Free Web NovelChapter 157: Chapter 157: Returning This Slap
Sophie Shaw drove at top speed, stopping at a breakfast place along the way. Instead of eating there, she got two orders to go.
Arriving at Heart of the Ocean, she got out of the car with one of the breakfast bags. "Mr. Blackwood, I’ll see you tonight."
Alaric Blackwood silently watched her walk into the office building, remembering her distrust and dismissive attitude. The more he thought about it, the more annoyed he became.
He got out, switched to the driver’s seat, and drove off.
When he arrived at the Blackwood Group, he didn’t have time for breakfast and went straight into the morning meeting.
After the meeting, he returned to his office. He was busy dealing with some documents when a call came in from Evan Ford.
"My grandmother’s birthday is coming up, and she wants to throw a party. Bring Sophie Shaw with you."
Evan Ford got straight to the point.
After agreeing, Alaric Blackwood told Evan not to hang up.
"Something up?"
Alaric Blackwood hesitated for a moment but finally spoke. "Is my reputation really that bad?"
"..."
"Answer me."
"It’s fine."
"Don’t just brush me off."
So Evan Ford decided to be blunt. "It’s terrible."
"How is that possible?!"
’He’d hit on girls at bars, sure, but he’d never taken a single one to a hotel room. How could his reputation be that bad?’
On the other end of the line, Evan Ford didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "What got into you today?"
"Let’s have lunch. I need you to do me a favor."
—
「At the same time.」
At Heart of the Ocean, Sophie Shaw had just finished her breakfast when she heard a commotion outside. She perked up her ears to listen, but before she could make out what was happening, her office door was suddenly shoved open.
A lavishly dressed Bianca Kane forced her way in, with Hannah Sutton chasing behind her, trying and failing to stop her.
Seeing Hannah Sutton’s disheveled hair and the red handprint on her cheek, Sophie Shaw felt her anger flare.
"When did Ms. Kane become so classless? Are you not even pretending anymore? Don’t you know how to knock before entering someone’s office?"
Bianca Kane’s face was tight. Ignoring her question, she shot back in a harsh tone, "What did you do to Vianne? Where did you take her?"
Bianca Kane hadn’t seen her daughter since the auction at the charity gala last night.
When the gala ended, she was a little drunk, and Lana Rhodes drove her home first. At the time, she didn’t know Vianne Kane was missing. Damian Morgan had searched the banquet hall for a long time, but he couldn’t find her anywhere.
This morning, she learned that Vianne Kane hadn’t returned home all night and was nowhere to be found. She had asked Damian Morgan, who said the last person to have contact with Vianne Kane was Sophie Shaw.
Sophie Shaw took Vianne Kane to the restroom, and Vianne vanished afterward.
"How should I know where your daughter went?"
Sophie Shaw’s brows furrowed. Bianca Kane had ruined her mood first thing in the morning. She glanced at the handprint on Hannah Sutton’s face and asked, "Assistant Sutton, who hit you?"
"It was Ms. Kane. She demanded to see you. I said I needed to announce her, but she shoved me and tried to force her way in. When I tried to stop her, she got physical."
Hannah Sutton explained everything from beginning to end.
Sophie Shaw immediately said to Bianca Kane, "Apologize to my assistant."
Bianca Kane’s mouth twitched. "What did you say?"
"I said, apologize to my assistant!"
Bianca Kane couldn’t contain her rage and swung her hand to slap Sophie Shaw.
SLAP—
The slap never reached Sophie Shaw’s face. Instead, it was Bianca Kane who was slapped hard.
Hannah Sutton, with quick reflexes, grabbed her swinging arm, and Sophie Shaw seized the opportunity to land a slap squarely on her face.
Half of her face immediately stung with a burning pain.
’In her entire life, no one had ever dared to slap her face.’
"How dare you!"
She flew into a frenzy, roaring at Sophie Shaw, "I’m your stepmother! How dare you lay a hand on me? This is outrageous! It’s complete insubordination!"
