Bondage and Marriage - 48

“Ah, Father!”

Noah, who had been frozen in shock, finally snapped out of it and pushed Ian away. Quickly adjusting his clothes, Noah stood in front of Tanner, who was about to charge at Ian, and blocked his way. Tanner, his face completely red with anger, hesitated for a moment in front of Noah. Instead, he pointed and yelled.

“You… shameless bastard! How dare you…!”

Tanner was so angry that Noah was worried about his father’s bl00d pressure, which was already high. Tanner was so furious that he couldn’t even speak properly, and Noah was very flustered. In his 25 years of life, he had never been so confused.

Noah had planned a birthday party for Ian, but his youngest son, who was supposed to attend, claimed to be sick and didn’t come. Tanner, remembering how Noah had always been in great pain at this time of year, had many concerns. Recently, there had been rumors about Ian being violent, hitting people, or even cheating, and Tanner was particularly worried. When he thought Ian might be lying down sick from a beating, he couldn’t just stay still.

So, after work, he decided to stop by and check if he could figure out the truth. However, as soon as Tanner arrived at the mansion, he saw the servants in a panic.

Then, without caring about the servants’ discomfort, Tanner rushed upstairs and saw his youngest son, crying out in pain, asking to be let go, pinned against the wall. In that moment, all the rumors about Ian became reality in Tanner’s mind, and a wave of intense anger surged through him. That bastard hurt my son! My child, whom I raised with so much care!

“Father, wait a moment…”

Noah, taken aback by the anger of Tanner, tried to stop him. However, Tanner ignored Noah’s words and roared like an angry bear, grabbing Ian by the collar.

“Do you think I made Noah marry you to see this?!”

As Ian was shaken violently by the collar, his eyebrows furrowed. This was bad… Noah hadn’t expected Tanner to come like this, but at least he thought he would have contacted him beforehand. In the meantime, Tanner was handling Ian, who was sick, roughly?! You, shouting at him. Noah could clearly see his plans of quietly divorcing after a fun time collapsing.

“Calm down and let go of him.”

“What? Calm down? Do I look calm?”

Seeing a hint of annoyance on Ian’s face, Noah became very anxious. Ian’s temper wasn’t good. It was clear even just by watching. And Tanner’s temper wasn’t easy either. He was hot-headed, and once he got angry, he wouldn’t listen to anyone. What’s worse, both of them had the very annoying trait of wanting things to go their way… Additionally, Tanner had a habit of throwing things when he was angry… and if his anger escalated, he would start hitting people… The thought of Ian getting hit by Tanner made Noah’s face turn pale.

Now, whether he enjoyed himself or not, Noah thought he had to stop them. He grabbed Tanner’s wrist to try to get him to let go of Ian’s collar. However, Tanner’s furious strength seemed to be several times stronger than usual, and Noah couldn’t budge. Actually, it seemed like neither of them was even paying attention to Noah. Tanner was exuding such strong alpha pheromones, and Ian wasn’t backing down either, so Noah started to feel dizzy.

“How dare you repay me for all I’ve done for you?! I made you my son-in-law, and this is how you repay me?!”

Tanner’s anger surged when he saw Ian wasn’t even a bit surprised to be caught in the act. Tanner, enraged at Ian repaying kindness with evil, spoke in a way that only provoked Ian’s temper more. Ian had already been forced to marry because of threats regarding the company’s funds, so being grabbed by the collar must have made him very irritated.

“Let’s be clear. You didn’t make me marry him, you commanded me to marry him.”

“What did you say?!”

When Ian replied, Tanner nearly fell backward. Noah opened his mouth. Well… it was the truth, but saying it so openly in this situation… With two hot-headed alphas clashing, Noah’s headache worsened. Meanwhile, the servants were nervously watching the situation from a distance.

When Tanner opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, Noah realized that Tanner’s anger was nearing a dangerous level. If he didn’t do something now, things were going to get out of hand. And he too would be in big trouble. At least they should be separated, Noah thought, and moved toward them.

“Father, please calm down first…”

Noah, used to calming Tanner down when Benny made him angry, gently grabbed his arm. However, there was a loud thud in the hallway. In the heat of anger, Tanner clenched his fist and swung his arm. But it wasn’t Ian who fell. It was Noah.

“Noah!”

At the worst timing, Noah was hit by Tanner’s elbow, and he fell to the floor. For a while, he couldn’t get his bearings straight. His vision went completely dark for a moment, then a sharp pain shot through him. It was no surprise—he had been hit by Tanner’s elbow, not just a fist.

Even though Noah liked pain, he wasn’t a masochist who enjoyed being hit by his own father. He had never been hit in the face before, except for a light slap. Now, his right cheek was throbbing terribly. Noah grabbed his aching cheek, unable to even make a sound, groaning in pain.

“You idiot! Why did you have to get involved?!”

