Mr. Willy, who was at his wife's side, instinctively caught Mrs. Grace to prevent her from collapsing. Seeing his mother faint, Mason immediately attacked Ethan again. Jerry didn't hesitate, joining in and brutally beating Ethan.
"This is all your fault, trash!" Mason snarled as he continued to punch Ethan's face and stomach.
Even though Ethan was a skilled fighter, he did not retaliate against Mason and Jerry's wild blows.
Mona, witnessing Ethan being beaten by Mason and Jerry, screamed hysterically, "Stop it, Mason! Don't hurt Ethan; you could seriously injure him!"
Mason shoved Mona forcefully, causing her to stumble backward several steps. Ethan's face had taken many blows; blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. Everyone in the banquet hall allowed Mason to beat Ethan until he was battered and bruised. This time, Ethan could only dodge and block Mason and Jerry's punches, which infuriated them even more.
"You're quite good at dodging too, you pathetic youth! Take this punch!" Mason roared, completely berserk with rage.
Mona couldn't bear to see Mason and Jerry's treatment of Ethan. She immediately shielded Ethan with her body, blocking Mason from hitting him again.
"Get out of the way, Mona! Don't make me slap you!" Mason threatened, his hand already swinging towards Mona's cheek.
Although Ethan had patiently endured Mason and Jerry's harsh treatment, he would not tolerate Mona being treated roughly as well. With a swift movement, Ethan grabbed Mason's wrist, which was almost touching Mona's cheek. Mona, who could no longer hold back her tears, covered her face with both hands.
Seeing Mason about to slap Mona, Mr. Willy shouted loudly, "Enough, Mason! I don't want any more commotion in this house. Let that worthless young man leave. If he still refuses to leave, I will call the police."
"No, Father! This young man needs to be taught a lesson; his behavior is utterly outrageous. This pathetic youth has no shame; he won't leave until I'm satisfied with beating him," Mason retorted, his fists clenched tightly.
"Enough, Mason! Haven't you had enough of beating Ethan? Look, he's not fighting back or retaliating, even though he's a fighter," Mona pleaded, clasping her hands together.
"What did you say? This pathetic youth is a fighter? Did you hear that, Jerry? This pathetic youth is a fighter, apparently. Come on, show me your best punch!" Mason mocked, guffawing.
Everyone who heard Mona's remark also started laughing at Ethan, but Ethan refused to engage Mason and Jerry.
"Why are you still silent? You heard what Mason asked for, didn't you? Perhaps you're hard of hearing," Jerry snarled.
Since Mason and Jerry disregarded his words, Mr. Willy finally pulled Mason and Jerry away from Ethan. Mona, meanwhile, still stood in front of Ethan to prevent Mason and Jerry from striking him.
Mason struggled to break free from his father's grip, intent on proving that Ethan was a fighter. "Let go of me, Father! I won't be satisfied until he proves he's a fighter. You heard it yourself, didn't you? Mona said he's a fighter," Mason pointed at Ethan.
It seemed Mr. Willy also felt pity seeing Ethan, who was being treated roughly by Mason and Jerry. However, deep down, he still couldn't accept Ethan's presence, even if Mona loved him. Mason was Mr. Willy's eldest son, and Mona was Mason's younger sister. Jerry was Mason's cousin and was the same age as Mona. Mr. Willy's family had the surname Carlton, which was also the name of their family company. Meanwhile, Ethan, whose face was already bruised and battered, wiped the blood from his lips with his jacket sleeve.
Mona caressed Ethan's bruised cheek, a result of Mason and Jerry's blows. "Ethan, please forgive my family's treatment of you. I truly didn't want this to happen. What we planned doesn't seem to be going well. I thought my family would accept your presence; that's why I invited you," Mona said amidst her sobs.
"You still let that pathetic youth fool you, Mona! He doesn't deserve to be with you; it's better if you distance yourself from him before it's too late," Megan scoffed, her eyes glaring at Ethan.
