Tears of humiliation welled up in Shawn's eyes as he clenched his teeth and muttered, "Got it!"

Andrew slapped him again, harder this time. "I didn't ask if you got it. I asked if it's okay."

The weight of shame nearly crushed Shawn from the inside out. Nonetheless, he did not dare resist. He did not even flinch as he squeezed out, "Okay!"

No one missed how low he had sunk. Even Quinton, the proud heir of Blumedale, had lost all his swagger, and now Shawn had no one to count on. He was com