At the sound of the voice, Chloe Preston turned around.
A cold sneer formed on Ethan Irving’s face as he approached her step by step. He held a cigarette between his fingers, smoke swirling around him.
Chloe Preston spun around to leave, but Ethan Irving lunged forward, grabbed her arm, and slammed her against the wall.
"Where do you think you’re going?"
Chloe Preston winced, her brow furrowing in pain. She remained silent, instinctively covering her lower abdomen as she tried to step away.
Ethan Irving tilted his head, jutting his chin toward his two sidekicks. Taking the cue, they moved forward and pinned Chloe Preston in place.
Seeing this, Wyatt Quinn hurried forward to stop them. "Hey, hey, what are you all doing? I don’t owe you money anymore, so let my daughter go!"
Ethan Irving kicked him aside and spat. "Get lost! Stop getting in the way!"
He then stepped forward until he was standing in front of Chloe Preston.
"What a coincidence, Miss Quinn. I didn’t expect to see you here." Ethan Irving chuckled, then his hand flashed out, slapping her across the face.
The sharp sound echoed as a fiery red mark instantly appeared on her left cheek, stinging with pain.
Wyatt Quinn grew frantic. He lunged forward and struck Ethan. "You bastard! How dare you hit my daughter!"
The two sidekicks immediately kicked him away, pinning him to the ground.
Ethan Irving reached out and lifted the woman’s chin, a sneer on his face. "Does it hurt?"
Chloe Preston’s gaze was icy. "I guess you didn’t get beaten enough last time."
"I advise you to let me go. If my boyfriend finds out about this, he’ll make you suffer a terrible fate!"
Ethan Irving shrugged. "Oh, really? I’m so scared!"
"Where is he now?" he taunted before slapping her again.
His expression turned vicious. "Last time, your man beat me black and blue. Today, I’m going to get my payback from you, and I’ll take it double!"
He reached out to rip her clothes.
"Get away from me! Don’t touch me!" Chloe Preston struggled with all her might.
Seeing this, Wyatt Quinn struggled to his feet and rushed over, shielding Chloe with his own body.
"Don’t any of you touch my daughter! If you want something, come for me!"
Ethan Irving leaned in and laughed. "Come for you? Fine!"
He lifted his foot and kicked him hard in the stomach.
"Dad!" Chloe Preston’s pupils constricted.
"I’m fine," Wyatt Quinn gasped, but he remained firmly in front of her, determined to protect her from harm.
Seeing this, Ethan Irving kicked him again. He turned his head and looked at one of the sidekicks. "What are you waiting for? Get him!"
The man nodded, pulled the leather belt from his waist, and began whipping it viciously across Wyatt Quinn’s body.
Pain lanced through Wyatt, but he didn’t flinch, continuing to shield Chloe.
Ethan Irving took a deep drag from his cigarette and blew out a series of smoke rings. Then, he strode forward, yanked Chloe away from her father, and threw her hard to the ground. Chloe trembled all over from the pain, curling into a ball.
Immediately after, Ethan Irving yanked her up by the hair. "Such a pretty face," he sneered mockingly. "Tell me, if I ruin it, do you think that boyfriend of yours will still want you?"
"What are you going to do? Let go of me!" Chloe Preston panicked.
Ethan Irving gripped her hair tightly, holding the cigarette and tapping the ash off. He brought the glowing tip toward her face.
"Don’t be scared, Miss Quinn. I’m just going to burn a few little scars onto your pretty face. It might hurt a bit, so try to bear with it!"
Wyatt Quinn broke free from his captors, lunged forward, and snatched the cigarette from Ethan’s hand before kicking him to the ground.
He then took the cigarette and shoved the burning end directly onto Ethan’s face.
"You want to touch my daughter? I’ll burn you to death first!"
Ethan Irving screamed in agony.
The next second, a sidekick subdued Wyatt Quinn, breaking his leg and forcing him to his knees.
