Chapter 27: Threats

Joseph was about to explain when an explosion sounded nearby. "Do you all think our family isn't humiliated enough already?" "You all know what we've been through these past years!" "Now, it's finally my birthday, and you still want to disgrace me in front of everyone?" "All of you, shut up!" Everyone turned to look. The family patriarch, Thor, slowly walked out. He was Lucy's grandfather. It was Thor who had forbidden Lucy from staying in the family back then, but now he missed her dearly. Seeing Lucy, he pretended to be calm and showed no emotion. Lucy gently patted Tangna. "Say hello to your great-grandfather." Tangna frowned but said, "Hello, Great-grandfather." Thor, seeing Tangna, struggled to suppress his desire to hug her. He nodded slightly. "Good." Johnson, standing nearby, said to Lucy, "Do you know, if it weren't for the old man, you wouldn't be allowed back home!" "Go inside and pay your respects to him." The group nodded and prepared to go inside. But when they saw Joseph trying to enter, Thor pointed at him. "You can't come in! You're a stray man!" Joseph squinted his eyes. He was starting to get a little angry. Lucy felt embarrassed. She had agreed to bring Joseph home with her, but now he was being stopped at the door. She felt uncomfortable whether she went in or stayed out. Joseph smiled slightly, calming his emotions. "You go ahead inside. I'll wait out here." Lucy felt very apologetic. "But..." "Go inside. It's fine." Tangna clung to Joseph. "Daddy, I want to stay outside with you! I don't want to go inside!" Hearing this, Johnson snorted coldly. "You don't want to go in? Good, I won't let you in anyway!" Johnson didn't care. Seeing how serious Tangna was, Lucy could only nod. "I'll be back as soon as I pay my respects." Both nodded. Lucy went inside. Tangna looked around at the people. "Who are these people?" "None of them are nice to us!" "Daddy, let's not talk to them anymore!" Tangna held Joseph's hand, feeling aggrieved. "I thought this place would be fun, but why is everyone so mean?" Joseph smiled helplessly at Tangna's words. "Yes, it's not very fun here." Joseph also noticed that no one in the family, whether they knew him or not, showed any kindness. Some even glared at Tangna. He knew that they might ignore him now, but they would understand his worth in the future. Joseph looked coldly at the group. No matter what happened, he didn't care if they ignored him now. As long as they didn't come begging for his help later, it was fine. Joseph protected Tangna. "Let's go to the garden." Just as he was about to take Tangna to the garden, he noticed that her clothes had holes in them. "Let's go to the mall and get you some new clothes." Tangna looked up at Joseph. "But Daddy, do you have money? Mommy said we can't buy new clothes if we don't have money!" "Daddy, don't do bad things for me!" "Daddy, I know you've had a hard time these years. No matter what happens, I'm here for you!" "So please don't do bad things!" Hearing Tangna's caring words, Joseph's heart softened. He nodded. "Of course, my sweet daughter." "I would never do bad things, and I do have money." "I'll provide a better life for you and your mommy." Hearing this, Tangna smiled and got down. "Daddy, you don't have to carry me. You'll get tired. Let me walk a bit!" Joseph's heart softened even more at Tangna's words. He couldn't believe how well Lucy had raised their daughter. He felt a deep sense of gratitude. Tangna, unaware of Joseph's thoughts, happily ran ahead. She trusted her daddy and knew he wouldn't let her be without new clothes. Tangna sat on a bench, waiting for Joseph. To her, he was the best dad ever. She had only seen her parents together for a short time, but their love made her feel very happy. Joseph went to the mall. While Tangna waited, a man pointed at her. "Who let you in here?" Tangna looked up, scared. The man continued, "How did a beggar like you get in here?" Tangna was frightened, standing still and speechless. Joseph came out. "Why can't we be here?" "Don't you know this is a high-end luxury store?" "Our products are very expensive! If you want to come in, be prepared to buy something! We don't allow poor people in here! It's embarrassing!" Joseph didn't plan to leave, but Tangna was scared. "Daddy, these people are scary!" "Let's go, please!" Joseph waved his hand. He picked up Tangna and walked straight to the security guard. "We're here to shop. We're customers. Why are you scaring my daughter?" "Apologize to her, now." The security guard laughed coldly. "Apologize to your daughter? Who do you think you are?" "Shut up!" "You're just a poor man! If you can't afford to shop here, leave!" Joseph squinted. "Not apologizing?" "Wait here."