A Reborn Bride Pearl Emerging from Dust

"Having a dad like you? I must've lost my mind!" Archie grinned as he hefted the box of fireworks onto his shoulder. The more brilliant the fireworks exploded, the happier he looked.

His original plans were all shot to hell, but that didn't matter. With Callie and the crew by his side, he wasn't scared in the slightest. If anything, this just made him feel even stronger.

He was done with the Yoder family. But that didn't mean he'd walk away empty- handed. He'd find a way to take back everything that was rightfully his.

He wasn't about to hide from them like some coward. No, from here on out, it was going to be a head-on fight.

Archie let off the fireworks right in the middle of Gavin's shouting and cursing. When he was done, the whole house looked like it had been hit by a tornado.

Gavin and the others stood there in stunned silence, faces dark as burnt toast. Archie, on the other hand, looked downright pleased with himself.

Calliope high-fived him, her eyes shining. She'd always thought the Yoder family deserved a little chaos anyway. None of those Yoders were worth a dime, in her opinion. It was about time Gavin learned just how tough Archie really was.

"Come on, let's go home," Calliope said, tossing her hair back. "It's Christmas Eve. They actually thought they could make you go hungry tonight? Let's have some roast beef and pie and then get this party started."

"Archie, are you really leaving?" Gavin's voice was tight with anger and disbelief as he stared around at the wrecked living room. He couldn't accept that Archie would torch the place and then just walk out.

"He was my son, damn it! How could I not have control over my own son anymore?"

"Gavin, you're past your prime. Your youngest son? He's not even in my league. Soon enough, you'll realize just how much you'll regret this," Archie said, pausing at the door. “What, you want me to stick around so you can marry me off to someone for your own gain? If you're planning on selling one of your sons, maybe Chester will go along with it. But me? No way."

Gavin's face turned purple with fury. "Archie, you'll be the one regretting this, not me!"noveldrama

"You're wrong, Archie replied, his tone calm, almost mocking. "From the day I left the company, you started to regret it. You have no idea how much I've done to keep the business running. Without me, it'd fall apart. Most of the clients only trust me, not you. When I'm gone, you really think guys like Mark will keep working with you? Your company's about to be an empty shell."

"As for your precious youngest son, go ahead, let him try to save it. We'll see how that works out for you."

Archie shot Gavin a cool look. He'd get back what was his, just in a different way.

Sure, he was leaving with nothing,

but he'd make damn sure to claim at least half of what he deserved. After all, he was still Gavin's son, and even if Gavin refused, Archie had every right to half of what they'd built, especially since his mom had put her sweat and blood into starting the company, too.

"Archie, don't get cocky!" Gavin shouted, voice cracking with rage. "They're just telling you what you want to hear! You really think they care about you? I'm your father, the only one who actually cares!"

"Is that so? Well, you just wait and see," Archie shot back.

He didn't bother arguing further. He just walked out, Calliope and the others following close behind.

Once they were in the car, Calliope glanced over. "So, did Gavin try anything else with you?"

Archie shook his head. "No, just tried to force me to marry that Yalton family heiress. Basically tried to sell me off to them."

Calliope snorted. "I've heard of dads selling off their daughters, but selling your own son? That guy's a real piece of work. Wait, wasn't the Yalton heiress the one with... well, some issues upstairs? Didn't she... didn't she, like, kill someone or something?"