"You are to go back to Imperium and receive 100 lashes. You won't be receiving a bonus this year either," Joseph ordered icily. "Yes, sir." Vince accepted his orders and looked up, asking carefully, "What about Bee—""What does she have anything to do with you?""I just wanted to ask for Bee to be shown mercy as she just recovered and woke up.”Joseph smirked, remaining languid and calm as if nothing serious was about to happen. "I won't punish her."Relieved, Vince uttered gratefully, "Thank you for your generosity, sir." A smug expression crossed Bethany’s face. She flipped her hair and glanced at Chloe, trying to indicate something. Chloe looked back at Bethany indifferently. She was half a head taller than Bethany and came off looking more menacing. Though a little frightened, Bethany straightened her back. So what if Chloe was taller? Men liked docile and petite women. She and Zoelle were just too tall."Oh?" Zoelle stared at Joseph curiously, guessing he had something
Vince did not know what to do. Seeing that Joseph was about to drive away, he said, "Find a hotel to stay at. When I have the time, I'll come to you and we’ll discuss this." He then got into the car.Bethany watched in despair as the car sped off. She dropped to the floor, feeling utterly drained. She cried until she had no more tears left. Staring at the deserted street, Bethany found it hard to believe that Joseph had abandoned her for Chloe. She was filled with anger, and she wanted revenge.Suddenly, someone who hated Chloe to the core came to mind. They could join forces and get rid of Chloe. *Seated inside the car, Zoelle hummed a tune while casting a cheerful gaze at Vince, her spirits notably high.Chloe turned around and extended a hand toward Zoelle. "Gimme your phone."Zoelle raised her eyebrows and asked, "Why?""I know you recorded the scene of Bethany trying to drug Vince." Zoelle's demeanor suggested to her that there must be concrete evidence supporting her c
Vince remained silent. Frowning, he lowered his head dejectedly and ignored Zoelle.The recording was short and Chloe played it at twice the normal speed. She then turned to Joseph and asked, "Do you think this is how she spiked my yogurt?"Maintaining an innocent facade while engaging in nefarious acts was truly deceptive, like a wolf wrapped in sheep's clothing. No one would suspect Bethany at first glance. Considering her past contributions, she could have had a good life in Imperium if she had behaved.Joseph's face sank as he said coldly, "Letting her leave Imperium like that was giving it to her too easy."Bethany was a troublemaker, causing havoc not only for others but also inviting it upon herself. Given how bold she was to harm Chloe, Joseph was determined to eliminate her. He knew that people changed over time, and this proved the same for Bethany. Never having made a true effort to understand what kind of person Bethany was, he and Vince ended up looking at Bethany thro
Chloe frowned as she did not want to leave Zoelle on a deserted road. However, Joseph had already hit the brakes. He looked at Zoelle through the rearview mirror and said, "You can get out now."Zoelle immediately got out. Joseph then locked the doors and continued driving. He had not minded giving Zoelle a lift, but he would not stop her if she wanted to get out. Aside from Chloe and Jasper, he had no concern for anyone else.Chloe fell silent for a moment and asked, "Do you think Vince went too far?"Joseph nodded as he kept his eyes on the road. "Yes."Vince silently looked through the back window of the car. As the car picked up speed, Zoelle slowly faded from sight until she vanished. He felt a bit uneasy but forced himself to ignore it. His words may have been harsh, but she was not a good woman anyway."Why did you let Zoelle get out then?" Chloe asked."She's not my friend nor my relative, neither do I like her much, so why not?" Joseph replied.Not knowing what to say,
Alfred was caught off guard, having never been comforted by a patient before. He acknowledged that he had held responsibility for Chloe's current situation. He had been too trusting of his former student and should never have taken the case based solely on the student’s one-sided claims.Stella entered the room. "Professor, it's time."Alfred glanced at the clock on the wall and took a deep breath to calm himself.*It would take a whole morning to undo the hypnosis. After that, the patient needed to stay in the hospital for three days of observation. Before being allowed to leave, they would have to undergo a comprehensive psychological evaluation. Joseph had Lucas bring his laptop to him as he planned to work remotely while waiting for Chloe to be done.When Stella stepped out of the room, she spotted Joseph sitting at the table. He was impeccably dressed and had a serious expression. He exuded a regal aura as he poured his focus into his work. However, he seemed rather worried
Stella was both pleasantly surprised and heartbroken. She was delighted to know that her guess was correct—that Noah had not moved on from Chloe and being with Tiffany was just a sham. At the same time, it saddened her that Noah still held feelings for Chloe, a woman undeserving of his affections.Clearing her throat, Stella pressed the answer button and said, "How have you been, Noah?”"When did Chloe first contact Professor Alfred?" Noah ignored her question and got straight to the point."Umm… Yesterday.""Do you know what they talked about?""No, but they did have a long conversation in the office. Professor Alfred wasn’t in a great mood after Chloe left and immediately started preparing for today's procedure. I don't know what he's doing as he didn't tell me about it."Stella had studied psychology in college and was familiar with some industry terms, but advanced psychology was beyond her understanding.Noah was so silent for so long that Stella thought he had hung up. "No
A musty odor lingered in the air of the dilapidated hotel. Xavia was wearing a long gray linen dress and her face was devoid of makeup. She walked toward a faded desk by the wall and glided her fingers across the top. Redness tinged her eyes and her voice was thick with deep-seated resentment as she said, "Chloe has gone too far. Though I already left Joseph, she still clings on, determined to break me and Ken apart. I have nowhere to call home now. There's no one in this world who wants Chloe dead more than I do. Look around you. Isn't all this enough for you to believe me?"Bethany looked around and frowned. "I know you hate Chloe, and I dislike her too, but there's nothing we can do. We're powerless.""We don't have to get our hands dirty. We can get rid of her through another person's hands.""What do you mean?""I know Vince likes you. He's Joseph's most trusted subordinate." Bethany instantly understood, but recalling Vince's indecisiveness yesterday, she felt a surge of an
Alfred wiped off the beads of sweat on his forehead and shook his head. “She showed a strong stress reaction during the procedure, so I gave her a sedative shot. We'll know the specifics of her condition once she wakes up.""And when will she wake up?" Joseph asked."A few days maybe," Alfred answered, "You don’t have to wait here. Go home and rest. I'll call you as soon as she wakes up.""It's fine, I’ll be here." Since Joseph insisted, Alfred did not argue. He turned and instructed Stella to keep a close eye on Chloe.Joseph nodded gratefully and strode to Chloe's bedside. He gently tucked the stray hair behind her ears. Noticing that her lips were chapped, he put down his phone and asked the nurse for some vaseline."Are you listening? What are you daydreaming about?" Alfred looked at Stella incredulously.Stella tore her eyes away from Joseph and noted down Alfred’s instructions in her small notebook. "Please continue, Professor.""That's all. Keep an eye on her electrocar