The air seemed to come to a standstill. The only sound that was left was the crisp clacking of my heels against the floor as I walked. 

Step by step, I advanced toward the couple. They were holding onto one another in the middle of the living room. 

Aiden's expression was a sight to behold. It shifted from shock to raw, unbridled fear, his face turning ghastly white in an instant. 

Subconsciously, he let go of Linda, appearing ready to get to his feet. Yet, the moment his gaze landed on Linda's tear-stained face, he seemed hesitant and conflicted. 

In the end, his fear was replaced by a ridiculously tough facade. He remained seated, his eyes fixed on me, as if he was able to conceal the panic within him by doing so.

Meanwhile, Linda's pupils abruptly constricted the moment she recognized me. 

Even so, she quickly realized that this was Aiden's turf. Plus, so many of his friends wer

Instantly, Linda turned as white as a sheet. She screamed in terror, grasping tightly onto Aiden's arm as if he was her final lifeline. 

"Save me, Aiden! I don't want to go to the police station! Hurry up and explain to them that it was a misunderstanding, Aiden. It was all a misunderstanding!" 

The expression on Aiden's face darkened significantly. 

His girlfriend was being arrested by the cops in the presence of all his friends. This was even more humiliating to him than being smacked in the face. 

Suddenly, he looked back at me. Through gritted teeth, he questioned, "Shirls, must you be so ruthless?" 

But I coldly stared at him without saying a word. 

Aiden took a deep breath, then put on a smile as he spun around and went up to an officer. "It was a misunderstanding, officer. It was all just a misunderstanding. 

"This is my elder sister, and this is my girlfriend. There was ju

Madeleine acted with great speed. Not long after, the door to the storage room flung open from outside. 

Madeleine, along with two bodyguards, strode into the room. She was greatly startled when she saw me miserably curled up on the floor with blood on my lips and my clothes disheveled. 

She hurried forward and helped me up. 

I shook my head, signaling to her to not say anything. I simply took the bank card from her and flung it to Linda. 

After taking the card, Linda didn't pursue the matter further. She motioned with her hand and said, "I'll be able to track you down if you gave me a fake card. Now, get lost." 

I limped out of the revolting place with Madeleine's help, holding back the searing and agonizing pain within me. 

When we got to the door, I thanked her, saying, "Thanks, Maddy. I'll return the money to you once I settle this. It won't take long." 

Madeleine studied me with a worried gaze. "It wasn't much. Don't worry about it. What actually happened to you though?" 

I let out a chuckle. "Aidey found a wonderful girlfriend. It's time I settle the score with him." 

I pulled my phone out and found the restaurant's deputy general manager's contact. 

The deputy general manager, Marco Miller, was the actual person-in-charge of the restaurant's operations. Plus, he was someone I'd headhunted personally. Thus, he was fiercely loyal to me. 

Once the call went through, I went straight to the point. In an emotionless voice, I said, "I'll give you ten minutes to fire the manager named Linda Cross. Otherwise, my family will retract every single penny of investments from the restaurant." 

The instant Marco heard my voice, he was frightened out of his wits. Perhaps this was because he could hear the frailty and unnatural strain in my voice. 

He repeatedly agreed, so terrified that he didn't have the guts to even question it.

Upon ending the call, I flagged down a cab and went straight to the police station. There, I articulated everything that had just transpired to the attending officer while being in the clearest and most composed state of mind. 

After I was done giving a detailed statement, I went to the hospital to get an official assessment of my injuries. 

As I held onto that thin medical report, the fire of betrayal within me intensified.

I needed an explanation. I needed Aiden to give me an explanation in person. 

My assistant looked into it for me and found that Aiden was in his house. By then, my driver and bodyguards had also arrived, and we headed straight for Aiden's villa—one which I had gifted to him too. 

However, I was only greeted by deafening heavy metal music when I arrived. Then, a throng of men and women came through from within the villa. 

I couldn't believe that Aiden was having a party. It was no wonder he'd failed to answer my call earlier .

The main entrance to the villa was left slightly ajar, but for some reason, I didn't push the door open and enter right away. 

Soon enough, I heard a familiar voice of a woman sobbing—it was Linda. She was lamenting to a houseful of people, painting herself as a pitiful victim who had gotten bullied by an arrogant mistress and then unfairly punished. 

"All I did was ask her to pay the bill. Then, she slapped 100 thousand dollars on my face and had me fired… 

"Aiden, she really went overboard. She doesn't respect you at all. All she wants is to humiliate me and for us to break up!" 

Inside the villa, Aiden's scoundrel-like friends seconded her in righteous indignation. Meanwhile, Aiden loudly comforted Linda as he held her in his arms. His voice was full of sympathy and tender affection as he said, "Don't worry, Linda. I most certainly will not allow you to suffer such injustice!" 

Thereafter, as if to prove his resolve, he solemnly swore to everyone present, "I will force that woman to her knees and apologize to you once I get my hands on her!" 

The scoundrels continued to back Linda up, shouting out suggestions on how to make me pay. 

"Aiden, just say the word and a few of us will track her down right now!" 

"That's right. We have to show her who's boss!" 

I couldn't bear to listen any longer. I lifted my hand, and my bodyguards kicked the main door to the villa open. 

The party music came to a sudden halt, and the booming laughter and clamor vanished instantly. Dozens of people turned to the door, their gazes full of shock. 

"No need to track me down. I'm right here. Which one of you wanted to teach me a lesson?" 

The air seemed to come to a standstill. The only sound that was left was the crisp clacking of my heels against the floor as I walked. 

Step by step, I advanced toward the couple. They were holding onto one another in the middle of the living room. 

Aiden's expression was a sight to behold. It shifted from shock to raw, unbridled fear, his face turning ghastly white in an instant. 

Subconsciously, he let go of Linda, appearing ready to get to his feet. Yet, the moment his gaze landed on Linda's tear-stained face, he seemed hesitant and conflicted. 

In the end, his fear was replaced by a ridiculously tough facade. He remained seated, his eyes fixed on me, as if he was able to conceal the panic within him by doing so.

Meanwhile, Linda's pupils abruptly constricted the moment she recognized me. 

Even so, she quickly realized that this was Aiden's turf. Plus, so many of his friends were present. Thus, she escalated the situation, burrowing even deeper into Aiden's arms and wailing ev

Chapter 4