Chapter 374
"I'd hardly be his brother if I didn't help when you all are," Michael grumbled resignedly and finally ordered his people to back up Joseph, too.
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The black sports car swooped into the Hernandez estate like a whirlwind, screeching to a halt with a swift drift right at the main building's entrance.
Joseph walked in with purposeful strides.
Inside the dining room, the entire Hernandez family was mid-meal.
As he entered, the room's atmosphere turned tense. Mrs. Hernandez, startled for a moment, stood up, "It's good you're here—just don't make such foolish choices again. How could you go around breaking the legs of those young elites over a girl..."
"Where's Cassie?" Joseph cut in sharply, his gaze piercing, "Hand her over to me."
"Clang!"
Walter slammed his bowl onto the table with such force that it caused a resounding crash, "I think you've lost your mind. You've been cooped up for days without any improvement. Still obsessing over that woman. How can you say you've lived up to all the mentoring I've given you?"
"What exactly have you mentored me in?" Joseph retorted with an icy smirk, "Before I turned eight, it was the nanny who took care of me. After I turned eight, I was sent to a mental health facility. When I got out, you shunned me, labeling me a lunatic. It was my relentless effort that finally earned me a second glance from you. You gave me a chance, sure, and I expanded Hernandez's empire, generating billions in assets. It has always been the Hernandez family who's indebted to me."
"Oh, so that's what you think?" Walter, incensed, swung his hand and struck Joseph across the face. "Let me tell you, without me, you wouldn't have even had the chance to join Hernandez's empire. You're utterly ungrateful."
"Enough, stop fighting," Mrs. Hernandez intervened, trying to calm her father down, "He spoke in the heat of the moment."
"I'm not interested in arguing now. I want you to hand over Cassie," demanded Joseph, his voice frosty.
"That's out of the question," Walter flatly denied, "And forget about that woman. She's out of the country; I've seen to it that she's gone."
"Don't bother lying to me. I know she's here on the estate, probably locked in the dungeon. I'll fetch her myself." And with that, Joseph strode towards the backyard.
"Stop him," Walter commanded with a wave of his hand. Suddenly, more than twenty bodyguards appeared in the grand hall, blocking Joseph's path. At the forefront was Brandon Scott, a formidable figure revered across Dragon, even within Madison's elite circles.
"Brandon Scott, you've betrayed me," Joseph said, a glint of fury in his eyes.
"Joseph, Dragon has always belonged to the Hernandez family. I'm loyal to them. There's no betrayal," Brandon replied, his tone steady and firm.
Walter scoffed, "I once thought of handing over the Hernandez empire to you, and that's why Brandon Scott followed your orders. Don't fool yourself into thinking he was ever your man."
"I see...," Joseph mused, and then, without warning, he drew his gun and shot Brandon Scott in both knees. With a forceful kick, he sent Brandon tumbling away.
Brandon's screams echoed as he hit the ground, his knees smeared with blood.
The women of the Hernandez family screamed in terror as Walter's fury boiled over; his protégé of many years had been utterly ruined by his hand. "You dare to fire a gun in the presence of the Hernandez family, you scumbag!"
Joseph pressed the muzzle against Brandon Scott's forehead. "If you can't be of use to me, then you'll live your life as nothing more than trash."
Brandon Scott's face was a mask of terror, only now realizing the madman he had provoked.
With his knees shattered, his life was destined to be over.
"Someone grab him," Walter bellowed, incandescent with rage. "I'll make sure he's finished."
"It's chaos, sir. Dragon's men have surrounded the estate, and Jude's family has sent their best," the butler stumbled in, panic-stricken.
Shock rippled through the Hernandez household. Mabel stared at Joseph as though he were insane. "You're siding with outsiders against your own family over a damn Cassie?"
Mrs. Hernandez was crestfallen. "Joseph, you've disappointed me deeply."
"Do you plan to stand in my way?" Joseph no longer had the patience for idle talk.
Walter was so angry he could almost spit blood, but he was powerless against him; now, he could only let Joseph go to the dungeons.
Kicking open the dungeon door with a hefty boot, Joseph flicked on his phone's flashlight and made his way downstairs.
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