The assistant hesitated and whispered a suggestion.

"But Mr. Huo, we don't necessarily have to send the Madam there. They said as long as we yield that piece of land in the West City, this matter could be dropped—"

"No!"

Julian barked a cold order, his voice lacking even a trace of warmth.

"I promised Ivy I would use that land to build a memorial garden for our child; no one is allowed to touch it!"

"Besides, Clara’s temperament is too fiery; letting her suffer a bit of hardship is for the best, so that Ivy won't... have to worry or be afraid anymore."

In an instant.

It was as if a basin of cold water had been poured over Clara’s head; her tightly clenched palms suddenly lost all strength, and even the last shred of warmth in her heart turned cold.

What wedding? It was nothing but a ruse to trick her into swapping places with Ivy.

In his eyes, her life wasn't even worth as much as the memorial garden for Ivy’s child...

But what about her own children?

They didn't even have a decent tombstone; they were carelessly tossed into a trash can, leaving no trace of their remains.

Despair drowned her lungs bit by bit, and Clara was tossed into the private room like trash.

In her ears, the man’s voice echoed, cold as ice.

"Use her as the exchange; I’m taking Ivy away."

Clara struggled to open her eyes, mumbling unconsciously.

"Don't go..."

Hearing her voice, Julian’s footsteps seemed to pause for a second, and he shot her a complex look over his shoulder.

But quickly, he looked away, held Ivy tight, and walked toward the door with long strides.

Clara watched the back that was gradually moving away and suddenly remembered the year she was eighteen.

Under the sycamore tree, Julian, blushing, handed her a crumpled love letter.

"Clara, let's be together!"

"Give me a reason."

The eighteen-year-old boy smiled shyly and sincerely, holding her hand with the utmost care.

"Because I will never leave you behind."

Bang—

The heavy sound of the door slamming shut echoed, and a single tear rolled down her cheek, hitting the floor.

The "forever" in her memories had become a complete joke at this moment.

Julian, you have broken your promise once again.

The man’s lascivious laughter echoed in her ears constantly.

She wanted to scream, to call out, to run.

But her whole body felt as if it were filled with lead; she couldn't move at all.

Her thin clothing was brutally torn apart, leaving her nearly naked.

She closed her eyes in despair, her heart filled with nothing but dead silence.

Just then, the door to the room was kicked open with great force.

When she looked up, she saw only a tall figure walking toward her against the light.

"Clara, I’ve come to take you home."

Chapter 9

Clara looked at the man who had traveled such a long way to return for her.

The grievances that had accumulated for so long surged up instantly, and tears poured from her eyes.

"Uncle..."

Wang Shaocong, who was preparing to take off his pants, froze at the sound of the door being kicked.

Then, he spat on the floor and cursed.

"Which tired-of-living bastard dares to disturb me—"

Halfway through, when he saw the imposing, naturally authoritative aura of the man before him, a tremor climbed up his spine, and he forgot what he was about to say.

"Do... do you know who I am?"

"If you’re smart, get out of here now; otherwise, I—I won't let you off!"

Wen Suihan raised his eyes and squinted at him, his gaze as flat as if he were looking at a dead man.

The lackey beside Wang Shaocong worked up the courage to stare at Wen Suihan for a while, finding him strangely familiar.

He carefully leaned into Wang Shao’s ear and whispered.

"Young Master Wang, maybe... let’s just forget it today. I feel like I’ve seen this man somewhere before; he doesn't look simple. If we provoke something..."

"Get lost!"

Wang Shao kicked him dismissively, lifted his chin, and sneered.

"I’ve been around in this city for so many years, and I’ve never seen this guy. He’s just a nobody; how complicated could he be?"

Hearing this, the bodyguards outside the door couldn't help but break into a cold sweat for the man.

Wen Suihan didn't look at anyone else; he walked straight up to Clara and raised his hand to have a female assistant cover her with a coat.

