Nara had watched the entire family scene play out with a smirk gracing her lips.
She loved how unsettled the news had made everyone present in the hall feel. They were all ass-kissers and right about now they were all probably thinking of jumping off Darren's boat and planning how they would swim over to Nathan's now that he had it all.
She watched as Nathan reentered the hall and all eyes fell on him, expecting him to say or do something.
Darren, Nathan's uncle, had been allowed back inside since he was no longer a threat to Grandfather Timothy.
"Your not gonna accept this. Are you." Mason, Nathan's cousin, asked, anger evident in his voice.
One could describe Mason with just two words... Scratch that, just one word would suffice: 'Imbecile.'
Nathan ignored Mason.
"Are you really going to support your clearly ailing Grandfather's decision?" Lillian, Nathan's aunt and Mason's mother, frowned as she voiced her disapproval.
"Frederick, you have to talk to your son. Clearly, he doesn't understand the words family or respect. My husband should be the head of this family; it's only fair. He is the heir," Lillian said to Nathan's father, her voice filled with undisguised contempt.
"Oh, shut up, Lillian. And don't you ever speak to my husband that way," Diana, Nathan's stepmother and Frederick's wife, warned. Shocking everyone present, she was usually very quiet.
"It's alright, dear," Frederick said, attempting to calm his wife before addressing Lillian firmly. "If my father says Nathan is the head of this house, then Nathan is the head of the house. And he has my full support."
"Of course, you'd support him, you old cow," Mason said to his uncle Frederick with disdain.
"How dare you? You stupid imbecile," Diana addressed angrily to Mason.
"Don't you dare call my son an imbecile, you wench," Lillian interjected angrily, and the hall broke down with disorder as the family members engaged in a heated exchange.
Meanwhile, Nathan remained unfazed by the family drama, his attention solely focused on Nara. He approached her with a calm demeanor, taking her hand gently.
"Let's go home," he said quietly, his voice a soothing contrast to the commotion around them.
Nara, who had been thoroughly entertained by the spectacle, readily agreed, following Nathan as he led her towards the exit.
"She's very beautiful," Darren's voice thundered, immediately silencing the noisy hall. He had been quiet since he returned.
"I hope you can find a third one that looks just like her," Darren remarked with a wicked grin, and the hall was filled with gasps.
Now Nathan was a calm guy; he was very good at controlling his temper and he was very slow to anger.
But his Uncle's words triggered something in him. He stopped dead in his tracks and turned back to face Darren, his expression darkening.
He let go of Nara's hand, and after taking a couple of strides, he was face to face with his uncle.
"Say that again. I dare you," Nathan challenged, his voice low and dangerous, ready to confront his uncle head-on.
"I hope you can find--"
Darren wasn't able to complete his sentence as Nathan's right fist collided with his face.
Nathan's anger had reached its boiling point; he lunged towards his uncle Darren, his fists unleashing a series of punches. His rage fueling every blow.
Darren staggered back, caught off guard by the sudden assault. The other family members looked on in shock, too stunned to intervene as Nathan unleashed his fury upon his uncle.
Mason attempted to step in, his voice drowned out by the chaos erupting in the hall. Security rushed forward, but Nathan's onslaught was relentless, his pent-up frustration propelling him forward with unstoppable force.
Amidst the chaos, Nara stood frozen, her heart pounding in her chest as she watched the violence unfold before her. With a surge of adrenaline, she pushed through the crowd, determined to put an end to the madness.
"That's enough, Nathan!" she shouted, her voice cutting through like a knife. Her words pierced through Nathan's anger, momentarily breaking the spell of violence that had consumed him.
For a brief moment, Nathan hesitated, his gaze locking with Nara's. In that moment of clarity, he saw the concern written on her face, and something inside him shifted.
With a deep breath, Nathan forced himself to step back, his fists slowly unclenching as he regained control of his emotions. The hall fell silent.
Darren, battered and bruised, glared at Nathan with venomous hatred, but he made no move to retaliate.
The tension in the room was obvious as the family members exchanged uneasy glances, unsure of what would happen next.
Nathan turned to Nara, his expression a mixture of shame and remorse. "I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice barely audible over the hushed murmurs of the crowd.
Nara reached out to him, her touch gentle yet firm. "It's okay," she said softly, her eyes filled with understanding. "Let's get out of here."