Family Man System: Taking Care Of My Family Makes Me OP

Chapter 35: Elara is crying

Kai had never experienced anything like this before. It felt as though his entire world were collapsing before his eyes.

He hadn’t taken a car. His mind had been consumed by a single, overwhelming urge: reach his family as quickly as possible.

The distance between his office and the hospital was roughly five kilometers, and he was covering every one of them on foot.

His thoughts had narrowed to a single destination, his mind instinctively mapping out the shortest route and driving his body forward.

He needed to reach them.

He needed to soothe Jean and comfort Elara.

The uncertainty surrounding what could have caused Elara’s distress only made his anxiety worse. Yet somehow, it felt as though his mind had split into two distinct halves. One was sick with worry, while the other remained utterly devoted to reaching his family.

"Hey, watch it!"

"Look where you’re going, mate!"

Several people shouted at him along the way, but before any of them could turn the confrontation into an argument, Kai was already gone.

’Just a little longer... I’m coming.’

....

Jean was nervous. There was no doubt about it.

She was currently sitting in a café, surrounded by the two men who clearly held a grudge against Kai.

They had ordered her to follow them, warning that things could turn ugly if she refused.

She had gone with them because this was a public place. They wouldn’t dare lay a hand on her or Elara here.

At least, that was what she hoped.

"Waaa... waaa..."

Elara continued to wail, clinging tightly to Jean. The little girl was clearly distressed by her surroundings, or perhaps by the presence of the two men themselves.

"Seriously, she’s nothing like her father."

The man with thorny black hair muttered with a grin.

"When I used to beat the shit out of him, he never cried. And here his own child is wailing like a pig."

"Pfft, her nose definitely resembles a pig." The other man added with a chortle.

Jean’s jaw tightened, but she held her tongue. She needed to remain patient. Somehow, she had to reach her phone and contact Kai.

"Are you his wife? Isn’t it quite pathetic?"

The man tilted his head, a mocking smile spreading across his face.

"Do you even know what your man does to make a living?"

Jean narrowed her eyes but remained silent.

The man’s smile faded slightly at her refusal to respond. He snickered and continued, "He gets beaten by strong people like us for some cash."

Jean was taken aback.

She...hadn’t expected that.

She had genuinely believed he held some personal grudge against Kai. But now it seemed...

’That’s why he never mentioned anything about his work...’

The thought of how Kai had been earning his living made her heart grow heavy.

She had intruded into his life when he was already struggling to keep everything together.

"And now, suddenly, he has so much cash on him that he fucking dared to ignore my calls, eh?"

He slammed his hand against the table.

The sudden bang startled Elara, making her cry even louder.

"Waaaaaa!"

The other man grimaced and turned toward Jean.

"Make her stop crying. Stuff her mouth or do whatever you have to, but stop this little shit from chewing my ears off!"

His raised voice only frightened Elara further.

Jean immediately cradled the baby closer, shielding her as best she could.

"Why don’t you put your face somewhere else? I’m sure she doesn’t like what she’s seeing."

Her sharp remark instantly wiped the grin from his face.

His expression turned cold.

Suddenly, the cutlery on the table began to rattle.

The air grew heavy as mana surged through the café, making the atmosphere itself seem to tremble. The other patrons finally realized the situation was escalating and began hurriedly fleeing the premises.

One of the café staff reached for his phone, only for it to suddenly crack and crumble in his hand, crushed by an invisible force.

"Easy."

Drake’s grin returned as he glanced toward Jean and Elara.

"Don’t harm her until he arrives. It would be delightful to bash the whole family at once."

His eyes shifted toward the other man.

"I’ll start with the man. You can start with the brat."

The other man sneered as he picked up a fork.

"Don’t worry. I won’t hurt her too much."

Jean wanted to get up and run. Yet her body remained completely frozen in place, as though several invisible hands were pressing her down.

Her breath caught in her throat when her wrist was suddenly seized and forced onto the table.

The bastard raised the fork to eye level and grinned.

"Just a little scratch would be enough for now."

Jean’s face had gone pale. Her entire body trembled, but she couldn’t move. She couldn’t scream. All she could do was watch helplessly as the bastard raised the fork higher, preparing to drive it into her.

She pulled Elara closer, desperately shielding her with the only movement her restrained body could manage.

And just as the fork began its descent, Jean squeezed her eyes shut.

SQUELCH

Bones and muscle were cleaved apart.

Yet Jean wasn’t hurt.

Drake’s brow furrowed.

Then his eyes widened as realization struck.

Thud

A moment later, a severed hand fell to the floor, dark flames curling around the wrist.

The man who had been about to stab Jean slowly looked down.

Where his hand had been, there was now only a bloody stump.

His gaze slowly traveled upward.

And when his eyes finally settled on the person responsible, all he saw was fury.

The hunter swallowed hard.

The pain hadn’t even registered yet.

Drake rose from his seat, and suddenly, the scrape of his chair against the floor became the only sound in the café.

"Ma... maa..."

Elara suddenly raised her tiny hands, reaching toward Kai.

Kai’s gaze immediately shifted toward his daughter.

For the briefest moment, the fury in his eyes softened.

He stepped closer, then looked at Jean.

"Mind waiting for me here? I’ll deal with this soon."

Jean was too nervous and flustered to speak. She could only nod.

Kai slowly turned his gaze back toward the man, who now wore an excited expression despite his friend missing hand.

Taking a deep breath, Kai spoke in a low voice.

"Lead the way. Let’s end this today."

Drake’s eyes lit up.

"Finally!"