The Unbroken Warlord

Chapter 9

The room fell silent for a moment. Callen's military uniform drew Noah's attention. He suddenly remembered that Ivy's husband had once been in the army.

He scoffed. "Ivy, your husband must have spent too long on the battlefield. Looks like he forgot his manners."

Ava added, "Troublemakers like you two belong together."

Panic spread across Ivy's face. "Callen, apologize right now!"

"No! I didn't do anything wrong. Neither did you. You don't need to kneel and beg that bastard Collins for anything," Callen said, his voice shaking with anger.

Ivy frowned. "You were eavesdropping?"

Callen ignored her question and said something else instead. "I'm the one who drove Jade crazy," he admitted casually.

"You!" Ivy's eyes widened.

"He deserved it, Ivy. Jade dared to kidnap and hurt my daughter. He made her cry. Tell me, should I have just let that go?" Callen stared at her.

Ivy gritted her teeth. She screamed, "Don't pretend to be a good father, Callen! You've ignored Lily all these years, and now you show up like some hero? Don't make me sick!"

Her words hit him hard, and for a moment, Callen was speechless.

Florence slammed her cane on the floor. "Hmph! You two really are cursed!"

"Ivy, this is your last chance. Go and apologize!" she ordered.

"Yes, Grandma," Ivy replied. She turned around, but Callen grabbed her arm.

"Don't stop me, Callen! I'm doing this for Lily. I don't care if I have to crawl or lick their feet. I'll do anything to keep Lily safe!" Ivy snapped, her face filled with determination.

Callen clenched his fists. "From now on, I'll take care of both you and Lily. You don't need to worry about money anymore," he said softly.

But Ivy shoved his hand away roughly. "You haven't given your daughter a single cent in five years. You have no right to say that!"

"The Collins family will be the one apologizing to you. You don't have to go anywhere. They'll come here and kneel for your forgiveness," Callen said again.

"What nonsense are you spouting?" Ava mocked.

But right then, Liam Collins arrived.

Noah's face turned friendly in an instant. He walked up to Liam with a wide grin. "What a surprise to see you here, Mr. Collins! I've already arranged for the girl to come to you and apologize."

"Who is Ivy Carter?" Liam asked.

Ivy stepped forward. "I'm the one you are searching for, Mr. Collins. I want to apologize for what happened with Jade."

Noah signaled for Ivy to kneel. She saw the signal and was about to go down on her knees when suddenly Liam dropped down and bowed deeply.

"My son has made a terrible mistake!" Liam's voice rang out, shocking everyone in the room. "He hurt your daughter. Today, I represent the Collins family and offer a sincere apology, Miss Ivy!"

One hour earlier...

Liam had entered his father's study. "You called for me, Dad?"

An old man stood at the desk, his gaze sharp. He walked up to Liam and slapped him hard.

Liam's eyes widened in shock. He hadn't expected that at all.

"Useless brat!" Henry shouted.

"What's going on?" Liam asked, confused.

"You really don't know? Didn't you teach your son how to behave?" Henry roared, downright furious.

"Did Jade get into trouble again?"

Henry growled, "He crossed someone important! We're on the brink of bankruptcy because of him!"

He explained angrily. Earlier, he had received a phone call from someone powerful, threatening to destroy his family unless they apologized to Ivy.

"Jade didn't offend anyone, Dad. He's the one who went crazy because of Ivy! We should get revenge on her!"

"Idiot!" Henry kicked Liam hard. "She's the very person your worthless son offended!"

Liam's face went pale. "That can't be! Ivy is just some lowly woman—"

"Shut your damn mouth! Go apologize to her now!"

"But Dad..."

"Go now!"

Liam stood frozen, confused. Just yesterday, Ivy had been nothing. Someone he could push around easily. But now, she was suddenly untouchable?

Henry placed a hand on his son's shoulder and said thoughtfully, "It's not Ivy who's terrifying. It's the person behind her. In just three years, the Carter family became rich. Someone powerful is backing her. That person nearly destroyed our company in just one hour. If you don't apologize, we'll be begging on the streets!"

Liam thought hard about his father's words. The Carters' sudden rise didn't make sense. He had assumed it was just luck. But now it seemed more likely that an influential figure was supporting them.

Seeing how scared his father was, Liam knew that person must be powerful.

"Alright, Dad. I'll do it," Liam finally said.

Back to the present. Everyone stood in shock. Ivy was supposed to kneel, but now Liam was the one on his knees.

Ivy took a step back. "What are you doing, Mr. Collins? I'm the one who should apologize."

Liam bowed his head to the ground. "No! I'm the one who must do it. Please, forgive us."

Seeing this, Callen scoffed in his heart. Took you long enough to get here.

Ivy looked around. Everyone else was still stunned.

"Please stand up, Mr. Collins," Ivy said with discomfort. No matter what, she couldn't bear to see someone older than her bowing like that.

"No!" Liam refused. "I won't stand until you forgive me."

Ivy hesitated, and Callen spoke up. "Ivy, say whatever you want. He'll listen. Isn't that right, Mr. Collins?"

Liam nodded quickly. "Of course! I'll do anything. I'll even pay compensation for your daughter's emotional damage. Just name the amount."

"In that case... can you get my daughter into Crownhill Preschool?" Ivy asked carefully.

Crownhill Preschool was the best in the entire empire. Only the children of the wealthiest families were allowed to attend. Their education was far superior to that of other schools. Ivy had always wanted Lily to study there.

"Sure! I can make it happen," Liam replied. Entry to Crownhill was tough, but he had managed to save one spot for his nephew. He would now give it to Lily.

"Your daughter can start next week. Don't worry about the fees."

Ivy's smile bloomed. Her expression turned bright. "Thank you, Mr. Collins! I forgive you. You can stand now."

She helped Liam back to his feet.

"And... I want Jade to stay away from us," she added.

"You don't have to worry, Miss Ivy. He's already gone insane. The doctors said he'll be that way forever," Liam said with a wide smile, as if it didn't matter at all.

"Also, we'll cancel the contract termination. I'll pay double the penalty for the breach."

Hearing this, Noah was stunned. So were the others. Liam had bowed to get Ivy's forgiveness.

"Well then, I'll take my leave," Liam said.

No one stopped him. They were still in shock.

After a moment, Noah's face lit up. He shouted, "Amazing! Mother, could it be that our company is now stronger than the Collins family? Is that why Liam didn't dare offend us?"

That was the only explanation Noah could come up with.