I Walked Away And He Lost His Mind (Zephyra and Steven) novel Chapter 401

Steven's lips thinned.

I didn't want to complicate things. What happened yesterday was hard enough on Verna and Steven, and this retaliation felt sufficient. His grandfather's heart was already weak, and he'd just had surgery. The stress could trigger another health crisis, which would be a real problem.

"It's nothing, Grandpa. Last time I..."

"Zephyra, you stay quiet," Mr. Lancaster Sr. said, pressing my hand and shooting Steven a sharp glare. He then turned to Ryan. "Young man, you tell me what happened. Don't be afraid, just tell the truth."

I looked at Ryan and shook my head slightly.

Ryan puffed out his cheeks and faced Mr. Lancaster Sr. "Sir, even though this is my business, she's my sister, so it's not like I'm an outsider. To be honest, I was just pissed that he's always defending that woman, Verna. Verna has bullied Zephyra to death, and Steven won't even let me fight back. How is that fair?"

I tried to speak, but Ryan stopped me. "Besides, Zephyra was married to him for a year. Even if there's no love lost, there should be some respect for the time they shared. I don't blame him for not helping her—they're divorced, right? But he kept protecting that other woman. Especially after she slapped me right in front of Zephyra. Instead of dealing with her, he came after me for her. I'm not just going to let that go."

"So I beat him up. Now he's using it to bully me and intimidate Zephyra, acting like she's some damsel in distress who can't handle him. That's why I called you. We don't need you to play judge, just to make sure he directs this at the right person. If he wants someone to blame, he can blame me. Zephyra had nothing to do with it, so he should leave her alone."

When he finished, I couldn't help but tug on his sleeve, giving him a look that said he'd said too much. Then I turned to Mr. Lancaster Sr. and tried to soothe him. "Grandpa, we've already handled all this. You don't need to worry about it."

Gordon didn't even dare to speak, just looked at Steven.

Mr. Lancaster Sr. ignored me, his face flushing red with anger. He took two sharp steps toward Steven, glaring at him. "You brat, tell me, what is going on? That... what's her name... Verna. What is she to you that you'd bully your own wife for her sake?"

"I heard rumors a couple of days ago that you've been funding this woman. And now it turns out you're not just funding her, you're coddling her? You're protecting her while bullying Zephyra?!"

"You're going to explain right now, in front of Zephyra, exactly who she is!"

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