The Outcast Son In Law's Wrath

The punch

"Who is this maid?"

The blonde woman's voice was sweet, but her blue eyes were knives. She looked at Chloe on her knees like she was looking at dirt on her white dress.

Chloe still kneeling, tears on her face, pride shattered — slowly stood up. Her black gown was wrinkled, her mascara smudged, but her cold CEO aura came back like armor.

"I'm his wife," Chloe said, voice shaking but loud. "Who are you?"

The blonde laughed. A perfect, musical laugh.

"Wife? Sweetie, you divorced him yesterday. The whole city knows. I'm Victoria Sterling the only daughter of the Sterling Bank Empire. Liam's grandfather and my grandfather arranged our marriage when we were born. We have a marriage certificate since we were five."

Victoria Sterling. 24. Heiress to a trillion-dollar bank. Six feet tall in heels, legs endless, body like a model, face like a goddess but with the arrogance of someone who has never been told no.

She opened the red box. Inside was a gold-sealed engagement contract. With Liam's family crest.

Liam's face went cold. "Victoria, I told my grandfather I would handle my own marriage. Leave."

Victoria pouted, stepping closer to Liam, linking her arm through his. "But darling, your little game is over. You played poor for three years, how fun. Now come back to our world."

Chloe felt her fists clench. Jealousy, sharp, painful, real jealousy burned in her chest for the first time in her life. She had never been jealous of anyone.

Before anyone could speak

BANG!

The elevator doors were kicked open again. Ethan Blackwood stormed in, face red, drunk, shirt half untucked, a broken bottle in his hand. He smelled of alcohol and cheap cologne, his hair messy, his eyes wild with humiliation from last night.

He had followed Chloe. He had seen everything on Mia's I*******m story.

"LIAM COLE! YOU BASTARD!" Ethan screamed, eyes bloodshot. "You froze my accounts! My father beat me in front of the board! You think you're a king now?! You were washing my shoes last week, you trash!"

Butler Chen stepped forward instantly, but Liam raised a hand.

"Let him."

Ethan charged swinging the broken bottle straight at Liam's face, aiming to scar him.

Chloe screamed: "LIAM!"

What happened next was too fast to see.

Liam didn't dodge. He moved forward.

One step. One hand caught Ethan's wrist mid-air crack the sound of bones snapping, loud and sickening. Ethan's scream was choked.

The bottle dropped and shattered.

Ethan howled in pain, but Liam didn't stop. His grey eyes were burning now, three years of insults, of being called trash while washing dishes, of being laughed at, all exploding at once. He twisted Ethan's arm behind his back and slammed him face-first into the black marble coffee table. Glass shattered everywhere.

BOOM.

The table cracked in half.

"I told you yesterday," Liam whispered in Ethan's ear, his voice low, terrifying, his breath cold, "Don't ever raise filthy hands to my face again.

Liam let go. Ethan slid to the floor, nose bleeding heavily, crying like a child, his Tom Ford suit ruined, his perfect rich boy image completely destroyed.

"You... you hit me... I'll call the police! I'll"

"You will call no one," Butler Chen said coldly, stepping on Ethan's phone and crushing it under his shoe. "Mr. Blackwood, you just tried to murder the heir of Cole Global. If Young Master wants, your entire family disappears from Dragon City tonight. Your father will beg us to let you live. Understand?"

Ethan went pale, blood mixing with tears, and started crawling to the door, whimpering, too scared to look back.

Liam turned, straightened his suit like nothing happened. His knuckles were slightly red and bleeding. The only sign he had just destroyed a man.

Victoria clapped slowly, smiling, eyes shining with obsession. "So violent. So dominant. I like it, darling. That's the Cole blood I fell in love with."

But Chloe didn't look at Victoria. She was staring at Liam's hand — his bleeding knuckle. Without thinking, she rushed forward and grabbed his hand, her soft fingers trembling.

"Liam, you're hurt... you're bleeding..."

For the first time, Liam let her touch him. His cold eyes softened for one second, just for her.

Victoria saw it. Her perfect smile cracked.

"Oh, I see," she said quietly, her sweet voice turning icy cold. "You still have feelings for your little ex-wife."

She walked to the elevator, her heels clicking like a countdown, then turned back, her smile returning dangerous and beautiful.

"Fine. Let's make it interesting. Tomorrow night, Cole family banquet. Grandfather will announce our engagement in front of the whole city. If you, Chloe Carter, want to save your little company... come and beg me. Let's see who Liam chooses. The trash ex-wife, or the queen."

The elevator closed.

Silence.

Ethan was gone, crawling out. Victoria was gone.

Only Liam and Chloe left in the huge, silent penthouse, her hands still holding his bleeding hand, her face inches from his, her perfume mixing with his blood.

She had agreed to sell the company. But now there was a bigger fight for him.

Chloe whispered, tears again in her eyes, voice broken: "Liam... do you... do you still love me? Even a little?"

Liam looked at her beautiful, broken, jealous, on the verge of losing everything — and didn't answer.

Instead, he looked at the blood on his knuckles and her soft lips so close.

"Clean it for me."