Chapter 35: Moment of Truth (1)

Ken's dad moved fast. He contacted some of his university contacts to get the process started as soon as possible. Seeing the wounds and bruises on Daichi's face had caused something to snap inside him. There was no way he would allow the poor child to return home and endure more abuse. Who knew what Daichi had suffered before this incident, especially at such a young age when he couldn't defend himself? After gathering all the required paperwork, he marched over to Daichi's address, his heart beating wildly in his chest. Part of him wanted to give her what she deserved, but he knew that would do more harm than good. As he approached the door, he took a few seconds to calm himself and knocked. Moments later, he heard the sounds of beer cans rattling to the ground, accompanied by a few grunts and groans. Soon enough, a woman with frazzled hair and bags under her eyes opened the door. Judging by her drowsy expression, he had probably woken her up, despite it being almost 2 PM. Standing at around 6'3", Chris towered over her, who was only 5 feet tall. An instant look of fear crossed her face as she took in his imposing frame. It probably didn’t help that his face did not look friendly at that moment. Without waiting for her to speak, Chris opened his mouth. "I am here on behalf of Daichi, your son. Can I come inside?" His tone was flat, lacking any hint of politeness. The woman stared at him for a moment before quickly trying to shut the door in his face. She failed at the last moment, thanks to Chris stopping it with his foot. She struggled for a little while before shouting threats. "W-What are you doing? I'll call the cops!" Her voice sounded frantic as she tried desperately to close the door. "Let me in so we can talk like civilized adults. You do know how to be a civilized adult, don't you?" Chris's words dripped with venom as he stared at her plainly. Daichi's mother struggled for a little longer, but it seemed she had finally given up. She opened the door and stood to the side, letting Chris inside. He calmly entered and immediately noticed the mess. Empty beer cans and bottles littered the lounge, along with trash scattered haphazardly around the room. Chris said nothing, but he felt reassured that he was making the right decision. It was clear that this woman was in no state to care for a child, even a 15-year-old. "Is there somewhere we can talk?" he asked. "Dining table," she muttered, clearing away some bottles and leading the way to the kitchen. Chris followed and was surprised to find that the dining table was only cluttered with mail instead of trash and beer cans like the lounge. Without care, she grabbed the pile of mail and placed it on one of the spare chairs before sitting down. The woman seemed indifferent to the state of her house, a stark contrast to how his own wife operated. Chris took a seat and placed his brown bag on the table before turning his gaze on her. "Let me get to the point here. What you did to Daichi was unacceptable." He paused, trying to gauge her reaction. However, there was nothing—almost as if he was looking at someone incapable of feeling remorse. "I am here for you to sign some forms to remove your rights as his parent and legal guardian." Chris continued, pulling out some pre-filled forms and handing them to her across the table. Daichi's mother finally seemed to react as she took the papers from his hands. Chris thought she might feel remorse over her actions, but he was quickly proven wrong. "What's in it for me?" she asked in a husky tone, her gaze now fixed on him. Chris felt a rising anger threaten to take over his self-control. Instead of acknowledging her mistakes and trying to amend them, she merely sought ways to benefit from the ordeal. Just before he was about to voice his thoughts, she finally spoke more than a few words. "Look. I know that unless I sign these forms, Daichi will be forced to come and live here again. You could even take me to court over it, but he'll just go into foster care because we have no other family." "So how about you make it worth my while, and I'll sign these papers for you?" A small smile played at the corner of her lips, as if she believed she had just played a winning move in a chess game.