Chapter 4
Kyle grabbed Matthew by the collar and slapped him again. “This slap is to teach you what gratitude means!” In the past, whenever Matthew got into trouble and was too scared to tell Belle or Margaret, he would beg Kyle to clean up his mess.
Before Matthew could recover, Kyle slapped him again. “This slap is to teach you not to be so arrogant. In front of others, you’re still just a kid.”
After three consecutive slaps, Matthew was dazed. His face was swollen like a balloon, red and bruised. A few broken teeth fell out, leaving him in a miserably state.
Just then, hurried footsteps approached. “Stop, Kyle Archer! Do you know what you’re doing?”
The voice belonged to Chloe, Belle’s closest friend and assistant.
Kyle tilted his head slightly, glancing at her with cold amusement. “You’re a bit late; you missed the good part.”
“Good part? Do you have any idea who you just beat? Matthew is Ms. Cotton’s beloved brother! You heartless, ungrateful man! How dare you betray Ms. Cotton’s kindness?”
The words “heartless” and “ungrateful” instantly turned Kyle’s gaze icy. “Heartless? Ungrateful? Coming from you—now that’s ironic.”
“Ms. Cotton was worried about you, really. She was afraid Matthew might act recklessly, so she sent me here to intervene. And this is how you repay her kindness?”
In truth, Chloe had arrived earlier but stayed hidden, hoping Matthew would teach Kyle a lesson. She thought it might help Kyle realize the gap between himself and the Cotton family. But she hadn’t expected things to escalate so dramatically.
“Oh? So you’re all overflowing with good intentions, huh?”
Kyle released Matthew, who collapsed to the floor. Chloe rushed over, cradling him. “Matthew! Are you okay? Say something! Don’t scare me!”
Seeing that Matthew couldn’t speak, Chloe shouted at a nearby blond boy, “Call an ambulance! Now!”
The boy, shaken, fumbled for his phone and nervously dialed.
“Kyle Archer, you’ve gone mad! Do you realize what you’ve done? You’ve beaten Matthew—Ms. Cotton will never show you an ounce of sympathy again! Think about how you’re going to explain this to her!”
“Ms. Cotton gave you compensation out of respect for your past relationship. You pretended to be magnanimous by refusing it, and now you turn around and do this to her brother?”
Kyle lectured her, tilting his head mockingly. “Does it look like I’m an idiot to you? Your whole purpose was to watch me embarrass myself and then tell Belle how I’ve trivialized the so-called gap between us, wasn’t it?”
Kyle’s voice hardened. “I just got out of prison, and you people couldn’t wait to threaten me into a divorce. I said I didn’t want anything—just what’s mine. And you still had to intervene.”
Chloe looked into Kyle’s eyes.
Kyle walked away, grabbed Matthew by the hair, and spoke in a chilling tone: “Today, it’s not about you refusing to let me go—it’s about me refusing to let you go.”
Previously, Kyle had always been mild-mannered, a man who avoided conflict. But now, after years in prison, he had become ruthless and domineering. It wasn’t enough for him to beat someone; he had to humiliate Matthew further.
“Kyle Archer, you’re insane! You’ve completely lost it!” Chloe shouted in desperation, her anger flaring as she saw the severity of Matthew’s injuries.
Kyle remained unfazed. “I divorced Belle, but I’m not naïve enough to believe you had no part in it. Don’t even try to convince me otherwise. I don’t hit women, but that doesn’t mean I won’t hit you. If you don’t want to test me, stay out of my way, don’t push me.”
Not only had Kyle beaten Matthew to a pulp, but now he was threatening her. “Fine, Kyle. You want to play this game? Let’s do it! Let’s see if you even qualify as a ‘divorced’ Belle. Now you take all your anger out on her brother. Does it make you feel good? Have you thought about the consequences? The Cotton family can end you whenever they want.”
“Oh? The mighty Cotton family, huh? Do they rely on Belle’s power, or her cold-heartedness and lack of loyalty?” Kyle sighed mockingly. “This ungrateful, self-serving family wants to challenge me? If you insist on provoking me, be ready to face the consequences. Matthew can leave now. But Belle must come here and apologize to me in person. If she doesn’t, he won’t be leaving this place—not even for his funeral.”
In Kerdonia, the Cotton family name held immense weight. But thinking they could scare Kyle just by using that name was a joke. Even if Kyle were an ordinary person, did that mean he deserved to be bullied by the Cotton family?
In Chloe’s eyes, however, Kyle was the bully. To her, he should have simply accepted everything arranged for him—it was his fate. Even if humiliated, he should have borne it quietly. But Kyle was fighting back—with shocking ruthlessness. To Chloe, it was nothing short of rebellion.
Chloe sneered. “Finally showing your true colors, huh, Kyle? You’ve lost everything, so now you’re resorting to this just to get Belle’s attention, aren’t you? You want to prove you’re not a pushover, that you can fight and act all rough? Pathetic. You’re just a clown. As a man, you’re utterly shameless. Let me tell you this: when Belle arrives and sees all this, she’ll only be more disgusted with you. Her attitude toward you won’t improve in the slightest. You weren’t good enough for Belle before, and now you’re even less worthy!”
Clearly, they were the ungrateful ones, yet they spoke as if they held the moral high ground. Chloe called Kyle shameless, but who were the truly shameless ones here?
Kyle shook his head bitterly. “You talk too much. It’s pointless. Fine, if you all think I’m not worthy, then I’m not worthy. Let’s just say I did all of this on purpose. Go ahead and call Belle. If she wants to save Matthew, tell her to come here herself.”
Kyle’s tone was resolute, leaving Chloe visibly furious.
“Kyle, you’re utterly ungrateful! My words may be harsh, but I’m trying to save you! Do you even know who you’ve just humiliated? He’s not just Belle’s brother—Matthew Cotton is a major figure in Kerdonia’s underworld. The people backing him can control the entire underground scene here. Mr. Clements, with just a wave of his hand, can summon hundreds of men willing to die for him. Killing you and tossing your body into the river wouldn’t even cause a ripple. If you still don’t believe me, let me tell you this—Mr. Clements answers directly to the most powerful figure in Kerdonia’s underground world—Elisa Rivas, the Empress herself!”
There was no need to mention the Empress Elisa Rivas’s name. In Kerdonia, simply mentioning Mike was enough to act with impunity.
But Chloe wanted Kyle to understand that Matthew was no longer the person he used to be. She also wanted to make it clear that crossing Matthew meant Kyle would have no place in Kerdonia.
However, in her eagerness to elevate Matthew, Chloe failed to notice Kyle’s subtle reaction—a slight raise of his brow when she mentioned Elisa Rivas, as if he found it surprising. If Chloe knew that before they had arrived, the so-called “unreachable” Empress Elisa Rivas had personally called Kyle, humbly begging for his help, how shocked would she be? And if she realized that even Rupert Marshall, someone Elisa dared not offend, owed Kyle a massive debt—one involving a life—how would she react?
Chloe had been talking for a while, but seeing that her words hadn’t moved Kyle in the slightest, she grew visibly frustrated. She didn’t want to make the call—not because of Kyle’s threats, but because she felt partially responsible for Matthew’s current state.
“Kyle Archer, you’re so ungrateful!” Chloe snapped, her voice tinged with anger and exasperation. "After all that, do I look scared to you? Call Belle Cotton now. If she comes, Matthew can leave.”
Kyle shook his head, lit a cigarette, and pointed at Chloe. “Other than making the call, if you keep running your mouth, I’ll slap you twice. Don’t believe me? Try me.”