Capítulo 14: Chapter 14
"Hi Mr. Eddie, I want to talk to you."
Lipp initiated the conversation.
"What do you want to talk about?"
Eddie glanced at Lip, his expression still impatient.
"Let's talk about Karen."
"What's up?"
"If Karen gets a B or even an A in the midterm exam, would you attend her parent-teacher conference and spend more time with her and Mrs. Sheila?"
Eddie didn't answer. His eyes remained evasive.
"Mr. Eddie, don't you even have the courage to answer?"
"Fake squid, brat. How I discipline my daughter is none of your business!" Eddie snapped.
"Mr. Eddie, as Karen's boyfriend, I respect you, but please respect me as well," Lip said calmly. "As your daughter, Karen deserves more love and care, instead of indifference and cruelty."
Eddie's chest heaved, and his eyes widened as he glared at Lip.
But Lip remained unbothered.
"As a daughter, Karen should listen to what I say!"
"Haha, do you really think children should always obey? They shouldn't be their parents' puppets or carry the weight of their parents' mistakes!" Lip responded, his voice firm. "The reason humanity progresses is because the next generation doesn't blindly follow the previous one."
"Brat, I'm going to beat you up!"
Eddie suddenly stood up from his chair, grabbing the collar of Lip's newly bought denim jacket with his left hand and preparing to punch with his right.
Lip remained calm.
In a flash, Lip grabbed Eddie's left thumb with his right hand, applying just enough pressure to make Eddie wince in pain. The punch never came.
"Mr. Eddie, did you feel that? Like a wild beast staring at you?" Lip smiled slightly. "If I were you, I'd never choose to act in such a situation, because that's your instincts telling you you're in danger."
Lip held Eddie's thumb tightly, pressing Eddie's wrist down.
Despite Eddie's efforts, he couldn't break free. He was trapped.
With a little more force, Lip made Eddie sit back down in his chair.
Eddie's hands were trembling from the pain, and his eyes filled with fear as he looked at Lip.
Lip smiled wider and locked eyes with Eddie.
"Eddie, how does it feel?" Lip asked.
Using a technique he called "Lucifer's Gaze," Lip focused his intense gaze on Eddie.
It was as if Eddie was falling into a trance, his eyes becoming unfocused as he began to speak.
"I am a face-saving, very conservative Christian... Or perhaps I can say that I am a sexually repressed person..."
"Eddie, what are you talking about?" Mrs. Sheila asked, bewildered.
"Lip, did you cast a spell on my dad? Why is he acting like this?" Karen was equally confused.
Lip remained silent, continuing to stare at Eddie. He raised a finger to his lips, signaling for silence.
The atmosphere in the room shifted, and Karen and Sheila instinctively closed their eyes, too afraid to speak.
"I'm just an ordinary civil servant. I've always been honest and proper since I was a child..." Eddie mumbled, his voice hollow.
"What unforgivable sin did I commit? Why did God let me fall in love with Sheila, and why did I marry her?!"
"Sheila is a libertine," Eddie continued, his voice heavy with shame.
"She has a special hobby and likes to... 'master the big asshole.' She thought I didn't know, but I did."
"In fact, I learned about Sheila's secret when Karen was nine, from her notebook..." Eddie's voice quivered.
"I wanted to talk to Sheila about it, but I couldn't. I was too embarrassed..."
"Anal penetration—it's not just uncomfortable, it's often painful..."
"But I never thought knowing about Sheila's secret would be so mentally and emotionally painful. Over time, I grew disgusted with her and lost all interest in her."
"When Karen turned ten, I chose religion. I knew it was brainwashing, but I thought it would give me peace."
"But this confusion... it made me think of Sheila when I looked at Karen, and I didn't want to talk to her anymore."
"Though Karen inherited all the good looks from Sheila and me, her grades were mediocre. She would eventually be criticized in school, and I felt ashamed."
"That's why I refused to attend the parent-teacher conference."
"Over time, I grew to resent this family. I just wanted to be left alone."
Eddie's eyes cleared as he snapped back to reality.
"What the hell? Why did I say all that?!" Eddie exclaimed, his hands covering his face in horror.
"Now I see why this house feels like a circus," Lip said, his gaze sweeping across the room.
"These ornaments... they reflect Mr. Eddie's heart. You feel like a clown in your own family, lacking both face and authority, in a place where you can't find peace."
"Boy, what have you done to me?" Eddie asked, his eyes filled with fear—and something else—gratitude. As if he were saying, Finally, someone understands my struggles.
"Mr. Eddie, don't you feel better after saying what you've been holding in for so long?" Lip asked.
"Eh…"
"Mr. Eddie, the problems you have with Mrs. Sheila and Karen are nothing compared to the troubles in my own family," Lip continued calmly, smiling. "If you want, I can help you resolve these issues."
"Lip, are you serious?" Eddie asked, his voice trembling.
Lip nodded seriously.
In truth, Eddie in the original story was just an ordinary, pitiful man.
Lip decided to help him.
It wasn't out of sympathy.
Lip felt that rather than letting Eddie spiral further, it was better to help him face the root of his problems. He could become the protector of his family instead of letting it all fall apart.
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