*Shelly's PoV*
Damien growled at his great grandma. "You're a cruel woman."
She huffed. "And you're an insane young man, bringing these vultures here. Those bastards are nothing but gold diggers, coming to steal our fortune. They're no different from their whore of a grandmother."
"Don't talk about her like that!" I yelled, furious.
Toren growled and looked at her with fire in his eyes. "Rawr!"
"Hmph. How old is that boy? He looks to be seven but acts like a toddler. Must be retarded," she said, rolling her eyes.
If I wasn't holding Toren, I would've punched her. How dare she call him that?! "Take that back!"
She glared at me. "Or what, girl? You're going to hit me?"
"Rawr!" Toren hissed, struggling in my arms. I had to hold onto him tightly to prevent him from charging at her.
"Enough of this nonsense," the old hag said, glaring at us. "Leave and we can all forget this ever happened. You can go back to your pathetic lives and leave the wealth and prestige to the rightful heirs."
Damien shook his head. "No! They're not leaving!"
The old hag sighed. "You aren't the head yet, Damien. And at this rate, you never will be. This little stunt has costed you immense political capital. Apart from your grandfather and Frederick, no one else in the family is willing to side with you."
"I side with him," I shouted, glaring at the old hag. Toren growled and nodded, glaring at her too. "We're not leaving. We're staying here. And, we're going to make sure you get what's coming to you."
The old hag smirked. "How cute. The bastard girl and her little brother are going to take on the family. I'd like to see you try. Even together, you three aren't even close to a threat to my power. You're nothing but children. You're nothing but a nuisance. Now, leave before I have you removed by force!"
The guards grabbed me and Toren and began to drag us away.
"Rawr!" Toren shouted as he growled, thrashing in the guard's arms.
"Toren!" I cried, reaching out for him.
"Let them go!" Damien shouted, rushing over to stop them. He was stopped by more guards and held back.
"Enough of this," the old hag said. "Take them away."
Toren screeched.
"Stop!" I shouted, tears welling in my eyes. "Leave him alone! You're hurting him!"
Toren continued to thrash in the guard's arms, his face turning red with anger and pain. He bit the guard, making him loosen his grip. Toren ran towards the old hag, ready to claw at her, but the guards quickly caught him, and he was unable to reach her.
The old hag glared at him, her eyes cold. "Disgusting brat," she growled. She turned around and walked off.
Toren kept struggling in the guards' arms.
"Please, let him go! He's just a kid!" I pleaded, tears streaming down my face.
"Shut up!" the guard holding Toren shouted, his grip tightening. Toren whimpered and struggled, but he was too weak to break free.
"Take them away," the old hag ordered, her back to us.
"Yes, ma'am," the guard said, dragging Toren away.
Toren grunted, fire still in his eyes as the guards dragged us away. I tried to break free, but I was too weak to do anything. I couldn't save him, and I couldn't save myself.
"Let them go!" Damien shouted, struggling against the guards. He broke free of them and punched the guy holding Toren.
Toren fell to the floor, his body limp. He groaned in pain, his face pale.
"Damien, help Toren!" I cried, reaching for him. He was struggling to fight the guards off.
"Stop this now!" Alexander suddenly shouted as he came up the stairs. "Let them go!"
"Alexander!?" the old hag said, shocked.
The guards released me, and I ran to Toren. I picked him up and held him close. He was breathing heavily, his eyes closed.
"Alexander, what are you doing? Are you also going to side with these bastards?"
He sighed and glanced at me and Toren. "I'm not on their side, nor yours. I'm on the side of peace. And this is not the way to achieve it. You're the one who taught me that the image of the family matters the most, grandma. And this is a horrible image. Two children being beaten and thrown out on the street. I can already imagine the headlines if anyone were to find out."
She gulped, her face pale. She looked at Toren and me, then at Damien and Alexander. She sighed, shaking her head. "Fine. I'll allow them to stay. But, they're to remain on this floor unless otherwise given permission. Is that clear, you two?"
I glared at her and held Toren closer. "Crystal."
"Good. Now leave me be."
She stormed off, the guards following her.
Damien sighed and walked over to me, helping me pick up Toren. "I'm sorry about that, Shelly. I didn't think she would do something like this."
"It's fine," I said, sighing. "But Toren needs medical attention."
"Don't worry," Zara said as she rushed over with a first aid kit. "I've got it covered."
She tended to Toren's wounds, and he was fine. But he was traumatized. He wouldn't let go of me the rest of the day, even when he slept. He kept whimpering and mumbling, his arms wrapped around me tightly. It was heartbreaking to see him like this. I thought moving here would help him. But instead, I made it worse.
I was a fool for thinking things would work out. I should've known that they would never see us as anything more than dirt on their shoes.