Can’t Win Me Back by Ginger Sue

Julien had just finished speaking when Joseph leaped to his feet. His expression was dark. He snatched the stick from the butler and strode toward Julien.

Out of nowhere, he heard a swoosh. He felt a sharp pain in his leg. Without him noticing, two bodyguards had rushed behind him. With a whack of the stick, he ended up kneeling on the ground.

"You ingrate! You've made such a grave mistake! How dare you laugh and talk back to me?" Joseph glared at him. His eyes were bloodshot. He raised his arm and smacked Julien on the back with the stick. He was merciless. The smack was so loud that it made everyone shudder.

Yet, Julien only let out a muffled cry—a single muffled cry.

Over and over again, he was being beaten on his back. It felt as if he was being hit by large hailstones. Two bodyguards grabbed him by his arm, incapacitating him from fighting back.

His body hurt so badly that he just wanted to curl up into a ball. His vision became blurry. He could even taste his own blood at the back of his throat.

But he was not going to beg for forgiveness. He refused to yield.

Aidan was frightened and alarmed to see how Julien was being beaten up. He turned his face away and didn't dare to continue watching.

"A good child doesn't need to be taught; a misbehaving child deserves a strict teacher. You are uneducated, incompetent, and not even working a decent job. You can't even differentiate the good from the bad. You deserve a beating!" Upon saying that, Joseph raised his hand high. Then, he swung the stick hard onto Julien's back.

In the next second, a loud crack was heard.

The stick, as thick as an arm, had broken in two! In an instant, the silent onlookers were in an uproar.

All the blood drained from Julien's charming face. He was as pale as a sheet. It was as if he was in an ice cave. He started shivering uncontrollably.

He bit down on his lower lip. Fresh blood stained his lips. His eyes filled with misery.

"Dad!" Then, Aidan ran over to Joseph in a panic. He lowered his voice and asked anxiously, "You got to vent your anger by beating Julien up. He has also received the punishment he deserves.

"You should think about this at length. If you continue beating him up... There are so many witnesses. It would be tricky if anything bad happened. You wouldn't be able to get past Grandpa either." At the end of the day, Aidan wasn't feeling bad for Julien. He only said so in order to save Joseph from embarrassment! Joseph was taken aback. He released the wooden stick from his grasp.

He had overexerted himself. His palm was swollen red and throbbing slightly.

"Ha... Haha..." Julien was on the ground. Supporting himself with tense arms, Julien lowered his head, concealing the storm of emotions brewing within him from prying eyes. Yet, despite the mask of stoicism he wore, a provocative laugh escaped his lips, betraying the intensity of his inner turmoil.

"Is that all you've got? Is that it? Dad, you've really aged. You call that corporal punishment? | barely felt anything! It was just like scratching an itch! "Come at me again. | dare you to beat me to death!" "Bastard!" Joseph flew off the handle. The vein on his forehead was pulsating like crazy. He flung the stick at Julien.

"How could you still be so shameless and not repent?" "Repent? Why do | have to repent? What do | have to repent for?"

Julien's body felt as if it had been shattered into countless pieces, yet with sheer determination, he om Egy his teeth Niels ht through the excruciating pain. Every movement was a battle as he stumbled and struggled to piece together his broken form, willing his wounded body to rise once more.

Everyone's jaws dropped. Even Joseph's expression changed.

"I really don't get it. As a doctor, what did | do that was so wrong?" Julien coughed.

His eyes were bloodshot. Every word he said was heartfelt.

He lamented, "Medical professionals are to do good. Our duty is to save lives and heal the wounded. Thies what G fanépq has yon me since | wash kid. Even now, the four pillars of medical ethics still hang framed in Grandpa's study. | always believed those principles to be the bedrock of our family's values. "I can't believe that your so-called family principles are just a way for you to vent your anger! In your eyes, Mr. Taylor is an enemy.

"In my eyes, however, he is just a patient! | helped to save someone's life. May | know what the hell is wrong with that?" Julien's resolve was unwavering; he would sooner perish than yield. This unyielding spirit mirrored Mandy's own.

With fervor blazing in his heart, he passionately argued his stance, is words ringi ng with vokvlction His Ek Ke) defense silenced all opposition, leaving them stunned and speechless. Joseph's face ran red with anger. His gaze was full of hatred. "Take him back to his room! No one is to let him out without my permission!" Julien’s once crisp white shirt lay in shreds, his skin now marred by bruises and swelling, a stark transformation from its former fairness.

Even the bodyguards guarding his door couldn't bear to look at him.