"You dare to hit my son? Are you tired of living?" The young woman exclaimed, her fury evident.
Chasel furrowed his brows, while Remi's gaze sharpened like a knife, locking onto the woman. His voice grew colder, "What? You want to blame someone without knowing the facts?"
"I don't care about right or wrong. All I know is my son is crying, and that means it's your fault!" The woman stormed over, raising her hand without hesitation to slap Chasel.
Chasel's eyes turned icy, and Remi quickly sidestepped, dodging the woman's slap!
"You dare to dodge?" The woman fumed with anger and embarrassment.
"So you mean to say that you can hit me, and I just have to stand here and take it?" Chasel's voice became increasingly sharp.
"Exactly! Do you really think you can scare me just because you're dressed like that?" Despite her stunning looks, the woman was incredibly arrogant, her posture defiant. "But I've changed my mind. I won't dirty my hands hitting you. Instead, I want you to kneel and apologize!"
"Not just you, but that wild girl too! Both of you kneel and apologize to my son!"
"Otherwise, I'll make sure you regret it!" The woman barked.
Her fierce demeanor made Belle shrink back, hiding behind Chasel.
At that moment, Michelle also rushed over.
"Belle, don't be afraid."
Chasel quickly pulled Belle into his embrace.
"Ah, so it's you, you little vixen. When did you find such a toy boy? If you can't stand being lonely, at least find a strong man. What's the use of a pretty boy?"The young woman shot a jealous glance at Michelle and sneered. She remembered Michelle from the last time she and her husband picked up their child from school. Her husband had been staring at Michelle for a long time.
"Shut your mouth!"
Chasel spat out the words, stepping forward. Suddenly, he delivered a sharp slap across the young woman's face.
Smack!
The sound rang out clearly.
"You... you dare hit me?" The young woman covered her cheek, her face filled with disbelief. "Do you know who I am? I am..."
"I don't care who you are. That slap was to teach you not to speak so disrespectfully!"
Chasel replied coldly.
Then, he swung his hand again!
Smack!
The crisp sound echoed sharply.
"That slap was for your poor parenting!"
After that, Chasel delivered another slap.
"And this last one is to teach you some manners!"
Chasel's gaze was icy as he spoke coldly.
With three swift slaps, he left the young woman dazed.
"You... you dare hit me?"
The woman stood frozen, disbelief etched on her face. If it weren't for the stinging pain on her cheek, she wouldn't have believed that someone in Verdant City would dare to strike her.
"I not only dare to hit you, but I would also dare to kill you. Do you believe me?"
Chasel's eyes darkened, a hint of murderous intent flickering within.
That look sent a shiver down the woman's spine.
She bit her lip, her threatening words hovering on the tip of her tongue, but ultimately, she didn't dare to voice them.
Instead, her eyes were filled with resentment and malice.
At that moment, Michelle stood up, cradling Belle in her arms, and approached Chasel. She softly said, "Could you please hold Belle for me?"
Chasel quickly took Belle into his arms.
Meanwhile, Michelle, who had been smiling gently at Belle, now wore a progressively colder expression as she walked toward the young woman.
"When it comes to the kids, if there's a misunderstanding, we can sort it out. If it's Belle's fault, we will certainly apologize. But you shouldn't blame my daughter without reason. Even if you insult me, I'll pretend I didn't hear it. However, you have no right to intimidate my daughter."
"As you said, if your son cried, then it's someone else's fault.Well, I want to say this: you scared my daughter, and I won't get into who's right or wrong. Besides, this is clearly your fault, and I will seek justice for my daughter!"
With that, a loud slap echoed through the air. Michelle Allen had just struck the woman across the face.
You can bully her, but you absolutely cannot bully her daughter. For Belle, she would even be willing to sever ties with her parents, abandon her status as the heiress of the Riverborough Allen family, and give up all the wealth and luxury that came with it. She would not tolerate anyone mistreating Belle.
This scene left everyone around stunned. It was a couple's tag team, after all!
While many parents who had come to pick up their kids could see that the fault did not lie with Michelle and her husband, some recognized the woman involved. That was Onyx, the sister-in-law of Charlotte Walker from the prestigious Walker family. The Walkers were the new elite in Verdant City.