Tanner’s voice carried the tone of someone who felt as if he had taken a blow for Ian. Noah, who was too hurt to even lift his head, was about to cry from the pain and frustration. It wasn’t like he wanted to be hit… When Noah couldn’t lift his head, Tanner, who had never laid a hand on his youngest son, was at a loss for what to do.

“Are you… okay?”

Tanner, too flustered to even put a hand on Noah, made Noah try to assure him he was fine. At that moment, something fell to the ground. Bl00d, possibly from a split lip, dripped down Noah’s chin. Tanner was shocked.

“Get up, let’s go to the hospital.”

Noah tried to stand up, but before he could, a hand pressed on his shoulder, forcing him back down. As he sat down again, Noah reflexively looked up, and a soft handkerchief was pressed to his lips. While groaning in pain, Noah blinked in surprise. He had thought Ian would just watch him from afar, but instead, Ian had come over and was pressing the handkerchief to his injured mouth.

“Ah…”

“Try it.”

At the command, Noah instinctively opened his mouth. As Ian looked inside, he frowned. Then, without warning, he shoved his finger into Noah’s mouth. Surprised, Noah shut his mouth, but Ian didn’t care and continued to press each tooth one by one. Then, Ian withdrew his hand and pressed a handkerchief harder to stop the bleeding. Despite the pain, tears stung his eyes, and a faint feeling of excitement stirred in Noah. For a brief moment, he questioned his lack of self-control in this situation.

“Please contact the doctor.”

“Yes, I understand.”

As soon as Noah collapsed, Ian gestured for the staff and gave orders. The usually furious Tenner had forgotten his anger for a moment, but now his rage flared up again.

“What is this?!”

“He’s bleeding. We need to take him to the hospital!”

“These injuries are minor. It’s better to call the doctor than risk something being said if we go to the hospital.”

Ian’s words were right. Although they owned a private hospital, there were always reporters or paparazzi lurking outside. If anyone saw Noah Frost entering the hospital with signs of having been beaten, rumors of a scandal would spread like wildfire, causing his stock to fluctuate. It was the right call, but Tenner still clenched his fists, irritated by every word Ian spoke.

Noah had unintentionally taken the blow for Ian, but at least the situation was stopped, so he exaggerated his pain, clutching his cheek, hoping to make the sacrifice feel worth it. The tension between Tenner and Ian was palpable, and their eyes turned toward Noah when sparks seemed to fly between them.

“Um… could I sit somewhere for a moment?”

Noah spoke as pitifully as possible, trying to look helpless, and he sniffled slightly. It worked very well.

“Just apply some ointment again tonight, and it will be completely healed by tomorrow.”

The next day, Joseph, who had been called back to the mansion, finished his examination while glancing at Tenner Frost and Ian Miller, whose moods weren’t very good. Joseph was shocked to see the marks on Noah’s face after rushing over, thinking that the fever had subsided. There was no doubt that the marks were from being hit.

However, Joseph didn’t think Ian had done it, and he was certain that Tenner hadn’t either. Still, he couldn’t ask about it in this tense atmosphere, so he kept quiet. Instead, he removed the bl00d pressure cuff from Tenner’s arm.

“Your bl00d pressure is very high.”

Joseph murmured, but Tenner didn’t listen. He glared at Ian angrily. Joseph knew telling Tenner to calm down wouldn’t work, so he applied a calming patch to Tenner’s arm. Of course, it didn’t help much.

“Divorce him now.”

“Huh??”

Noah, rubbing his sore cheek, looked up. He had half-expected this talk of divorce, but to hear it so suddenly… It was as unexpected as being told to marry someone when the engagement was decided. And Tenner’s face showed he believed Noah would obey without question.

Noah glanced at Ian, whose expression was less than happy.

“But Father…”

“I can’t stand seeing him treat you like this! Especially in public, in front of everyone, treating you like that when you clearly don’t want it!”

Ah… Noah’s blue eyes blinked. Based on Tenner’s reaction, it seemed he hadn’t heard about the part where Ian had referred to him like a dog, wearing a leash. If he had, things wouldn’t have ended like this. That was a relief. Even more fortunate was that Ian hadn’t acted on it when it was overheard. No matter how much Noah enjoyed being teased by others, he certainly didn’t want his father to be the one doing it.

“Father, that’s not what you saw.”

“What do you mean it’s not? I saw it clearly. Don’t try to defend him, he’s your husband now, there’s no need for excuses.”

Noah wasn’t ready for divorce just yet, although he had considered it. He still wanted to enjoy things a bit longer. Despite his father being the one who pushed for the marriage, Noah had made the decision, and he’d decide whether to divorce or not.

Truth be told, the thought of enjoying things more appealed to him. Quickly thinking of something to say, Noah started to speak, and Ian raised an eyebrow. Tenner, seeing Noah hesitate, encouraged him to speak if he had something to say.

Noah’s face flushed as he nervously opened his mouth. His other cheek was already red, but now it was starting to bruise. After hesitating for a moment, he finally spoke slowly.

“Actually… I like it.”