"Exactly. I..." William said, but Vivian's painful groan interrupted him before he could finish.
He spun around to face her without hesitation.
Vivian hunched forward, clutching her stomach with both hands as her whole body trembled. "My... My stomach hurts..."
Without a second thought, William scooped her up into his arms. "If anything happens to her, you'll all answer for it!"
His warning was like a blast of arctic air, draining the color from Archie's and the others' faces.
William ignored them completely, carrying Vivian out of the room in long, determined strides.
Outside, a fleet of sleek black cars waited quietly.
At the center sat a high-end luxury vehicle.
William carefully settled Vivian into the back seat and then climbed in beside her.
Vivian subtly edged away from him.
"Drive to the hospital," William commanded, his tone unyielding and quiet.
Inside the car, the mood was heavy with tension.
Vivian kept her eyes fixed on the passing scenery, anxiety growing, until William's voice broke the silence. "You didn't want them to find out who I am?"
Her pulse raced as she turned, catching sight of him scrolling through something on his tablet. "You... realized I feigned discomfort just now?" she asked, fingers clutching her clothes tightly.
"Yeah."
"I wasn't trying to trick you," she explained hurriedly. "I just didn't want them to use my name and squeeze anything out of you."
William didn't reply immediately. Instead, he watched her closely, as if searching her expression for the truth.
Vivian felt a wave of discomfort as William continued to study her.
Just then, William's phone started ringing.
On the other end, his assistant, Edwin Reed, delivered the investigation results. "Mr. Lewis, we have the details. Three days ago, Mr. Fowler tried to force your wife into marrying a disabled man with a violent streak for his own gain. When Mr. Fowler found out she had already married you, he snapped and locked her in the basement, refusing her food and water for three days. If we hadn't arrived when we did, things could have turned out much worse."
A cold fury settled over William's face, his eyes hard as ice. "Make sure they regret it. But don't expose my identity."
"Understood."
Back inside the Fowler estate's living room, Edwin ended the call and faced the three Fowlers pinned to the floor.
Thea's voice trembled. "Your boss... He really is William from Zeus Group?"
Without warning, Edwin pulled out a pistol and pressed it to her forehead.
The metal was icy against her skin, and Thea stood paralyzed, her words stuck in her throat.
"What the hell are you doing?" Melinda shrieked in panic, attempting to lunge forward.
Edwin responded with a swift kick, sending her sprawling to the floor. "If you try that again, she dies." He threatened, his tone merciless.
Blood streaked down Melinda's chin, her face rapidly swelling. Desperate, she forced herself upright and begged, "I won't move again. Please—don't hurt her..."
"If you want to avoid a bullet, you and this man will slap each other one hundred times." Edwin's lips twisted into a cruel grin. "Every hit needs to be loud. If you hold back, you'll start over from the beginning."
Archie's throat went dry, and he stared at Edwin in terror. "Y-you can't be serious?"
A shadow crossed Edwin's face. "Do I look like I'm joking?"
Archie and Melinda exchanged glances, but neither moved.
"If you can't do it yourselves, my men will do it for you," Edwin added, his words slicing through the silence.
Archie and Melinda glanced at the large, intimidating men standing behind Edwin and instantly sucked in a sharp breath.
Surrounded on all sides, Archie and Melinda slowly stood up, trembling from head to toe. They stared at each other, and there was no arrogance left in their eyes, only pure terror.
Archie moved first, swinging his arm and slapping Melinda as hard as he could.
The loud crack echoed through the room, and Melinda stumbled to the side as her ears rang and her vision blurred.
She shook her head and barely managed to steady herself. Rage flooded her chest, and she gritted her teeth before striking back.
This slap came down even harder, filled with spite. Archie reeled backward, and his cheek began swelling right away.
Like two enemies who had completely lost control, they started slapping each other again and again, the heavy sounds filling the living room.
At first, it was only the brutal sound of skin hitting skin. Soon after, muffled cries, shaky sobs, and painful gasps followed.
Their faces became a mess, swollen, bruised, and barely recognizable. Blood gathered at the corners of their mouths, yet neither of them dared to stop.
Edwin watched without emotion until the final slap, the hundredth one, landed.
Only then did Archie and Melinda drop to the floor, left with nothing but weak groans and rough, broken breathing.
Edwin calmly lowered his gun and turned his eyes toward Thea, who was curled up in the corner. "You handle her," he said, gesturing toward the nearest bodyguard.
Thea immediately started shaking harder as she scrambled back. "No... Please... Don't..."
Edwin's gaze turned colder. Without any warning, he lifted his gun.
A shot rang out, and the bullet skimmed past Thea's ear. Heat and fragments struck her face, and her lungs locked up as terror hit her all at once.
"I'll behave! I'll take the slaps!" Thea collapsed into hysterical screams, tears streaming.
She practically threw herself forward, pushing her face toward the bodyguard. "Hit me! Please hit me right now!"