Vince's POV
Luisa’s crowd of b oy toys had also been brought to the press conference.
All of us, myself included, were surrounded by her bodyguards. They swung thick batons, striking our legs and groins without mercy.
The hall instantly filled with screams and cries of pain. The smell of blood hit the air, thick and metallic.
“Even if Luisa gave birth, and her husband wants to punish us, it's just fine,” one of the boy toys sobbed, “But does he really have to cripple us?! Agh—it hurts! Help! Someone help!”
Just then, I was also kicked to the ground, and a baton wrapped with nails smashed into me, tearing through skin and muscle. Within seconds, I was covered in blood, and my body was a mess of raw with open wounds.
My screams startled the other boy toys, and panic spread through the crowd.
“Wait, isn’t that Luisa’s husband? Why is he here, too? So who’s really behind all this?”
Writhing on the floor, I gritted my teeth and cried out, “Help us!”
Right then, Albion walked in, arm-in-arm with Luisa. He was dressed in a white suit, smug as ever, holding the hand of a little boy beside him.
The moment Luisa saw the chaos, the injured men writhing in blood, her expression shifted.
“Who told you to touch them?!” she barked at the bodyguards.
Albion covered his nose dramatically and said, “Ugh, what happened here? All your pretty boys are ruined. Who would be so heartless to do this to them?”
Before he even finished speaking, Luisa’s glare snapped to me. Without warning, she kicked me hard in the stomach.
“You filthy, jealous bastard!” she spat. “I leave for one moment, and you try to ruin them all? You can’t stand seeing them around me, can you?!”
Curled up on the ground, I looked past her at Albion, his smug smile, his victory shining in his eyes.
Through clenched teeth, I gasped, “It wasn’t me… It was him—”
“Still lying?” she shouted. “You think I don’t know you? This isn’t the first time your jealousy has hurt people! But this time, I’m not going to let it slide.”
Then she barked orders at the bodyguards. “Have every one of those men slap him across the face. After that, send them to the best hospital for treatment. And whoever hits the hardest gets a hundred grand reward.”
Quickly, the guards dragged me into the center of the room, paying no mind to the blood still pouring from my wounds.
One by one, the boy toys stepped forward, hesitant, eyes full of guilt as they raised their hands.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Carr,” one of them whispered.
And then the slaps began.
Over and over, palm after palm crashed against my face. My ears rang, and my vision swam. At some point, I couldn’t even hear from one ear anymore.
Once the crowd had been cleared out and the violence finally stopped, Luisa smiled with satisfaction. She took the hand of Albion’s son and pulled Albion himself up beside her, walking over to where I lay.
Covered in blood, my face swollen and bleeding, I looked up at her. For a split second, I saw hesitation flash in her eyes.
But then her chin lifted, and her voice was cold and sharp as she said, “Don’t blame me for letting them hit you. I needed to teach you a lesson. So you understand what happens when you let jealousy consume you and try to hurt others again. That way, you’ll stop dreaming of stealing the position of heir from Albion’s son again.”
My whole body shook as I looked up at her.
So it wasn’t just me who had come back from the past.
No wonder the moment Albion opened his mouth, she immediately accused me.
No wonder she said I’d done this before.
Because in our past life, she had framed me the same way, judged me guilty without trial, for Albion’s sake.
My eyes burned as tears welled up. But Luisa’s voice remained sharp. “Don’t try to play the victim, Vince. I’m not falling for it this time. I didn’t let you manipulate me into giving birth early, so your brats could snatch the title of my firstborn heir.”
I let out a bitter laugh, holding my blood-soaked side, and muttered, “Luisa, this time, I didn’t stop you from delaying the birth. I stepped aside for you and your perfect little family. So did our children. We gave up everything for you. So why? Why can’t you just let me go? Why did you still have to kill them?”
She froze. Her brows furrowed. “You crippled all of my men just now, and now you're crying over a few slaps? And what are you saying, I’m the one who won’t let go? What did I do? Tell me.”