Sophie Shaw remained unfazed by her shouting and shot back, "You’re the one who tried to hit someone first. Since you won’t apologize, it’s only fair I return the favor."
"You wretched thing!"
Bianca Kane went berserk, broke free from Hannah Sutton, and lunged at Sophie Shaw.
She grabbed and pulled Sophie Shaw’s hair, her eyes bloodshot. She looked nothing like a lady, more like a shrew, using all her brute force to shove Sophie hard against the wall.
Her back slammed against it, a sharp pain shooting through her.
Sophie Shaw grimaced in pain, using both hands to grip Bianca Kane’s neck tightly.
’This move was effective. She’d tried it on Vianne Kane before.’
’When someone grabs your hair and you can’t break free, grabbing theirs in return is a good counter. But in a tangled brawl, she would easily be at a disadvantage against a tall, sturdy shrew like Bianca Kane.’
’However, choking them so they couldn’t breathe or use their strength was the most effective counter.’
Soon, Bianca Kane’s eyes were rolling back in her head from the chokehold.
Sophie Shaw felt the grip on her hair loosen. As Bianca Kane let go, she shoved the woman away with all her might.
Hannah Sutton, seeing that Sophie wasn’t getting the worst of it, had already run out to get security.
Pushed backward, Bianca Kane staggered. Her ankle twisted in its high heel, and she collapsed onto the floor, landing hard on her butt. A sharp pain shot through her tailbone, making her yelp, "OWW!"
She rubbed the spot on her lower back, unable to get up for a moment.
Hannah Sutton ran back in with two security guards. Seeing Bianca Kane on the floor, her face scrunched up in pain, she quickly looked at Sophie Shaw.
"Throw her out."
Sophie Shaw ordered.
Hearing the order, the two guards immediately walked over to Bianca Kane. One grabbed her arms and the other her legs, and they lifted her off the ground like they were carrying a pig.
One guard hoisted her upper body over his shoulder and the other her lower body. They carried her out face-down, stiff as a board.
Her tailbone hurt badly, so she didn’t dare to move or struggle, afraid of being dropped and getting injured again. But her mouth never stopped, unleashing a verbal tirade against Sophie Shaw.
"You ungrateful wretch! The Kane Family raised you for ten years, and now you dare to scheme against your own sister! If anything happens to Vianne, I’ll make you pay!"
...
Bianca Kane’s voice gradually faded into the distance.
Sophie Shaw straightened her hair and asked Hannah Sutton, "Are you okay?"
Hannah Sutton shook her head. Then she heard her say, "Tell security that if they see Bianca Kane from now on, they can just throw her out directly."
"Yes, President Shaw."
"Your face... you should put some ice on it."
"Do you have any other orders, President Shaw?"
"No. Go put some ice on it."
Hannah Sutton nodded and left.
The office grew quiet.
Sophie Shaw sat back down in the chair at her desk. Recalling what Bianca Kane had burst in and said, she thought, ’I wonder if something really did happen to Vianne Kane last night.’
She remembered that as she and Alaric Blackwood were leaving the charity gala, Damian Morgan had suddenly run after them to ask her where Vianne Kane was.
...
「At that moment」, Vianne Kane was just waking up in a hotel bed.
Her limbs were tied with ropes. She was completely naked and spread-eagled on the bed, her whole body in excruciating pain. With her hands and feet bound, she struggled desperately, the coarse ropes chafing her wrists and ankles raw and red.
"Conor Sullivan, let me go!"
She gritted her teeth, glaring viciously at the man who had just finished washing up and was walking out of the bathroom.
Timothy Quinn’s eyes were icy, but a smile played on his lips.
He limped to the bedside, picked up his suit trousers from the nightstand, and pulled the belt straight out of its loops.
Venting his anger last night clearly hadn’t been enough. He was going to give her another brutal whipping.
