The once-muted whispers turned into open chatter, and the gathered executives’ excitement became almost palpable.
Some exchanged gleeful glances, already imagining the profits they’d soon be raking in.
Others openly smirked, confident that Alex had finally been forced into a corner he couldn’t escape.
Yet through it all, Alex sat in his chair with the same calm, unreadable expression, his gaze flickering from face to face as though he were merely observing a mildly interesting performance.
The buzzing conversation swelled to a prak… Until a sudden voice cut through the noise like a whip crack.
“Trisha. Come here.” The room fell dead silent.
Trisha stiffened as the unmistakable voice of her grandfather echoed through the air. Confused, she glanced back at him, her smile faltering slightly.
“Me?”
Old man stood at the head of the room, his eyes cold and unyielding. He said nothing more—simply waited, his expression brooking no argument.
Though she couldn’t understand what he wanted, Trisha quickly forced her face into a smile and approached the old man.
“Yes, Grandpa? Do you need—”
SMACK!
The sound of the slap echoed so loudly that it seemed to reverberate off the very room they were in.
Trisha staggered, her vision spinning as pain exploded across her cheek. She barely had time to register what had happened before she hit the floor, landing awkwardly on her side.
Gasps filled the room as the gathered executives stared in shock, eyes wide and mouths agape.
“What the hell?”
“Did… Did he just slap her?!”
“Wait, why—?”
The confusion was instant and overwhelming. Moments ago, they had all believed old man had arrived to back Ethan and Trisha. But now…?
All eyes instinctively turned toward Ethan, as if seeking an explanation.
Under the weight of their stares, Ethan could only stare back, just as surprised as the rest of them.
“Don’t look at me—I don’t know what’s going on either!” he blurted out, his confidence unraveling as his mind scrambled to make sense of the situation.
Trisha lay sprawled on the polished marble floor, her cheek burning with a searing pain that seemed to echo through her skull.
The metallic tang of blood seeped into her mouth, and she blinked rapidly, struggling to process what had just happened.
The slap was anything but soft.
“G-Grandfather…” she stammered, her voice shaking with disbelief. “Why… why did you hit me?”
Old man stood tall and unmoving, his eyes as cold as winter steel. He ignored her question entirely, his voice sharp as a blade as it rang through the room.
“I did not give you permission to move. Get up. Stand straight!”
His words cracked like a whip in the silence.
Trisha’s breath hitched. Her pride screamed at her to protest, but the weight of her grandfather’s authority pressed down on her like a mountain.
Ever since she was a child, she’d known better than to disobey him—especially when he used that tone. Her hands trembled as she pushed herself up from the floor, legs wobbling as she struggled to her feet.
“Grandfather, I—”
SMACK!
The second blow came even harder than the first, sending her reeling backward. She hit the ground with a choked gasp, a sharp sting blooming across her other cheek as a thin trail of blood trickled from the corner of her nose.
Stunned silence filled the air.
No one dared to speak.
Even the gathered executives, men and women who had weathered countless high-stakes deals and ruthless corporate politics battle, looked on in shock, their earlier excitement now replaced with uneasy confusion.
“What the hell is going on?” someone muttered under their breath.
“Isn’t she the granddaughter of the him? Why would he hit her like that?”
“Did she do something to offend the him?”
Whispers rippled through the room, but no one dared to raise their voice. The sheer force of the old man’s presence seemed to freeze the surroundings and the peopleitself, as if any sound louder than a murmur would draw his ire.
Even Ethan Carter stood frozen beside the conference table, eyes wide as he struggled to comprehend the situation.
‘This… This can’t be right. This old man supposed to be here to support me!’ he thought, heart pounding in his chest. ‘So why—why is he doing this?!’
The old man, however, paid no attention to the confusion swirling around him. His gaze remained fixed solely on Trisha as she lay trembling on the floor.
“Get up,” he commanded again, his voice low but iron-hard. “Unless you want a third one.”
Tears stung Trisha’s eyes as she bit down on her lip, tasting blood. Humiliation burned hotter than the pain in her cheeks, she could feel the eyes of everyone in the room on her, their shock, their confusion, their judgment. But no matter how much she wanted to disappear, she knew she had no choice.
Swallowing hard, she pushed herself upright once more, her legs unsteady beneath her.
“G-Grandfather…” Her voice wavered as she forced herself to meet his gaze. “I-I don’t understand… What did I do wrong?”
The old man’s expression was carved from stone.
“You still had the audacity to ask?” His tone was laced with icy disdain. “You disgrace the Wells family name, colluding with outsiders to bring shame upon our family, and you act and ask to stand here and act as if you’ve done nothing wrong?”
The accusation sent a cold like atmosphere through the room. The murmurs started up again, louder this time, as the gathered executives began to grasp that something had gone terribly, terribly wrong.
“Wait… What does he mean by ‘colluding with outsiders’?”
“Wasn’t she supposed to be helping Ethan secure a partnership with Reid Industries?”
“Could it be… that she acted without the Wells family’s approval?”
The realization sent a chill through Ethan’s veins.
‘No. No, no, no… This can’t be happening—this isn’t what was supposed to happen!’
Desperation clawed at his chest as he tried to make sense of the situation. His mind scrambled for an explanation, clinging to the hope that this was all some kind of misunderstanding.
‘Maybe… maybe the old man misunderstood. Maybe if I explain—’
As the thought crossed Ethan Carter’s mind, the corners of his lips began to twitch upward in anticipation.
…
Bonus Chapters on: 500, 1000, 1500 Power Stones.
…
(A/N: Soon! Some Golden tickets guys!!!)
Don’t forget to add this novel to your library and sent some power stones for support if you like the novel.