Of course, Rosalind was stunned. She had been the one who believed everything they said. She never thought Nate would lie to her, not after she had come to trust him.The realization that she might have been wrong, that she had been too foolish to see it, made her wince in shame.She stared at him, shaking her head slowly, denial flickering in her eyes.‘No… she must have heard him wrong. Or maybe he was pretending to get them off his back? But if he really is close to Mr. Calloway, then there’s no reason for him to fake it. Mr. Calloway could save him.’Rosalind turned her gaze away for a moment, trying to steady her racing thoughts, then looked back at him, lips parting to speak. But before she could, Julian spoke first.Still holding his cheek where Nate had punched him, Julian frowned deeply. “Are you telling the truth, Nate? That you weren’t the one who helped Rosalind all those times? That you just took the credit?”Nate didn’t hesitate.“Yeah, that’s exactly it,” he said coldly

Hearing him speak so casually, Rosalind frowned. He had just tried to kill someone, yet he acted as if it were nothing, shrugging it off like it didn’t matter.Her eyes darkened, frustration and disbelief swirling within her, but she sighed, letting the tension slip as if giving up. What could she do, really? She didn’t have the power to change anything.In truth, it had been Nate’s fault all along. She couldn’t stop thinking about how easily she had been fooled, how she had allowed herself to be mocked and manipulated.With a deep frown, she turned her gaze away from him and shifted it onto Nate, narrowing her eyes as she searched for answers in his expression.Silas watched quietly from the corner, his usual easygoing smile fading the moment he caught sight of Rosalind’s expression. Her eyes were sharp, her jaw tight, and the weight in her gaze immediately put him on alert.His playful demeanor drained from his face, replaced by a cold, piercing stare. The warmth in his voice vanish

At the mention of Sean, a wave of concern spread across Rosalind’s face without her realizing it. She could feel it, Sean was bout to be dragged into a mess that wasn’t his, and the guilt of it would fall on her. She didn’t want that.“There is no way it’s him,” she said.Silas turned to glance at her, frowning briefly before looking away as if she hadn’t spoken.He fixed Ace with a hard, unwavering stare. “Tell me,” he said, low and sharp, “exactly how Sean beat you. And while you’re at it… How would you rate him?”His gaze was steel, cold, and unflinching.“And don’t lie to cover his ego,” Silas added, deadly serious. “Hiding anything will only make things worse for you.”Ace swallowed, throat dry, forcing himself to meet Silas’ gaze. “He… he beat me in front of people,” he admitted, voice tight with anger and shame. “He humiliated me, crushed me, insulted me… didn’t care who I was, didn’t care about anyone. And he… he did the same to Vincent.”Selene’s eyes widened in disbelief, an

“Victoria!”Rosalind sprang up the moment Victoria hit the floor. Her chair scraped back as she stumbled forward, panic rising in her chest. She’d heard the thud; something had happened.She didn’t care who watched; she needed to reach her. Before she could take two steps, one of the remaining men grabbed her arm and held her with brutal force.“Let me go!” Rosalind yelled, voice raw. “Victoria!”Her cries echoed, desperate, but the man only tightened his grip and dragged her a step back as she fought.Across the room, the man who’d struck Victoria bent down and gripped her limp arm. Without hesitation, he hauled her up as if she weighed nothing.Rosalind’s heart pounded. “Put her down!” she screamed, wrenching at her captor, but he didn’t move.The man carrying Victoria turned toward the door. Her hair hung over her face; her body was motionless in his arms.“Stop!” Rosalind’s shout trembled. “If anything happens to her, you’ll all regret it!”Her words sliced through the room. Even

The beating intensified; Rosalind’s cries filled the room, then, abruptly, they stopped. Her vision blurred, colors and shapes melting together, and a heavy darkness pressed at the edges of her mind. She tried to focus, tried to scream, but her body betrayed her. Her knees buckled, her hands went limp, and the world went black.Silas’s head tilted slightly, his eyes narrowing at the sudden silence. “Stop,” he commanded, his voice sharp but controlled.The men froze mid-motion; whips and rods lowered slowly.“Why isn’t she crying out?” Silas asked, almost curious, stepping closer.A burly man with a grim expression shook his head. “She… she’s passed out, sir. She can’t respond.”Silas’s lips curved into a faint, controlled smirk. “Well, then,” he said, equal parts annoyance and command, “wake her up.”The men exchanged uneasy glances before approaching Rosalind, carefully shaking her shoulders and calling her name. Her body remained limp; her breaths were shallow and uneven, the d