But now that he had struck Anthony, she knew her mother would be furious when she returned. Anthony, one hand covering his bleeding mouth, hurried to the woman on the floor. "Quella, are you okay? Don't scare me!" The woman, called Quella Delaney, groaned in pain as she clutched her face. "I can't hear from my ear… It hurts so much…" "You jerk! How dare you hit my wife! I'll kill you for this!" Anthony roared, pointing at Howard with fury before whipping out his phone to make a call. "Mom! Where are you? I and Quella have been attacked." he said as soon as the call was picked up. "It's Quinn. She brought a guy to beat us up! If she weren't your daughter, I'd have already called Mr. Blake to bring his people over!" Anthony shouted into the phone, his voice trembling with rage. The commotion grew louder as the door to the kitchen opened. A middle-aged man wearing an apron and holding a spatula emerged. He froze in place when he saw Howard standing in the living room, his eyes wide and mouth agape in disbelief. "Howard?" York Harper stammered, the spatula falling from his hand to the floor with a clang. Howard noted the gray hair at his father-in-law's temples and his stunned expression but said nothing. Quinn hurried to York with Bianca in tow, speaking in a low, urgent voice, "Dad, don't call him that. He's not Howard." Just then, the sound of a car engine came from outside, followed by the sharp clatter of high heels approaching. A middle-aged woman in a red business suit strode in, a branded handbag dangling from her arm. Two burly security guards followed closely behind. Yvonne Harper's face was stormy as she marched into the villa. Her gaze first landed on Howard's back, then on Anthony and Quella, whose swollen faces bore clear slap marks. Finally, her icy eyes locked onto Quinn. "Quinn! Your father invited you and your daughter for dinner, and you dare bring someone to assault your brother? What are you up to?" Yvonne scolded, her voice sharp and commanding. She quickly shifted her expression to one of concern as she rushed to Anthony's side. "Son, let me see. How badly are you hurt?" "Mom, Quella and I were almost killed! Quinn actually brought someone to attack us!" Anthony shouted, his voice filled with righteous indignation as he pointed at Quinn. Yvonne frowned and turned her head, about to speak when her gaze met Howard's. "Mrs. Harper, it's been seven years. How have you been?" Howard said, his voice calm yet cutting. Yvonne's expression froze, disbelief washing over her features as she took in Howard's appearance and his words. "Now that we're all here, let's clear this up once and for all. Why has my home become Anthony's marital house? Why are Quinn and Bianca forced to live in a filthy, broken-down place?" Howard demanded, his sharp eyes locking onto Yvonne. The Harper family's clothing business had always been managed by Yvonne, a domineering matriarch with a long-standing reputation for being controlling. Seven years ago, she had been the most vocal opponent of Quinn's marriage to Howard. It was only because Howard had agreed to transfer ownership of the villa to Quinn and become a live-in son-in-law that Yvonne had reluctantly given her approval. Seven years ago, if not for Yvonne's manipulations, Howard would never have taken the fall for Anthony and been sentenced to death.