Both Ethan and Mona paid no attention to what Megan said. Then, Ethan gently stroked Mona's long hair as he said, "You did the right thing, Mona! This is indeed beyond our expectations; you don't need to apologize to me."
Mr. Willy approached Ethan, then fixed him with a sharp glare. He believed that by asking Ethan to leave amicably, Ethan would comply without further trouble.
"Young man, before everything becomes more chaotic, I ask you to leave this house. And remember, never approach Mona again. If you still insist on approaching Mona, I will not hesitate to report you to the police," Mr. Willy pleaded hopefully.
"Very well! I will leave this house, but I will never stay away from Mona, even if you report me to the police. Because Mona and I already love each other, I can't, Father!" Ethan replied in a flat tone.
Hearing Ethan call Mr. Willy "father," everyone immediately burst into roaring laughter, making Ethan the target of ridicule once more. Mr. Willy could only shake his head and slap his forehead, looking utterly exasperated.
"Father? Since when did my father consider you his son? You are utterly disgraceful, Ethan!" Mason cursed, moving closer to Ethan, ready to strike him again.
"Good heavens! This pathetic young man is becoming more annoying by the minute. Perhaps he truly doesn't have a father," Megan chimed in with an exasperated snort.
"What's wrong with Ethan calling him father? At least Ethan still respects his elders; it's natural for Ethan to call him father, isn't it?" Mona defended, widening her eyes.
"Enough, Mona! I don't want to hear this nonsense, and I don't have time for all his rambling," Mr. Willy snapped.
"Perhaps this young man is insane, Father!" Mason said from behind his father.
"Quiet, Mason!" Mr. Willy snapped.
"Alright! I'm leaving this house. I apologize if my presence has caused a disturbance at this birthday party. However, I truly had no intention of disrupting it; I merely wanted to congratulate Mona's mother on her birthday," Ethan said, stepping out.
"Ethan, wait!" Mona cried out, wanting to chase after Ethan.
Before Mona could take a step, Mr. Willy grabbed her wrist. "Don't be ridiculous, Mona! Why would you chase after him again? From this moment on, I forbid you from seeing that young man. Mark my words!" Mr. Willy ordered in a high tone.
Mona's tears burst forth again, and she immediately ran to her room and locked herself in.
Mona collapsed onto her bed and buried her face in a pillow.
Mona had not expected at all that her father and mother would not accept Ethan's presence.
After all, Mona had known Ethan well ever since he saved her from a group of young men who tried to rape her.
And Mona had already fallen deeply in love with Ethan, even though their relationship was still a secret.
Mona had thought that this opportunity, at her mother's birthday party, would garner a good response from her father and mother.
The reality she faced was incredibly painful: Mona was to be betrothed to someone she didn't like.
Inside her room, Mona wailed uncontrollably. She desperately wished she could go after Ethan.
Meanwhile, Ethan, who was already outside Mona's house, started his motorcycle engine.
Then, Ethan drove his motorcycle slowly as he passed through the gate.
Lobo and his colleague saw Ethan about to leave and immediately opened the gate.
They glared at Ethan, but Ethan remained indifferent.
Throughout his journey back home, thoughts of Mona continued to haunt Ethan.
Meanwhile, Mr. Willy approached his wife, who had just regained consciousness. Mrs. Grace scanned the entire room.
Mr. Willy's family breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Mrs. Grace had recovered from her faint.
"Where is that pathetic young man? Has he left this house?" Mrs. Grace asked, rising and sitting on the sofa.
"Don't worry, Grace! That pathetic young man has gone home. You're alright, aren't you?" Mr. Willy replied, asking in return.
"You can see my condition, Willy! I'm not alright. I feel like the world is spinning incredibly fast. I can't fathom why Mona would associate with a young man like that!" Mrs. Grace complained, tidying her hair.
"I have already warned Mona to stay away from that young man," replied Mr. Willy.
"Excuse me, Mr. Willy, I just wanted to confirm. Will the engagement plan between Albert and Mona still proceed?" asked Mr. Martin, interjecting.