The old man's face was bruised, his clothes torn, his breathing ragged as he sat helpless beneath the glare of a single overhead bulb.
"What are you doing?!" Nero shrieked, his wired jaw clicking violently as he retched. He thrashed against the silver chains, his voice a hoarse, desperate rattle.
"Don't touch him! Leave him alone!"
Alben sat casually on the nearby sofa, dressed in a silk robe, sipping his favorite juice. He didn't look up from the screen.
"Oh, it's not for you, sweetie. But you can watch it yourself so you don't have to keep asking where your father is."
Nero didn't grasp the full extent of the trap. He began crawling across the floor like a broken animal, dragging the heavy chains behind him as he tried to reach the base of the sofa.
"Please," Nero cried, his arrogant pride completely gone, replaced by pathetic, weeping desperation. "Please, leave him alone. Don't touch him. Do whatever you want to me, but let him go. Please."
