Chapter 17

"You were having dinner with Miss Clark, and we couldn't be too far away from you, so we didn't send anyone after Young Master. Of course, I've contacted Albert to bring him home."

Cedrick looked up to find Eason's mouth twitching as though stifling his laughter. "Are you laughing at me?" asked Cedrick.

"No, I—"

"Your bonus for this month will be reduced by half."

The amusement on Eason's face faded and was replaced by devastation. "Master Cedrick…"

"Keep talking and you'll lose all of it." Cedrick stared at him, leaving no room for questioning.

"…" Eason realized how easily an employee would suffer when their boss was this hard to please.

Soon, their car arrived at Mason Estate as well.

The lights in Mason Estate shone brightly during the night, making it appear as though it was still daytime.

Under the moon, the sparkling lights on the trees made a perfect contrast that formed a unique scene.

When Albert heard the sound of the car's engine turned off from the garage, he stood by the door to Ollie's room and asked the servant anxiously. "Hurry, Master Cedrick is back. Is the Young Master ready yet?"

"Yes, he is," said the servant before pushing Miles, who was dressed in silk pajamas, outside.

Miles's eyes were filled with anger for being moved around like he was a toy. Half an hour ago, he was taken to the washroom by force for a bath and a change of clothes.

Albert threw all his clothes away after noticing how rough the materials of his t-shirt were and forced him to wear silk pajamas that fitted perfectly to the skin like a soft layer of body lotion.

He had to admit that the pajamas fitted perfectly, but the color was just too dull. The pajama was pitch-black and made him look old.

The maid helped to dry his hair gently with a towel before casually styling his hair into a slight curl.

Miles looked exceptionally fair after the bath, and with how delicate his features were, Albert's heart melted when Miles glared at him with his cheeks puffed.

'Young Master is so adorable,' mused Albert to himself. He took Miles's hand and led him downstairs while advising sincerely, "Young Master, Master Cedrick will be back soon. Whatever happened between you before, you have to take the initiative to apologize, okay?"

"Unbelievable." Miles snorted before spotting a towering male figure before him.

Cedrick strode into the hall and removed his jacket; the servants took it respectfully and handed it onto the rack. When he looked up, his eyes happened to meet with Miles' eyes which were filled with surprise.

Miles's jaw dropped as he pointed at Cedrick with disbelief.

How…could this man look so much like him?

"You—"

"I, what?" Cedrick sank into the couch and pursed his lips in displeasure. "Is that something you should be doing to your senior? Come here."

Cedrick decided that he could not let it slip if his three-year-old son had started developing the courage to defy him in public…but Miles stood still. Cedrick simply looked too much like him that he felt intense fear for the unknown.

To conceal the fact that he was afraid, Miles glanced at Cedrick with his arms across his chest to act prideful. "Then why don't you know you should take care of your young?"

"…" Everyone gasped at the boy's words. It was no different than pulling a tiger's tail!

"Stop messing around, Young Master! Master Cedrick is your father, and his words are absolute. Hurry over there and apologize, and let bygones be bygones," Albert whispered.

Like a proud little prince, Miles said, "My words are absolute as well. If anyone should move, it should be him."

The next moment, Cedrick, who was sitting on the couch, stood up abruptly. The spacious hall instantly felt cramped, and even the atmosphere was beginning to tense.

Cedrick narrowed his eyes as he stared at Miles. "What did you just say?"

Attacked by the intimidating aura that approached him, Miles came close to taking a step back, but soon puffed his chest to hide his fear and pretended to be calm by probing his hands by his waist. "I was doing just fine walking on the street when you guys abducted me. What are you trying to do? Let me tell you, if you refuse to let me go, I am going to call the police and report you for abducting and abusing children!"

Everyone gasped once again.

"Very well. Since you've already accused me of abuse, isn't it a waste not to do it?" Cedrick let out an enraged laugh as though he heard something incredibly hilarious. "Albert, take him to the prayer hall. He'll stay there until he admits his mistake."

Panicked, Albert immediately tried to dissuade him, saying, "Young Master, Master Cedrick really is angry. Hurry up and say you're sorry!"

"I'm angry, too." Miles sneered, his eyes widened in anger. "Don't think that I'll be scared of you simply because you look like me and are my senior, you big demon. Dream on!"

Everyone, including Cedrick, Albert, and the servants, were rendered speechless, baffled as to what could have possessed the young master to act out.

Could it be that he had been suppressed by Cedrick for too long and finally exploded to become this rebellious?

It was the first time that Cedrick's authority in the Mason Estate was challenged, and he was so enraged that the veins on his forehead began to pop. "You've become this unruly after only a few hours out there? Ollie Mason, if I don't discipline you, are you going to assume that you have the say in what happens here in Mason Estate from now on?"

"Who's Ollie Mason? I'm not—mmph!" Miles widened his eyes in shock and tried to explain in flushed cheeks, but before he could get the words out, Albert lifted him up and placed a hand over his mouth.

Miles widened his dark eyes and silently asked Albert to let go.

"My apologies, Master Cedrick, it's my fault for not taking better care of Young Master. He's probably not in the right state of mind after being traumatized out there, and that's why he's saying all these things. I'll take him to the prayer hall." Albert's forehead was already covered in a thin layer of sweat, and his heart threatened to jump out of his throat. He would much rather take the boy to the room to calm himself than to have him here arguing with his father.

"Mmph!" Miles kicked his legs in the air frantically, but Albert held him tight. Unable to escape no matter how hard he tried, he was taken straight to the prayer hall.

The prayer hall was one of the rooms near the stairs on the third floor. The inside of the room was decorated with black, white, and gray. It appeared deserted, but the servants kept it clean until there was not a speck of dust in sight.

The air was refreshing with a pleasant scent, and there were a few books and items on the glass coffee table. On the wall across was a gigantic portrait painting of a boy.

The boy was dressed in middle-age knight armor with a charming helmet on his head. He held a long sword that pointed toward the ground, and his hair was combed back tidily. His eyes were brooding dark, and his posture was perfect like an elegant high-born.

Miles froze.

Was that him?

No… It was a boy that looked exactly like him!