The moment Storm Xavier went upstairs, Verna Golding breathed a sigh of relief. Looking at her son standing before her, already taller than she was, her heart filled with warmth. No matter how bitter, tiring, or difficult life was, she could endure it all, because she had the best son in the world.

She would give her life for her son; this little bit of hardship was nothing in comparison.

"Why don’t you go back to your books? You don’t need to tend the fire," Verna Golding said gently.

Clayton Xavier walked over to the stove pit and said with a smile, "I’ve been reading for a while. My eyes are a little tired."

"Then you should go for a walk outside after you eat. Don’t strain your eyes. Mom will make you some steamed egg custard."

Verna Golding pulled open a cupboard drawer, but then she froze. She had clearly counted six eggs yesterday morning, but now only four remained. ’Where did the other two go?’

Fury quickly washed over her. ’It must have been Storm Xavier. And I know exactly what he did with them—he must have given them to Phoenix Golding.’

"Clayton, tend the fire. I need to go talk to your grandma about something."

Verna Golding washed the rice, cracked an egg, added the seasonings, and set it on the bamboo steamer rack to cook. Then, her expression unreadable, she headed upstairs. Clayton Xavier, oblivious to his mother’s anger, methodically tended the fire.

Upstairs, Storm Xavier stood meekly before the Old Madam. The matriarch sat ramrod straight and said nothing, simply leaving him to stand there.

Verna Golding rushed up the stairs, marched straight up to Storm Xavier, and demanded, "You cooked two eggs, didn’t you?"

Storm Xavier’s eyes flickered, but he flatly denied it. "No. Why would I take your eggs?"

"There were six eggs yesterday morning, and today there are only four. Who else could it be but you? You gave them to *her*, didn’t you? I know you two were fooling around again yesterday! Storm Xavier, are you even human? Those eggs were for Clayton, to keep him healthy! It’s one thing that you don’t care about your own son, but to steal his food for your mistress... Do you... Do you have any conscience at all?"

Her son was Verna Golding’s breaking point. ’She could let some other woman have her husband, she didn’t care. But stealing her son’s eggs? That was absolutely forbidden!’

’He studied so hard every day. She didn’t have the means to give him meat, so the most she could do was steam a bowl of egg custard for him daily to keep him nourished. She would fight to the death anyone who dared to take her son’s eggs!’

"You crazy bitch! So what if I ate two of your damn eggs? Keep acting crazy and I’ll beat you to death!" Storm Xavier roared, his shame turning to fury. ’He was the head of this family, for crying out loud! Wasn’t he even allowed to eat a couple of eggs? This ugly hag was taking things too far.’

SLAP!

The Old Madam shot to her feet and delivered a vicious slap.

"Dare to eat another egg, and we’ll be adding your ancestral tablet to the shrine." The Old Madam’s voice wasn’t loud, but it was utterly chilling. Storm Xavier trembled violently as cold sweat beaded on his skin. He didn’t dare meet her gaze.

He had been afraid of his mother since childhood. It wasn’t reverence; it was pure dread.

’Although the Old Madam had always provided for him, giving him the best of everything, it was only ever material. Storm Xavier felt his only purpose in the Xavier family was to carry on the bloodline. Before Clayton Xavier’s birth, his mother had at least shown him some semblance of warmth. But the moment his son was born, she stopped giving him so much as a second glance.’

’Storm Xavier had no doubt his mother was ruthless enough to follow through on her threat and turn him into an ancestral tablet. With her medical expertise, it would be child’s play for her to kill him without a trace. The mountains are high and the emperor is far away, after all. No police would bother investigating the death of a good-for-nothing landlord’s son like him.’

"I... I won’t do it again. I just had a craving and ate two... I haven’t had any in over half a year," Storm Xavier stammered, a cold sweat trickling down his back. His body trembled as he hung his head even lower.