CHAPTER 347

For a moment, Eddie was at a loss for words.

He could see that the family had made up their mind. Even if he used drastic measures to force the second son's family to stay, the two families had already distanced themselves from each other. If they were forced together, it wouldn't help anything, and it might cause incidents that he was even more reluctant to experience.

Now, he could only appease the fury of the second son's family, then have a proper talk with them to see if he could change their mind.

After making up his mind, he looked at Austin. "Austin, have you admitted your mistakes?"

"Yes, Grandpa. I have," Austin said while lowering his head, "I have wronged Uncle Brandon and Aunt Jennifer, and I have wronged Luna even more. I am willing to accept any form of punishment from Uncle Brandon and Aunt Jennifer."

"In that case, I'll have you punished twenty times." Eddie asked in a cold voice, "Do you agree to that?"

Austin nodded. "Yes, Grandpa."

"Dad, there's no need for that." As her heart softened, Jennifer stopped Eddie. "Dad, I've already said before that Austin loves Luna, and it was purely by accident that Luna got hurt. I don't blame him, so you don't have to punish him, Dad."

"This punishment is not because he accidentally hurt Luna," said Eddie, "I'm punishing him because he is the eldest grandson of the Penham Family, but he acts too rashly! He accidentally hurt Luna today,

but you and Brandon don't want to blame him. What if he had accidentally hurt someone else's child? Their dreams and future would have disappeared right now!"

He looked at Austin and said, "The twenty times today serves as a reminder. You have to remember that being rash can only cause trouble! From now on, no matter what you're faced with, you have to remain calm and think before you act. Do you understand, Austin?"

"Yes, Grandpa," Austin said while lowering his head. "I understand."

Eddie nodded, then shouted, "In that case, we shall begin!"

The punishment in the Penham Family was delivered through a palm-wide plank made of ebony. It was kept in the ancestral hall, and the jet black ebony glistened in the light. It was as wide and thick as someone's palm, and it looked heavy with quite some weight to it.

Whenever the younger children of the Penham Family committed mistakes, they'd usually just kneel in the ancestral hall, and they had never been punished with the plank before. According to their grandmother, the previous generation had all been punished with the plank before, and if the punishment was dealt ten times, they wouldn't be able to get out of bed for days on end.

Eddie was advanced in age, and he wasn't as harsh as he had been in his younger years. Also, since he loved his grandchildren, he was never willing to hit his grandchildren with the plank. Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

Today, it was a record-breaking first.

Austin walked to the bench in the yard on his own accord, falling face-first on it. Two bodyguards held

his shoulders in place while another bodyguard dealt the punishment, counting, "One, two, three, four…"

The bodyguards knew what they were doing, so they didn't hurt Austin too much. However, since the plank was taken out of the ancestral hall, it wasn't something they could gloss over either. They had to make it count.

As the plank landed on Austin's backside, the dull thuds made everyone wince.

Austin bit his lip tightly, swallowing the shrieks he wanted to let out of his throat. He knew that the bodyguards had been merciful. If not, with such heavy ebony, it wouldn't take too many tries for his skin to split.

The bodyguard knew that the slower the punishment was dealt, the more unbearable it would be. As such, twenty blows were dealt in quick succession, and soon, the ordeal was over.

Even though Austin's skin didn't split, it was still painful enough that Austin's face went pale and wet with perspiration. His clothes were also drenched in cold beads of sweat.

Eddie didn't dismiss Austin to his room. Instead, he ordered his two trustworthy subordinates to support Austin. "Austin, you cannot be absent from the meeting that is to come. Just stay at the side and listen, and you can go back for treatment after the meeting."

Austin nodded as he replied, "Yes, Grandpa."

Eddie looked at Ava. "It's your turn."

Ava was so terrified that her face went pale, trying her best to hide behind Penny.

Penny gave a half-smile. "Dad, Ava is a girl…"

"So what?" He then questioned, "Is there a law that states that girls can be exempted from the law and all punishment?"

"Ava is already hurt, though!" She was so anxious that sweat began trickling down her forehead. "Dad, look how injured Ava's face is!"

Eddie was extremely annoyed now, and he ignored Penny as he looked straight at Ava, saying, "Ava, you went to the home of Brandon's family and killed Luna's cat. Both your heart and actions are cruel, so I'll give you fifty times. Do you agree with this?"

"Fifty times?" Ava was so scared that all life was drained from her face. She shook her head hastily, "No! Grandpa, you can't do this to me!"

She was a girl; how could she bear to have her butt hit in front of so many people?

If news of this got out, how could she keep her head high when she went out?

Today, it was a record-breaking first.

Austin walked to the bench in the yard on his own accord, falling face-first on it. Two bodyguards held his shoulders in place while another bodyguard dealt the punishment, counting, "One, two, three, four…"

Furthermore, it was fifty times!

Her eldest brother, a proper man, couldn't even walk because of the pain after being hit twenty times. He could barely stand only with the support of two people.

She was a weak little girl. If she were to be hit fifty times, she would be half-dead!

Was her grandfather crazy?

Eddie had no time for arguments as he ordered his trusty subordinates, "Carry out the punishment."

"No! Get away! Get away from me!" Ava pushed away the people who walked over to grab her, hiding behind Penny and gripping the woman's clothes tightly. She screamed while crying, "Mom, save me, save me! I'll be beaten to death with 50 blows!"

Penny protected Ava, her eyes red as she questioned Eddie, "Dad, are you trying to kill Ava? Ava is a girl, and her body is so fragile. If you give her fifty blows, she'll be dead! How could you do this to her?"

"If her life is so valuable, then what about Luna's cat?" Eddie said coldly. "She has no respect for life at all. She did not kill to hunt or to eat; because she wanted to vent, she killed her cousin's beloved pet. Don't you see how cruel she is, and how vicious her heart is as well?"

He looked at Penny coldly while saying, "You should be grateful that I'm still willing to punish her. If you do not agree, I will chase her out of the Penham Family! If you're still not convinced, you can get out with her! The Penham Family has no room for cruel, vicious, and disrespectful descendants like you!"

Penny was dumbfounded.

Her status wasn't as outstanding as Jennifer, and she was just the daughter of a common merchant.

Although her family had some standing within Dusktown, it was incomparable to the Penham Family.

As the daughter-in-law of the Penham Family, no matter where she went, she was fawned over and well-respected.

However, if she divorced Bryson, she would be an unwanted woman. People would mock her, laugh at her, and insult her.

She had never once thought of divorcing Bryson, but she didn't want Ava to be punished either.

Penny gritted her teeth and bent her knees, kneeling on the ground as both her tears and voice came pouring out. "Dad, Ava didn't kill Luna's cat on purpose; she was just drunk at that time. Ava admits to her mistakes now, so can't you forgive her this time, Dad? Ava knows what she has done wrong, so she won't dare to do this ever again. Please, Dad!"

She kneeled on the ground. She gave Eddie a kowtow a few times with her head banging against the ground.

At the side, Austin could only feel his heart grow cold as he watched the scene.