Chapter 4
Regrabbed Matthew by the collar and slapped him again.
“This slap is to teach you what gratitude means!”
In the past, whenever Matthew got himself into trouble and was too scared to tell belle or Margaret, he would always beg Ryle to clean up his mess
Before Matthew could recover, Kyle slapped him again.
“This slap is to teach you not to be so arrogant. In front of others, you’re still just a İdd.”
After three consecutive slaps, Matthew was dazed.
His face was swollen like a balloon, with patches of redness and bruising making him look even worse. A few broken teeth fell out of his mouth, leaving him in an Zutterly miserable state.
Just then, hurried footsteps approached..
“Stop” Kyle Archer, do you know what you’re doing?”
The voice belonged to Chloe, Belle’s closest friend and assistant.
Kyle tilted his head slightly, glancing at her with cold amusement.
“You’re a bit late, you missed (the good part.
“Good part? Do you have any idea who you just bat? Matthew is Ms. Cotton’s most beloved brother! You beartless, ungrateful man! How dare you betray Ms. Cotton’s kindnes?”–
The words “heartless” and “ungrateful”” instantly tumed Kyle’s gaze ley.
“Heartless? Ungrateful? Coming from you now–now that’s ironic.”
“Ms. Cotton was worried about you railier. She was afraid Matthew might act recklessly, so she sent me here to intervene. And this is how you repay her kindness?”
In truth, Chloe had arrived earlier but stayed hidden, hoping Matthew would teach Ryle a lesson
She thought it might help Kyle realize the gap between himself and the Cotton family.
But she hadn’t expected things to escalate like this,
“oh? so, you’re all just overflowing with good intentions, huh?”
Kyle released Matthew, who collapsed to the floor like a heap of trash.
chine rushed over, cradling Matthew in her arms. “Matthew! Are you okay? Say something! Don’t scare me
Sering that Matthew.couldn’t men speak, Chlor shouted at the yellow–haired boy nearby, “Call an ambulance! Now!”
The boy, shaken to his core, fumbled for his phone and nervously dialed.
never show you an ounce of sympathy again,
“Kyle Amber, you’ve gone mad! Do you realize what you’ve done? You’ve beaten Matthew like this–Ms.
Ms. Cotton will never show you an our Think about how you’re going to explain this to her!
“ML Cotton pave you compensation out of respect for your past relationship: You pretended to be magnanimous by refusing it, and now you turn around and do this to her brother?”
Kylectured at her words, tilting his head as if mocking her,
“Ies I look like an idiot to you? Your whole purpose for being here was to watch ne embarrass myself and then go back to tell Belle how I’ve tralized the so -called
gap between us, wasnt it?
yle’s voice garwoulder. “I just got out of prison, and you prople couldn’t wait to threaten me into a divorce, I said I didn’t want anything–pist what’s mine.
bir. And you still had to intervene
e as she looked into Kyle’s eyes.
Kyle walked syni, prabbard Maniuew by the bait, and spuke inachilling tour
“Today, it’s hot about you refusing to let me go—it’s about me refining to let you go,
ALL
Biletaritory, Kyle had always been mild–mannered, a man who avoided conflict.
but now, after sill years in prison, he had become nulliless and domlareding. It wasn’t enough for him to beat someune–he had to humiliate Matthew further.
“Kyle daches, you’er insear! You’ve completely lost it!” chlor shouted indesperation, heranger farting as she saw the severity of Matthew’s injuries:
Pyde oemained auditfejesa, “a divorced pelle, but I’m not naïve mough to believe you had no part in it. Don’t eventry to convince me otherwise.
“I doert hit women, but that daren’t ruman I won’t it Edunveto. If you don’t wani turfest me, stay out of my way, thon’t push me.”
bed only Bud Pyle beaten Matthew to a pulp, but now he was Huratening her. “Fine, Kyle. You want to hat poet to aliead! tin It! Let’s see if you even qualify as a “Youdryorced Belle. Now, you take all your anger out mucher brother Duettual
be you feel good? Have you thought about the comsequences? The Curton family
Chapter
can end you whenever they want?
