Chapter 8: Breaking the Chains
We were busy renovating the interior of the house when the peace was suddenly shattered. The front door slammed open, and a man stomped inside. He glanced at me with disdain, completely ignoring my presence, and marched straight toward Finn.
Without a word, he began to beat him.
"Who said you can take a break?" the man shouted, landing a heavy blow. "You took an advance from me, you brat!"
I recognized him immediately. This was Finn's boss from the construction site. Finn had taken an advance payment of two silver coins in exchange for a five-year labor contract—a slave contract, essentially.
The man grabbed Finn by his hair, dragging him toward the door as if he were a toy. Elera rushed forward, desperate to stop him.
"Please, stop! You're hurting him!" she cried.
The man didn't hesitate. He kicked Elera away, sending her sprawling to the floor.
Time seemed to slow down. My mind raced. If I stop him, he'll get angry and blacklist Finn from working anywhere else. Logic told me to be careful, but my body moved on its own. My instincts took over.
As he tried to drag Finn past me, I grabbed his arm. Using my leg as a fulcrum, I leveraged his own weight against him and slammed him into the ground with a sickening thud.
The room went silent. Everyone—my siblings, the boss, even the neighbors peeking in—was shocked. They couldn't believe their eyes. How could a good-for-nothing drunkard like Asher Grey do that?
The man groaned on the floor, his face red with humiliation. "Do you know what you just did? I can have you imprisoned! I can ruin your siblings! I will—"
He kept spewing the usual villainous threats. I didn't let him finish.
I reached into my pocket and dropped three silver coins onto his chest. Clink. Clink. Clink.
"Here is the two silver advance Finn took from you, plus one silver for interest," I said coldly. "Now, get the fuck out of here before I beat you up again."
Outside the window, unnoticed by the others, Silas watched the entire scene. His eyes went wide. He quietly slipped away to report this impossible development to his own boss.
After the dust settled, we went back to work, but we realized we needed more tools and ingredients.
"Get ready," I told my siblings. "We're going to the market."
For the first time in their lives, my siblings looked genuinely happy to be going out with me. However, their smiles faded when we stopped in front of a large, imposing house before reaching the market.
This was where Elera worked.
Elera's happiness vanished instantly. She shrank back, thinking I had brought her here to force her to work extra hours. She didn't realize the truth: I brought her here to let her know she never had to work here again. Her big brother was here now.
I knocked on the door. After a moment, a woman stepped out. She was exactly as I remembered—arrogant and unpleasant. She took one look at Elera and started screaming.
"Why are you late? You lazy little—"
"Shut up," I cut her off.
She froze, staring at me. She barely recognized me. Aside from my hair and clothes, the "old" Asher Grey was gone. My posture, my gaze—everything was different.
"She is not coming to work from now on," I stated firmly. "Does she owe you an advance?"
The woman scoffed, recovering her arrogance. "She took three silver coins. You think a drunk like you can pay that back?"
She expected me to beg. She expected me to force Elera back to work.
Instead, I slapped four silver coins into her hand.
"Three for the principal, and one extra for the interest," I said, turning my back on her stunned face. "Come on, Elera. Let's go to the market."