Perhaps it was the look in my eyes that startled him. Edgar's grip tightened around my wrist, and for a long moment, he just stood there frozen, unable to react.
I wrenched my hand free.
"Edgar, I hope you won't regret what you've done today."
I turned and walked away, wanting nothing more than to get as far from this disgusting pair as possible.
But they had no intention of letting me go that easily.
A squad of bodyguards in black suits rushed forward, blocking my path with hostile expressions.
Edgar's mocking voice rang out behind me.
"Tsk, tsk. It's been half an hour already, Katherine. You slapped Lydia, you wasted our time. Did you really think you could just walk away like nothing happened?"
I turned back, my gaze ice-cold.
"Then what do you want?"
Edgar's eyes swept over the wreckage scattered across the floor, dripping with contempt.
"You were standing here trying to sell these pathetic little paintings. They wouldn't have fetched much anyway. Worthless amateur garbage, if we're being honest. But tell you what, I'll give you a chance."
He let out a derisive laugh, every syllable soaked in condescension.
"You're going to stay right here and wait on my precious Lydia. Be her little servant. Whatever she tells you to do, you do it."
"If you serve her well enough, I might be generous and let the whole thing slide. The slap, the broken merchandise, all of it."
"But if you don't..."
His voice trailed off. The amusement drained from his eyes, replaced by something cold and vicious.
"Then you'd better be ready to face the consequences."
I turned slowly to face him, taking in that smug, self-satisfied expression, and felt the fury building from somewhere deep inside my chest.
In the six months since our engagement, how much had I given for the Fox family? Did he have absolutely no idea?
I'd leveraged every last connection and resource the Sullivan family had. I'd landed him deal after deal, paving his way forward at every turn.
I'd dragged the Fox family out of their dead-end plateau and forced open the doors to the real elite circles.
In just six months, I'd put them on the Forbes list.
Without me, Katherine Sullivan.
Edgar Fox would still be nothing more than a small-time heir scrambling in the B-list circles of Seaview City.
He wouldn't even have the standing to speak to me.
All of that, and he was either genuinely blind to what I was capable of, or he was simply an ungrateful snake who'd bitten the hand that fed him.
My eyes narrowed.
"Edgar, do you truly not know who I am?"
"I don't care who you are. You're just a spoiled princess the Sullivan family coddled too long. No real talent to speak of. Today, I'm going to teach you a lesson."
Edgar waved his hand dismissively, and the bodyguards moved on cue.
Two of them seized my arms from either side. They ignored my struggling, wrenched my wrists behind my back, and pulled out a length of coarse rope to bind me.
They were actually going to hold me down and turn me into Lydia's personal slave.
The instant the rope bit into my skin, my rage boiled over into a cold, bitter laugh.
"Edgar, you must have a death wish."
He scoffed and reached out, giving my cheek a patronizing slap.
"Katherine. You knew I was going to become the heir to Fox Group. That's why you agreed to the engagement, isn't it?"
"Before, I had no real standing in the family. My brother overshadowed me at every turn."
"But things are different now. If I can't even protect the woman I love, what kind of heir would I be?"
Edgar delivered that speech like it was something to be proud of.
He had no idea how soon those words would blow up in his face.
The bodyguards were seconds away from tying me up completely.
I clenched my fists and spoke, my voice cutting through like a blade.
"Edgar, stop flattering yourself. Do you even know why you became the Fox family heir?"
