Chapter 32

Darren was surprised, then instantly furious. He instinctively wanted to fight back, but strangely, he found he'd lost all his strength. When his fist landed on Lauren's shoulder, she remained motionless, while he stumbled back several steps. "What's going on?" he wondered. He looked at his fist, bewildered by his sudden weakness. To test it, he punched the wall, screaming in pain.

"What did you do to me?" Darren demanded, looking at Lauren in disbelief.

Lauren raised a hand, withdrawing a silver needle gleaming with cold light from his neck. "I rarely do this," she said.

Her tone implied he should feel honored.

After speaking, Lauren rubbed something onto her arms, cheeks, and neck. Instantly, bruises bloomed on those areas, as if she'd been severely beaten. She then overturned chairs and tables, creating chaos in the room.

Walking to the door, she placed her hand on the knob and glanced back at Darren. Her look pinned him in place.

"Do you know what it feels like to be weak and helpless?" she asked.

Darren trembled, staring at Lauren as if she were a devil. What did she do? Why did my strength disappear? Why? he thought.

"Why haven't you answered my question?" Lauren asked, her voice low but pleasant, yet it caused Darren to tremble even more violently. He shook his head frantically. "I don't know…"

"It's okay," Lauren smiled. "You'll know soon." She opened the door.

Outside stood numerous people: Mr. Bennett Sr., Mr. Bennett Jr., Mrs. Bennett, Jeffery, and several servants. The commotion had prompted Sally to summon everyone; some were even about to kick down the door when Lauren opened it.

The sight that greeted them—Lauren's bruises and Darren's furious expression—stunned everyone. Though Mr. Bennett Sr. disliked Lauren, he exploded with rage, roaring and lunging toward Darren. "What are you doing?! This is violence!"

In the past, the Bennetts could have used money to resolve Darren's violent acts. But this was his own sister. Mr. Bennett Sr.'s disbelief was evident; his hand trembled slightly on his crutch, requiring Jeffery's support to prevent him from falling. Mrs. Bennett and Sally gasped in shock. It was horrific! They knew Darren had a bad temper, but they never imagined he'd be this violent. Mrs. Bennett feared Lauren might have died if they hadn't arrived.

Fear flickered in Sally's eyes as she looked at Darren. He'd always been fearless, regardless of the trouble he caused, unconcerned about his parents' punishment. But now, he was truly afraid.

He wanted to confess, yet he couldn't be blamed for something he hadn't done.

(The final sentence, "His Secret Millionairess Wife," appears to be a title and should be removed from the body of the cleaned-up passage.)