Chapter 5

Stella was in the hospital for half a month, and Jasper stayed by her side the entire time. During that time, Lisette packed her things and moved out of the villa that had trapped her for five years. She used the little that remained of her savings to rent a small apartment, and then returned to her part-time job at the bar that she had worked at in the past. She had to get through two more weeks before she could officially return to the National Research Institute. However, she hadn't expected to meet Jasper again so soon. … Jasper had booked the entire bar to celebrate Stella's discharge from the hospital. He had invited all the wealthy heirs in Jeria to come and party all night. The lighting in the bar was dim, and the music was deafening. Jasper took meticulous care of Stella while his friends surrounded Stella and asked after her well-being. Lisette did not want to interact with them, so she sent a message to the bar's owner and asked for the night off. When she was about to leave, Stella called out after her, "Lisette, aren't you going to apologize for doing something so horrible to me? Are you actually trying to escape right now?" Stella's dewy-looking eyes always aroused pity in others. However, Lisette just glanced impassively at her. "Let me repeat myself. I never did those things. If you make up rumors again, I'll sue you for slander." Lisette turned to leave, but Jasper ordered his bodyguards to stop her. They poured liquor over her head, and Lisette felt an unprecedented sense of humiliation wash over her. The harsh music stopped abruptly, and the partying crowd immediately fell silent. They looked intently at her, looking gleeful at the state she was in. "You did something wrong, and you want to escape? Lisette, how did I never realize what a venomous woman you are? "First, it was Grandpa, and now you've even attacked Ella. Are you going to make me into a doll next and keep me with you forever?" Jasper had been extremely busy for days, and he was looking rather pale. However, his gaze was as sharp as a knife as he looked fixedly at Lisette. Lisette felt drained. "I told you that I didn't hurt Grandpa, nor did I hurt Stella." Even Lisette felt that she sounded unconvincing. The surveillance cameras had been damaged, and witnesses had been bribed. Besides, Jasper could disregard right and wrong for the sake of love. "I swear that I didn't stab her. If I'm lying, then I'll come to a gruesome end. But Stella, would you dare to make the same oath? Can you swear that you didn't orchestrate the entire thing yourself?" "That's enough!" Jasper cut her off coldly and shielded Stella behind him. "How can you still be so unrepentant at this point, Lisette? Don't blame me for disregarding our history. I'm going to use the family rules on you!" Lisette's knees gave way, and the bodyguards pushed her down in front of the crowd. She struggled desperately, and the threat of death finally made her look fearful. Jasper took a whip from a bodyguard and walked toward her step by step. "Are you afraid? Did you ever think about how much despair Grandpa and Ella were in when you hurt them?" As he finished speaking, there was a loud thwack as he lashed her on the back with his whip. Lisette shuddered violently, as if she had suffered from an electric shock. She was in so much pain that she could not speak. "Say something!" Jasper suddenly raised his voice, sounding furious. "Are you going to admit to your mistakes or not?" "No…" Lisette's voice was weak but stubborn. Jasper laughed out of sheer anger, and he raised his whip once more. "You won't admit it? Not admitting to it doesn't mean that you didn't do those things! You're a criminal!" The lashing of the whip and the scornful laughter around her made it hard for Lisette to breathe. However, she only became more obstinate. She suddenly burst into laughter and laughed so hard that tears streamed down her cheeks. "I didn't do anything wrong! Why must I say that I'm wrong? The biggest mistake I've ever made was meeting you! You're a total beast! "Jasper, you're a scumbag, and you're the one who's a criminal!" Stella frowned. "Lisette, I won't let you speak about Jasper that way—" "Who the hell do you think you are? Do you think you're any better?" Lisette interrupted coldly. She began yelling abuse wildly. "You're just a piece of trash who's using your authority to suppress others! What right do you have to order me around?" The whip cracked three times in a row. Jasper's fury had been thoroughly ignited, and he began whipping Lisette viciously. On the first lash, he said, "This one's for Grandpa." On the second, he said, "This is to teach you a lesson for actually trying to kill Ella." On the third, he said, "This is to warn you to never even think about becoming the mistress of the Sullivan family!" He lashed her 64 times, and every single blow seemed to land on Lisette's heart. She felt a sickly sweet taste at the back of her throat, and she spat out a mouthful of blood and fainted. When she woke up, she realized that she was lying in a hospital room. The television was playing the video of her whipping on a loop. Her heartrending screams had become a mood enhancer for the crowd, and they splashed countless glasses of liquor on her bleeding back. She ended up abandoned in a corner like a heap of trash. Lisette had only been rescued when the bar owner came to check on the bar and found her barely an inch from death. The greatest pain that a person could feel was total despair. Lisette could not even shed a single tear. "Are you awake?" someone asked.