Seeing his little niece bullied into such a state, the aura around him changed almost instantly.

Wang Shaocong, however, didn't sense anything wrong and rushed forward, cursing.

"Julian promised that woman would be mine for the night; none of you are allowed to take her!"

"Julian?"

A flash of murderous intent crossed Wen Suihan’s eyes, and he sneered.

"He really is... even more despicable than I thought."

After saying this, he no longer had the patience to deal with them; he signaled the bodyguards to strip Wang Shaocong naked and toss him out to the entrance of the club.

"Hey, hey, hey! Isn't that Young Master Wang? How did he end up like this?"

In just a few minutes, a large crowd gathered at the entrance of the club.

Countless smartphone cameras were aimed at Wang Shaocong, who was being pinned to the ground.

He had never suffered such humiliation; his eyes grew red with fury, and he roared at Wen Suihan like a mad dog.

"You lunatic! How dare you treat me like this? My grandfather won't let you get away with it—"

With a sharp slap, his face was whipped to the side.

The bodyguard had used full force, and half of his face swelled up like a pig’s head instantly, leaving him without even the strength to scream.

Wen Suihan slowly put on his leather gloves, walked up, and raised his shoe to grind it into his face, speaking word by word.

"Didn't you love taking off clothes? Don't you like excitement?"

"Now that it's like this, is it exciting enough for you, hmm?"

The next second, a screeching sound—

A black Maybach slammed on its brakes at the entrance!

The door opened, and an old man leaning on a cane stepped out, rushing toward them at a rapid pace.

Wang Shaocong’s eyes lit up instantly, and he cried out excitedly.

"Grandpa! You’re finally here! Quickly, help me deal with this guy who doesn't know the height of the sky—"

With a sharp slap—

Grandpa Wang landed another blow, and the other half of Wang Shaocong’s face swelled up completely.

"You bastard!"

He struck his back heavily with his cane, then turned around to bow and apologize to Wen Suihan repeatedly, wearing a fawning smile.

"I am truly sorry, Mr. Wen. It is my fault for not raising this idiot properly and offending you."

Wang Shao’s struggling movements stiffened, his whole body struck as if by lightning.

"Grandpa, he—"

"Shut your mouth! Apologize to Mr. Wen, now."

Grandpa Wang cursed under his breath and turned back to Wen Suihan, bowing and scraping.

"Mr. Wen, this kid is ignorant. Please tell us whatever demands you have; I only ask that you spare this kid’s life for the sake of my old face."

Wen Suihan was silent for a few seconds, his narrow eyes narrowing slightly, and he calmly spat out a few words.

"I want your Wang family to completely cut off all cooperation with the Huo family."

Though Grandpa Wang was confused, he nodded repeatedly in agreement.

"Fine, I will have someone take care of it immediately."

As the words fell, Grandpa Wang couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

Having provoked the Wen family, the Huo family likely wasn't far from bankruptcy.

Chapter 10

Julian brought Ivy out of the club and sat in the car heading back to the villa.

Ivy’s eyes were slightly red as she cautiously tugged at his sleeve.

"Honey, did I cause trouble for you again?"

A sense of inexplicable irritability surged in Julian’s heart, but seeing the grievance in her eyes, he ultimately couldn't bring himself to say anything harsh.

"Don't worry, it's fine."

Ivy watched his expression and spoke after careful consideration.

"Then, is Clara really going to be okay by going in for me? I heard that Young Master Wang is a notorious pervert. If something happens to Clara—"

"It won't."

Julian interrupted her almost immediately, his voice filled with a tension he didn't even realize himself.

The car fell into silence. A flicker of suspicion flashed in Ivy’s eyes.

"Honey, how are you so sure Clara will be okay?"

Julian’s hand on the steering wheel paused, and a dark shadow quickly flashed across his eyes.

"I just said it offhand. You should get some rest; I’ll call you when we get home."

With that said, Ivy didn't dare to ask further, even if she had doubts.