At the thirty-fifth stroke, Alanis's strength finally gave out. His knee buckled, and he fell to one knee on the dusty ground. At that moment, Elisa, Garth, and Claudia couldn't help but smile.
"What happened to our almighty prince?" George mocked, his tone laced with cruel amusement. Alanis had done nothing when Charlotte decided to humiliate him by sending him out of the family, now it is his turn to be humiliated.
"Don't fall now. I'm just getting started," George sneered as he cracked his fingers and straightened his rigid shoulders. He had whipped Alanis with all his might before and was already beginning to tire, yet his determination to humiliate his brother burned on.
Claudia turned toward her step-sister with a venomous glint in her eyes. "This all your fault, Harlow? Are you happy now?" she asked.
"Why wouldn't she be happy?" Garth interjected bitterly. "This is exactly what she wanted, to tear this family apart."