“ch? The mighty Colton family, huh? Do they rely on Belle‘
power, or her cold–heartedness and lack of loyalty
Kyle sighed mockingly. “This migrateful, self–serving family wants to challenge me?
hat if you insist on provoking me, be realy to face the consequences.
*Matthew can leave now. But Belle must come here and apologize to me in person. If she doesn’t, he won’t be leaving this place not even for his funeral.”
In Kerdonia, the name of the Cotton family was enough to litluste must only people.
But thinking they could scare Kyle just by throwing around the Cotton name? What a joke.
Even it Kyle were an ordinary person, did that mean he deserved to be bullied by the cotton family?
In Chloe’s eyes, however, Kyle was the one doing the bullying now.
To her, Kyle should have simply accepted everything arranged for him–it was his fate. Even if he was humiliated, he should have borne it quietly. But Kyle was tighting back. And not just fighting back–he was doing so with shocking ruthlessness. To Chlor, it was nothing short of rebellion
Chloe sneered. “Finally showing your true colors, huh, Kyle? You’ve lost everything, so now you’re resorting to this just to get Belle’s attention, aren’t you? “You want to prove you’re not a pushover, that you can fight and act all rough? Pathetic. You’re just a clown. As a man, you’re utterly shameless. “Let me tell you this when Belle arrives and sees all this, she’ll only be more disgusted with you. Her attitude toward you won’t improve in the slightest. You weren’t good enough for Belle before, and now you’re even less worthy!”
truly shameless ones
Clearly, they were the ungrateful ones, yet they spoke as if they held the moral high ground, Chloe called Kyle shameless, but who were the tn here?
Kyle shook his head bitterly. “You talk too much. It’s pointless. Eine, if you all think I’m not worthy, then I’m not worthy. Let’s just say I did all of this on purpose. Go ahead and call Belle
“If she wants to save Matthew, tell her to come here herself.”
Kyle’s tone was resolute, leaving Chlor visibly furious.
“Kyle, you’re utterly ungrateful! My words may be harsh, but I’m trying to save you! Do you even know who you’ve just humiliated? He’s not just Belle’s brother- Matthew Cotton is a major figure in Kerdonia’s underworld. The people backing him can control the entire underground scene here.
“Mr. Clements, with just a wave of his hand, can summon hundreds of men willing to die for him. Killing you and tossing your body into the river wouldn’t even cause a ripple. If you still don’t believe me, let me tell you this–Mr. Clements answers directly to the most powerful figure in Kerdonia’s underground world- Elisa Rivas, the Empress herself!”
There was no need to even mention the Empress Elisa Rivas’s name. In Kerdonia, simply bringing up Mike was enough to act with impur
Impunity.
But Chloe wanted Kyle to understand that Matthew was no longer the person he used to be. She also wanted to make it clear that crossing Matthew meant Kyle would have no place in Kerdonia.
However, in her eagerness to elevate Matthew, Chloe failed to notice Kyle’s subtle reaction–a slight raise of his brow when she mentioned Elisa Rivas, as if he found it surprising
If Chloe knew that before they had arrived, the so–called “unreachable” Empress Elisa Rivas had personally called Kyle, humbly begging for his help, how shocked would she be?
And if she realized that even Rupert Marshall
Marshall, someone Elisa dared not offend, owed Kyle a massive debt–one “After all that, do I look scared to you? Call Belle Cotton now. If she comes, Matthew can leave.”
Kyle shook las head, lit a cigarette, and pointed at Chloe.
“other than making the call, if you keep running your mouth, I’ll slap you twice. Don’t believe me? Try me.
involving a life–how would she react?
Chloe had been talking for a while, but seeing that her words hadn’t moved Kyle in the slightest, she grew visibly frustrated.
She didn’t want to make the call–not because of Kyle’s threats, but because she f “Ryle Archer, you’re so ungratefull” Chloe snapped, her voice tinged with
felt partially responsible for Matthew’s current state. hanger and exasperation.