By taking such action, this couple was essentially slapping the Walker family in the face, completely burning their bridges with them. Although many in the crowd disapproved of Onyx's behavior and felt a sense of relief at Michelle's boldness, they could only mourn for Michelle Allen and Chasel.
One by one, they began to distance themselves from the couple. Especially the families who had previously exchanged greetings with Belle and Chasel hurriedly took their children and left.
The meaning was clear: there was no connection between their family and theirs, not even a penny. Chasel remained indifferent to the reactions of the parents. Instead, he found himself lost in thought as he watched Michelle Allen's graceful figure.
Michelle Allen gave off an impression of being gentle, elegant, and well-mannered. He never expected her to take such an extreme action. In that moment, Chasel saw a different side of Michelle Allen.
Meanwhile, in Verdant City, at the Cain Family Group, on the twenty-eighth floor, a group of people exited the conference room.
At the forefront was a well-groomed man in his late twenties, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and a sharp suit.
"Young Master..." An elderly man who had been waiting outside hurried forward as soon as he saw the man.
However, before the elder could finish his greeting, the man interrupted him. "Herbie, I've told you many times, at the company, don't call me Young Master. Call me Mr. Cain!"
The elder rubbed his forehead. "See, I forgot again!"
"I'm here to tell you that the young master has been detained!"
At those words, Clayton Cain's expression froze in shock.
"Follow me to my office!"
With that, Clayton led the elderly man to his office as the assistant manager. Once inside, Clayton settled onto the leather sofa beside the coffee table, removed his glasses, and rubbed his forehead, the weariness evident in his eyes.
After a long pause, he finally spoke with a hint of frustration, "My brother, although he's not the brightest and lacks real skills, he loves to stir up trouble, trying to seize power. He often shows off and acts like a spoiled brat. But he knows where to draw the line; he wouldn't offend someone he shouldn't."
"Moreover, our relationship with the Verdant City authorities has always been good. We've done our fair share of favors, so how could he end up detained? Even if he did something wrong, given the connections between the Cain family and the Walker family, they shouldn't make things difficult for him."
Herbie quickly replied, "I've already intervened, but Steven refuses to release him."
A cold glint flashed across Clayton's face as he said lightly, "It seems our Cain family lacks enough influence. We can't compare to those entrenched families in Verdant City. It looks like Steven is trying to extract some benefits from this. In another ten years, the Cain family will truly be secure in Verdant City."
With that, Clayton picked up his phone and dialed a number.
"Uncle Steven, it's Clayton Cain. I heard my brother was taken away. This is quite the disaster!" Clayton chuckled."Ah, Clayton, I was just about to reach out to you. I have no choice but to deal with Payne's situation," Steven replied in a serious tone.
"What do you mean by that?" Clayton's eyes narrowed, the coldness in them intensifying. He was all too familiar with such tactics.
"This is an order from above, a directive from the provincial capital, demanding strict action," Steven explained, pausing before continuing heavily, "Originally, even with strict measures, Payne would have been back safe and sound in a few days, but..."
"But what?"
Clayton Cain sensed something unusual in the air.
"I just received another anonymous email. It contains everything Clayton has done over the years," he said, his tone serious.
"Let's not even get into the rest, but especially the incident from a year ago—the suicide of that bar girl. The evidence is solid and points directly at Payne.""Before you called, the provincial capital issued a directive demanding that we thoroughly investigate this matter. We have no choice but to comply. I wanted to discuss this with you."
"If we want to resolve this, we need to find the source and see who Payne has crossed. Unless that person comes forward, retracts all the evidence, and admits to fabricating it, we'll have to follow the rules."
Steven was also feeling the pressure of the situation.
"Alright, thank you, Uncle Steven. We will definitely resolve this!" Clayton replied, his voice steady.
However, his brow furrowed deeply.
"Did Payne offend someone, or is someone deliberately trying to take down the Cain family?"
"Use whatever resources you have to investigate!" Clayton commanded in a low voice.
He wasn't particularly concerned about his brother's well-being, but if it involved the reputation or interests of the Cain family, he would not tolerate it.