Ethan Irving staggered to his feet, clutching his face. His features were twisted in a furious grimace as he kicked Wyatt in the head. "Quinn, I’m going to kill you today!"
"Who are you going to kill?"
A low, cold voice sounded from behind them.
Ethan Irving turned around. When he saw who it was, his expression immediately shifted to one of respect.
"President Sutton! Why... why are you here?"
Connor Sutton approached, one hand in the pocket of his sharp, dark gray suit. His posture was tall and erect, his handsome features exuding an elegant yet glacial air.
"What are you doing?"
"I... I..." Ethan Irving stammered, not daring to meet the man’s gaze.
Connor Sutton’s eyes swept the scene and landed on Chloe Preston, who was huddled in the corner.
His eyes narrowed, and he strode toward her. "Why are you here?"
Chloe seemed terrified and flinched away instinctively. "Go away! Don’t touch me!"
"Don’t be afraid," Connor Sutton soothed. "It’s me. Donovan Xavier’s nemesis."
At the mention of Donovan Xavier’s name, Chloe’s frantic emotions gradually began to settle.
Connor Sutton noticed the marks on her face. "How did you get these injuries? Who hit you?"
"They did!" Wyatt Quinn cried out, pointing at Ethan Irving.
Hearing this, Connor Sutton turned, his cold gaze falling on Ethan. "You hit her?"
Faced with the man’s murderous stare, Ethan Irving swallowed nervously, his legs trembling. "President Sutton, she... she’s..."
Connor Sutton stated simply, "She’s the woman I like."
"How did you hit her? Speak!"
Ethan Irving was speechless.
Wyatt Quinn got to his feet in agony. "He slapped my daughter twice, pulled her hair, and tried to burn her with a cigarette!"
Connor Sutton stepped forward, looking down on Ethan Irving. His entire aura was sinister and deeply unsettling. "Is that so?"
Ethan Irving shook his head vigorously. "No... No! He’s lying!" As he spoke, he dropped to his knees.
A slight smile played on Connor Sutton’s lips as he adjusted his cuffs. He scanned the men around him, his voice as cold as if it were laced with poison. "Beat him. Beat him to death." Googlᴇ search novel★fire.net
The men obeyed. "Yes, sir!" They swarmed forward, laying into Ethan Irving with a barrage of punches and kicks.
Ethan Irving cried and begged for mercy. "President... President Sutton, please spare me! I... I won’t ever do it again!"
Connor Sutton’s expression remained impassive. "Keep hitting him. Cripple him."
As Chloe Preston watched, a sharp pain suddenly stabbed through her lower abdomen. She gritted her teeth, her face paling as she struggled to stay on her feet.
Wyatt Quinn rushed to support her. "Chloe, what’s wrong?"
At the sound of his voice, Connor Sutton turned back, his expression suddenly anxious. "Are you not feeling well?"
Chloe clutched her abdomen, the pain becoming intense. "It hurts."
"Where does it hurt?" Connor Sutton asked.
Chloe’s legs went weak, and sweat beaded on her forehead. Unable to support herself any longer, she collapsed.
"My baby... my baby..."
Connor Sutton caught her securely, his pupils shrinking in shock. "What?"
Chloe’s eyelids felt impossibly heavy. She gripped the man’s sleeve with all her might. "Hos... pital... Save... save my child."
「Two and a half hours later.」
In a room at the hospital, Chloe Preston lay on the bed, her face ashen and her lips devoid of color.
She frowned, her hands clutching the blanket as her eyelids fluttered open.
For a moment, her mind was a complete blank.
"You’re awake? Are you feeling any discomfort?" Connor Sutton asked gently from his seat beside her.
Chloe was stunned for a second before reality rushed back. She clutched her lower abdomen, asking urgently, "My... my baby? Is my baby still here? Is he okay?"
She asked as she tried to sit up, tears already welling in her eyes.
Connor Sutton gently pressed her back down, soothing her in a soft voice. "He’s here, he’s here, don’t worry. The baby’s fine, he’s doing great. Don’t get agitated."