Chapter 1923

Kristen could not keep track of how many lashes she had received. She lay on the ground, bloodied and bruised, with old wounds reopening and new ones forming. Drained and broken, she could only look up at Declan with pleading eyes. "Stop." At Declan's command, the whipping stopped. He watched Kristen with a cold, detached expression and tossed a grape at her. The grape landed on her face. According to Declan's rules, a tossed grape was a sign of forgiveness. The one who was forgiven had to eat whatever was thrown at them, Unable to stand, Kristen crawled forward and forced the grape into her mouth, swallowing it with great effort. Declan observed this with a hardened gaze, feeling even more justified in his actions. "Since you've already messed up, there's no need to go back. In two days, you'll handle the smuggling job. You must ensure that the Nicholls Group cannot recover from this setback. If you make another mistake, I won't be able to protect you. Many are w