Chapter 11

Cedric dumbly pointed at Zoe.

Smack!

Another slap landed, followed by two more in quick succession. The thin, Cedric was utterly beaten down. His face swelled like a pig’s head, while the crowd cheered.

“Good! That’s what he gets for slandering Dr. Olson!”

“Exactly! People like him deserve a beating!”

Cedric, dazed and humiliated, swayed on his feet. “Mr. Black, what did I even do wrong?” he mumbled.

Samuel clenched his teeth, pointing a stiff finger at Cedric.

“You’ve got a death wish, don’t you? How dare you slander my daughter, saying she’s messing around with someone? Do you think the Blacks can’t deal with you?”

The words hit Cedric like a bolt of lightning.

Holy crap! He must’ve had the worst luck possible today; he had completely messed with the wrong people.

“Mr. Black, I… I swear I didn’t know she was your daughter! If I’d known, even if you gave me ten lifetimes of courage, I wouldn’t have dared to say such a thing! I was wrong. Mr. Black, please, just give me another chance!”

His tone turned pitifully submissive, and he was one step short of dropping to his knees.

At the same moment, Scarlett stirred weakly on the hospital bed, her eyelids fluttering open. The first name she called out was Leroy’s.

“Leroy…”

Leroy turned toward her instantly, his eyes reddening. He didn’t know why, but even though they were divorced, seeing her frail face brought back a flood of…

Meanwhile, seeing Scarlett awake, Cedric scrambled off the floor and hurried to her bedside. His swollen face twisted into exaggerated panic.

“Lettie, you’re finally awake! You have to help me, Mr. Black wants to kill me!”

Scarlett turned her head slightly toward the commotion.

“Mr. Black,” she muttered.

Samuel, however, wasn’t about to back down.

“Mr. Payne, this man has repeatedly disrespected me. It’s time he learned a lesson,” Samuel said coldly.

With a slight wave of Samuel’s hand, two black-suited bodyguards stepped forward. Without hesitation, they grabbed Cedric and held him firmly in place.

“What… what are you doing? This is broad daylight! There are so many people watching!” Cedric sputtered.

He looked around, but the faces in the crowd remained indifferent. Not a single person seemed willing to step in. It was like watching an old man fall in the street; everyone hesitated, unwilling to get involved.

“What’s wrong with you people? Are you all blind? Help me out, for God’s sake!” Cedric shouted.

On the hospital bed, Scarlett weakly tried to sit up, but the sharp pain in her abdomen forced her back down.

Leroy’s gaze flickered to Scarlett, her face pale and contorted with pain. After a moment of hesitation, he sighed, his resolve fully breaking.

“Mr. Black, please, do me a favor and let him go,” Leroy said, his voice calm.

“Dr. Dion, you can’t go soft on people like this. If you do, you’re only setting yourself up to get hurt again.”

“Sam, I understand, but we’re divorced now. We should keep our distance. I appreciate your help, but let it go.”

Samuel said, waving a hand, and the bodyguards let go of Cedric.

Cedric scrambled out, hurrying to catch up with William.

Before bracing, Samuel shot a final, piercing glare.

“If you cause me trouble again, I’ll make sure you regret it.” With that, Samuel and his men strode out. Dejected and relieved to have narrowly escaped, Cedric gasped for air, his fear fading, his arrogance blasted back up.

“It’s not like I looked for trouble on purpose! We should…” William began, but Scarlett cut him off, her voice low and sharp. “Stop talking—I want to rest.” For some reason, she had no patience for him.

William steered clear, nursing Leroy silently.