I wiped away my tears and straightened my back.
"Nathan, I will never kowtow to a mistress unless I'm dead."
Nathan narrowed his eyes, gestured, and a bodyguard stepped forward, seized my shoulder, and kicked my knee. I fell before Victoria with a heavy thud. Before I could even bow, whispers erupted:
"Look, the dignified Wallace heiress kneels to a mistress! What a shame to all women!"
"Truly, she'd be better off dead. Living like this is humiliating." "If William Wallace saw this, he'd be furious in his grave." I tilted my head, eyes bloodshot, glaring at Nathan.
"Nathan, have you forgotten the vow under the oak tree?" He grabbed my chin fiercely.
"Catherine, I haven't forgotten. It's you who has been ruthless, insisting on driving Victoria and her children away. Today, I must teach you a lesson." Then he slammed my head to the floor, blood trickling down my forehead, seeping into my eyes, blurring everything.
Just as he was about to strike again, a thin figure rushed in and punched him hard across the face.
"Don't bully my sister!" Through my haze, I saw my younger brother, Samuel, trembling as he stood protectively before me.
Nathan steadied himself, wiped the blood from his lip, and glared coldly.
"Move."
"No!"
"Brother Nathan, you can't hurt my sister like this! You promised to protect her forever—why force her to kneel to a lowly woman?"
Nathan’s voice turned icy.
"Samuel, you're young. You don’t understand. This is for your sister’s own good, to stop her from harming others."
"You're lying! My sister would never hurt anyone! You're framing her!"
"Nathan, I’m eighteen now, not a child. If you can't protect my sister, I will." His youthful face was filled with grief and fury. He turned to pull me away.
Nathan waved his hand; the bodyguards blocked us.
"Catherine, you must take responsibility. You haven't apologized to Victoria." My brother shoved the bodyguards in anger, but they seized him. Seeing them grab my arm, he roared,
"Don't touch my sister! I'll apologize to her! I’ll beat her, I'll scold her, I'll do anything!"
Then he fell to his knees with a thud and kowtowed repeatedly toward Victoria.
"I'm bowing to you to apologize! Don’t treat my sister like this! She's a girl! Don’t humiliate her…" Tears instantly blurred my vision. I kicked the bodyguard’s leg and rushed to pull him into my arms.
"Samuel Wallace, I’m sorry! It’s my fault, I’m so sorry…" His tears slid down my neck, scorching my heart.
His hoarse, trembling voice choked out:
"Sister, I've burdened you. I won’t study anymore. Let’s go." People around us looked on with mixed expressions. In high society, everyone is cunning; they all know the Wallace family’s secrets. But no one dared expose anything or offend a business partner.
Seeing the tension deepen, our father stepped out, angrily shouting,
"Shameful child! You can’t live a peaceful day because of jealousy!"
He smacked my brother on the head,
"You're a man! Instead of calming your sister, you join her mess. How will the Wallace Group ever be yours?"
"When will you be half as sensible as your brother? Only then could I die in peace."
