Chapter 16
Courtney quickly jumped to her feet, clutching her phone tightly and eyeing James and Vera warily.
James’s expression shifted, his eyes turning sharp. “Courtney, what did you hear?”
Courtney gripped her phone even ti
tighter, slowly moving toward the door
“Dad! I heard her take a picture. She’s definitely recording!” Vera’s mind was racing now
Courtney took a deep breath and turned, sprinting toward the door.
James’s face tightened with fear. If Courtney left and told others what she had heard, or worse, spread the recording, they would be in real trouble.
“Dad! She’s running away!” Ve
Vera stomped her foot in frustration.
“Call Zaid. Have him find Courtney and handle this,” James ordered in a low voice.
Vera nodded and quickly dialed Zaid’s number.
Zaid Herring was the Lewis family’s enforcer, the one who dealt with the family’s dirty work. He worked as a security guard at the hospital
“She’s still in the administrative building. Yes, find her and take care of it. The footage is on her phone. Vera’s voice was low and firm.
“Courtney! Just then, Austin returned, pushing open the door to find James and Vera inside.
Vera, flustered, quickly ended the call and hid her phone behind her back. “Austin..”
Austin looked at Vera suspiciously. “What’s going on? Where’s Courtney!”
James glanced at Austin and spoke calmly, “Austin… I was just discussing Mark’s compensation plan with Vera. We may have used some harsh words. and we didn’t know Courtney was hiding behind the sofa. She must have recorded it.”
“We’re in a digital age, and if she spreads the recording… he continued.
“Courtney wouldn’t do that,” Austin immediately countered.
Vera
glared at Austin angrily, “You’re still protecting her! If she dares to send that out and cause harm to my dad and me, I won’t let her get away with it
“She won’t. I’ll talk to her. You two just stay calm. Austin frowned, glancing at James. He knew James had his ways, but he wasn’t going to ignore Courtney.
James narrowed his eyes and stopped the jealous Vera. “Austin, convince Courtney to delete the footage. Whatever she wants, let her ask
Austin nodded. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure she deletes it
James patted Austin on the shoulder. “We’re family. Our fortunes are intertwined. The Lewis family’s interests are your interests”
Austin didn’t res
Vera, still angry, glared at Austin. “When are you going to annul your marriage with hert”
Austin frowned. “Vera, can you give me some time?”
Vera scoffed. “You know I’m not patient. If you don’t do it, I’ll handle it myself.”
With that, Vera stormed off
Austin rubbed his temples, feeling the weight of the situation, then hurried to find Courtney.
“Courtney? Courtney!” he shouted:
He was genuinely worried something would happen to her. He had seen how the Lewis family operated.
On the first floor, as Courtney was leaving the administrative building, she was comered by Zaid.
1/3
Chapter 16
Zaid tried to snatch Courtney’s phone, and in panic, Courtney fled, hiding in the storage room.
“Come out!” Zaid shouted, kicking the door,
Courtney felt a pang of fear. She didn’t know how to protect the video she had recorded.
As Zaid was about to find her, Courtney, in a panic, opened WhatsApp and sent the video to Hayden,
The signal in the storage room was poor, and the video was uploading slowly. Courtney anxiously waited, and just as Zaid kicked the door open, the video was finally sent.
The door was kicked open, and Zaid yanked Courtney by her hair, dragging her out forcefully. “Where’s the phone! Hand it over.”
Courtney clutched her phone tightly, but she was no match for Zaid. The phone was ripped from her hands.
At that moment, Hayden called.
Zaid hung up the phone, frustrated by his inability to unlock Courtney’s phone. “Tell me the password”
Courtney refused. He raised his hand as if to hit her
“Courtney!” Austin appeared, stepping forward to land a punch on Zaid, then grabbed Courtney’s phone back.
“Get lost! Don’t touch her!” Austin stood protectively in front of Courtney.
Zaid shot Austin a cold look, then slowly backed away, turning to leave.
“Phone, Courtney signed, gesturing for Austin to give it back in her.
“Courtney, what did you record? Let’s delete it, okay? Listen, that thing won’t do you any good.” Austin said.
“This society is more complicated than you think. The Lewis family control everything. You won’t gain anything by going against them, so listen to me,” he continued, still not handing her the phone.
He didn’t even check to see if Courtney was hurt, instead trying to unlock her phone.
The first attempt failed. But on the second try. Austin unlocked it because the password was Courtney’s birthday.
“Give it back!” Courtney angrily gestured, rising to grab her phone.
Austin hesitated, not wanting to hurt her, but he trapped her in his arms. However, he still opened the photo gallery and deleted the video and pictures.
Courtney finally managed to snatch her phone back and glared at Austin with fury. She raised her hand and slapped Austin.
Austin didn’t dodge, instead forcibly holding Courtney in his arms. “Courtney, I’m doing this for your own good”
Courtney felt disgusted by him. She pushed him away forcefully, limping toward the door.
Her foot was injured, having been stomped on by Zaid earlier, and it seemed like her ankle had been dislocated.
But the pain in her ankle was nothing compared to the coldness in her heart.
Austin had changed. He was no longer the Austin she remembered.
It took a long time, but Courtney finally made it to the hospital entrance.
“Courtney…” Just as she stepped out of the hospital, a tall figure rushed toward her, pulling her into a tight embrace. It was Hayden.
His heanbeat was rapid, and he wore a baseball cap. The smell of blood still lingered on his chest, and he was wearing a hospital gown under his
COL
Hayden must have been afraid something had happened to Courney. The moment he received her video, he rushed out.
He only knew one thing he couldn’t let anything happen to Courtney.
“Courtney!” Just then, Austin also came rushing out.
As soon as he reached the door, he saw a stranger holding Courtney in his arms. His expression darkened immediately, and his gaze became sharp and cautious.
