Frederick's amusement faded slightly. There was something in Pervis's tone that didn't match his modest appearance. "Excuse me?""I said that's enough," Pervis repeated. "You're not going to extort Miss Brennan. Your workers will reduce their noise out of basic human decency, not because of some disgusting quid pro quo arrangement you've concocted."Frederick's face hardened. "And who are you to tell me what I will or won't do?""Someone who won't stand by and watch you harass women," Pervis replied evenly."Harass?" Frederick's voice turned icy. "Choose your words carefully, friend. Slander is actionable, and I have very expensive lawyers.""It's only slander if it's false," Pervis countered.Rick and Danny moved closer, flanking Frederick like guard dogs. The gray-haired worker had stepped back, clearly wanting no part of whatever was about to happen."You've got some nerve," Rick growled at Pervis. "Talking to Lord Frederick like that. You're nothing but a parasite, feeding off his

Frederick's face turned an alarming shade of purple. "How dare you! The Ashford family has built hospitals! Funded charities! We're pillars of society!""Pillars built on exploitation, apparently," Pervis replied."You insignificant worm!" Frederick shrieked, all pretense of sophistication gone now. "I could buy and sell you a thousand times over! Your entire existence is worth less than the shoes I'm wearing! You're garbage! Trash! A roach that needs to be crushed!""Are you finished?" Pervis asked mildly.Frederick was breathing hard, his chest heaving with rage. "Finished? I haven't even started! When I'm done with you, you'll wish you'd never been born! The Ashford family doesn't forget insults! We don't forgive slights! You and your little friends here are going to learn what it means to cross us!"Alicia watched in amazement as Pervis remained completely calm despite Frederick's tirade. There was something almost otherworldly about his composure."Rick! Danny!" Frederick barked,

"I know everything I need to know!" Isabella interrupted. "You're defending this parasite, which means you're just as worthless as he is! Birds of a feather, as they say. Garbage attracts garbage!"Frederick chuckled darkly. "Isabella, darling, it seems you've had quite the encounter with this nobody. And now here he is, assaulting me in my own construction site.""Assaulting you?" Isabella's eyes went wide. "Freddy, are you serious? This roach put his hands on you?""He's holding my wrist right now," Frederick said, trying again to pull free but failing. "Refuses to let go despite my warnings about who I am and what my family can do."Isabella's face contorted with rage. "How dare he! Freddy, you need to have him arrested immediately! Call the police! Have him thrown in jail where parasites like him belong!""Oh, I intend to do much more than that," Frederick said coldly, his eyes locked on Pervis. "After what you've just told me, I'm going to make sure this fraud never shows his fac

Frederick's eyes slid to her, cold and unbothered. "I'm practical. Your friend here made a very poor choice in antagonizing me. Now he pays the price. But I'm offering him a way to reduce that price. All it costs is a little dignity." He smiled. "Though I suppose dignity is a luxury people like him can't afford anyway.""Freddy's being incredibly generous," Isabella added. "If it were up to me, I'd have Blake break every bone in his body regardless. After what he did at the gala, he deserves far worse than just barking like a dog."Rick chuckled darkly. "I'd pay to see that. This punk crawling and barking.""Record it," Danny suggested to Is

Alicia watched in stunned fascination as Isabella's entire demeanor crumbled. The arrogant, sneering woman who had been mocking them moments ago now looked like she might faint."I understand," Isabella whispered into the phone, tears beginning to stream down her carefully made-up face. "Yes, Grandfather. I— I'm sorry, Grandfather. Please, I—" She pulled the phone away from her ear, staring at it with an expression of absolute devastation. "He hung up.""What did he say?" Frederick demanded.Isabella's mouth opened and closed several times before words came out. "He said... he said three of our major contracts were just terminated. No warning. No explanation. Just... ended.""What?" Frederick's voice was sharp. "That's impossible!""And the Riverside Foundation—the one we've been trying to get on the board of for years—they just called and said our application has been rejected," Isabella continued, her voice hollow. "And the banks... the banks are calling in our short-term loans. All