“Who is Madeline?!”
A middle-aged noblewoman stormed in, her face filled with fury as she shouted.
Paulina was taken aback.
This noblewoman was none other than River’s mother, Margot Stewart.
“Ms. Stewart, what brings you here? Please, have a seat!” Paulina hurried forward with a forced smile.
The Stewart family’s fortune neared ten billion dollars, placing them among the secondary elite, a status not comparable to the Kaur family.
Margot was a capable woman, president of two companies, and Paulina knew she had to show the utmost respect.
“Get out of my way!”
“Slap!”
Margot slapped Paulina across the face, spinning her around and sending her crashing to the floor.
Her head buzzed, her cheek burned painfully, leaving her completely stunned.
“Mom!”
“What are you doing?!” Madeline quickly helped her mother up and coldly confronted Margot.
She had barely met Margot a few times and had no clue why she was so irate.
Holding her face, Paulina said in confusion, “Ms. Stewart, we haven’t done anything to offend you, have we?”
Inside, Paulina was furious, but the Stewart family’s connections were too vast, and the Kaur family couldn’t afford to provoke them.
Moreover, the Stewart family had good relations with Braiden’s Swanson family.
A mere gesture from the Stewart family could crush the Kaur family.
So, no matter how rude Margot was, Paulina had to endure.
“Offended?” Margot scoffed, slowly sitting down on the couch, crossing her legs, “Do you not remember what happened with my son at Phoenix Manor ten days ago?”
Madeline paused, confused, “Nothing happened between Mr. Stewart and me. I just asked him for a contract, which he declined.”
“Eventually, Mr. Stewart and Flynn had a bet. If Flynn won, he would grant me a contract.”
“Unfortunately, there was an accident, Flynn won, and Mr. Stewart had a stroke from the anger.”
Margot sneered, her eyes narrowing, “My son had a stroke, and you say you haven’t offended me?”
Madeline was taken aback, surprised, “Ms. Stewart, your son’s stroke… what does that have to do with me? I didn’t even touch him!”
Paulina also looked incredulous, saying plaintively, “Ms. Stewart, we understand you’re upset about Mr. Stewart’s stroke, but that doesn’t mean you can just lash out at anyone!”
“Lashing out?” Margot’s cold laugh echoed, “Madeline knew full well Flynn’s golf skills were top-notch, yet she didn’t advise River against competing with him. Clearly, she wanted to trap him for the contract!”
“River had a stroke because of the stress, and Madeline is directly responsible!”
She had asked River’s friends, and Flynn’s skills were nearly supernatural, every swing perfect.
Her son had suffered a severe stroke and had been comatose in the hospital for a week before waking up.
Doctors said he would be bedridden for life.
Unable to control even his basic bodily functions.
Madeline, looking wronged, shook her head, “Ms. Stewart, that’s completely unjust! I didn’t know Flynn was that good at golf. I really didn’t!”
“Bullshit!” Margot exploded, shouting, “Flynn is your husband, and you didn’t know?”
“Is the Kaur family that stupid? Not knowing what their own son-in-law, or son is capable of?”
Madeline was nearly choked by these words, bitterly saying, “Ms. Stewart, you have to believe me, I truly didn’t know Flynn could play golf.”
“Don’t believe me? Ask Mr. Stewart’s friends. I even said Flynn would lose, and he shouldn’t compete with Mr. Stewart.”
Margot chuckled sardonically, her eyes fierce, “That’s exactly your cunning, pretending to be weak to lure my son into your trap!”
“You should die a thousand deaths!”
In her view, Madeline definitely knew Flynn was skilled and that he and River were enemies.
Madeline deliberately underestimated Flynn’s skills to lure River into a trap, thereby swindling his contract.
If Madeline hadn’t intended this, her son wouldn’t have ended up paralyzed from a stroke.
Madeline was utterly dumbfounded.
Margot’s logic left her wanting to cry but unable to speak.
Paulina quickly interjected, “Ms. Stewart, my daughter would never do such a thing, you must be mistaken.”
“I wanted the contract, yes, but I never thought of using despicable means.” Madeline’s voice was feeble and pale.
Margot’s expression darkened, her teeth clenched, “Still not admitting it?”
“You bottom-dwellers, what wouldn’t you do to survive?”
“For a contract worth tens of millions, you conspired with Flynn to ruin my son.”
“He’s paralyzed for life because of you, you deserve to be damned to the deepest hell!”
Margot grew more agitated, grabbed Madeline by the hair, and smashed her head against the table.
“Bang!”
Madeline’s head hit the coffee table, instantly bruising, her brain buzzing.
“Ms. Stewart, stop, Madeline is in pain!” Paulina trembled all over, trying to intervene.
“Stop this old bitch! Hit her!” Margot glanced at Paulina, then grabbed Madeline’s hair, lifting her up.
“Slap slap slap!”
Margot slapped Madeline across the face, back and forth, the impacts loud and brutal, leaving Madeline bloody, her nose broken.
Paulina was restrained by Margot’s bodyguards, a muscular man approached and began striking her face.
“Slap slap slap!”
The sounds of their slaps echoed, blood splattering.
Paulina even lost two teeth.
“I’m asking you this.”
“Did you conspire with Flynn to deceive my son, did you?!” Margot shouted.
“Yes… yes!” Madeline cried out in misery.
Margot slapped her again, asking, “Was it wrong?”
“I… I was wrong…” Madeline sobbed uncontrollably.
She couldn’t bear such brutal torment and had to agree with Margot to avoid dying in her own home.
At this moment, she was terrified, her heart desolate.
She had never been beaten so harshly in her life.
Paulina also cried out, “Ms. Stewart, please stop, my daughter is delicate, she can’t take this, take your anger out on me!”
She still hoped Madeline would marry Nathan. What if she were crippled? Not even an average family would want her, let alone the Fletcher family.
To remarry Flynn?
To spend a lifetime with that invalid, how disgusting!
“You know you were wrong, good, now let’s talk about compensation!” Margot snorted coldly, grabbing Madeline’s hair and yanking it to the side before letting go.
Madeline winced in pain, stumbling and falling to the ground, clutching her scalp and crying, “Ms. Stewart, just tell me how much to compensate.”
“Compensation?” Margot scoffed disdainfully, “Can you afford ten billion?”
“Ten billion?” Madeline’s eyes widened, she quickly shook her head, “That’s… too expensive.”
Paulina also collapsed in fear, pitifully saying, “Ms. Stewart, do we look like people who have ten billion? Selling the Kaur family wouldn’t even bring in one billion!”
She sneered, her voice harsh, “Then why did your daughter fart around?”
“How much I ask for, you’ll pay that much? Typical thoughtless talk! Brain dead!”
“Here’s what we’ll do. My son’s had a stroke, he’ll be bedridden for life, he needs a wife to take care of him.”
“You’re fairly attractive, marry him in a few days.”
“River might not function there anymore, but his sperm quality is still good, you can have in vitro fertilization and give me a few grandsons.”