"Mr. Hawthorne!"
"Jules Yates!"
Two shocked voices rang out simultaneously. Linden’s expression changed drastically. Usually tactful and smooth, even he couldn’t help but glare coldly at Jules. Without pausing for a second, he rushed forward to help Simon Hawthorne up.
Zoe Lancaster happened to witness this scene just as she emerged from the bathroom. Her heart nearly stopped in her chest. She hastily rushed over, pulling Jules behind her. Looking at Simon with utmost defensiveness, she said, "Jules was just acting on impulse. He has no intention of going against you. Please don’t make things difficult for him."
She knew all too well what kind of person Simon was. He appeared indifferent and emotionless, but in reality, his methods were ruthless. He had no empathy in his eyes; no one’s life or death could stir the slightest ripple of emotion in him. Of those who had ever offended him, who had met a good end? Even though Jules was the young master of the Yates Family, she was still worried that Simon wouldn’t show any mercy if he snapped.
"Buddy! I should beat this inhuman scumbag to death! Don’t stop me! Let him fight back if he has the guts!" Jules was truly infuriated. Upon hearing what the servants had said, he felt disgusted himself—never mind Zoe! Using their marital bed with the other woman—was he even human?!
Zoe, having just retched endlessly, was completely drained of energy. She could only say weakly, "Just calm down first. Stop making a scene."
Simon stared with near apathy as Zoe fiercely protected Jules. She hadn’t shown immediate concern for the fact that he was the one who had been hit, nor did she seem to care at all, focusing only on shielding that pretty boy. At this thought, he lightly rubbed his long fingers against the corner of his lips, smearing a trace of blood. It made his face look even more devilishly callous. He stared at her unblinkingly. He radiated an overwhelming sense of pressure; though he clearly hadn’t lost his temper, he was exceptionally terrifying.
"If you really want to fight me, I can grant your wish." His tone remained aloof and cold, dripping with a contempt that was etched into his very bones.
Cold sweat trickled down Zoe’s back. She knew that Simon was no frail scholar. He was a master in Muay Thai who trained year-round. Whenever he was slightly displeased, he would go to the boxing gym and pummel people. Jules, with his flashy but useless moves, was absolutely no match for him. She was genuinely worried that Jules would get beaten so hard he’d be embedded in the wall. Moreover, the Hawthorne Group and the Yates Family were both formidable entities. If two such massive conglomerates came into direct conflict, it would cause a massive earthquake within the industry. Countless people would be implicated. There was no need to cause such a huge fallout over something like this.
"Come on, then! You think I’m afraid of you?" Jules’s temper flared, and he postured as if he were about to charge forward. He really did want to beat Simon to death. Making Zoe a widow would be better than her current status as the ultimate chump. At least she’d inherit part of his estate, and wouldn’t it be great to hire a few gigolos with the money?
"Enough, both of you!" Zoe took a deep breath and yanked Jules back. She looked intently at Simon. "He’s just being reckless. Don’t stoop to his level."
Jules looked at her, utterly baffled.
Simon tugged at his lips in a half-smile. The cut on the corner of his mouth made him look exceptionally wicked. "Next time you look for a knight in shining armor, find one with half a brain."
Jules almost laughed out of sheer anger. "You can’t keep it in your pants, you have zero self-control—how is that any different from being a brainless idiot? Our Buddy doesn’t have a fetish for sharing her husband’s usage rights with other women!"
Only now did Simon begin to grasp the reason for this man’s belligerence. He frowned. "Slinging mud counts as defamation. It seems the Yates Family’s legal team is formidable enough to clean up your messes."
He was already giving Jules enough face. This wasn’t because Jules was the young master of the Yates Family, but because he was currently Zoe’s friend, which granted him a free pass. Otherwise, after being struck today, he wouldn’t have let Jules off easily.
Jules was just about to retort when Zoe stopped him.
Simon couldn’t be bothered to argue with Jules either. His brow remained furrowed as he stared at Zoe. "It was my negligence that you were mobbed by reporters today and subjected to public pressure. The news won’t see the light of day, rest assured." He had left in too much of a hurry yesterday, completely overlooking this possibility. This was indeed his fault.
Zoe’s mind was a mess. She still hadn’t moved past the matter concerning the marital bed. Her voice was hoarse. "Where is she?"
"She took a massive dose of tranquilizers yesterday. Her stomach was pumped and she’s out of danger. She’s fine now." Speaking of this, Simon knitted his brows in slight exhaustion.
Zoe asked, almost knowing the answer perfectly well, "Why did she attempt suicide?"
Simon didn’t answer. Zoe kept her eyes on his expression and scoffed softly. "Now, both she and I are exposed to the public eye, and I’ve been cast as the homewrecker. Does whoever plays the victim automatically become the one in the right?"
Jules sneered. "After all, being a manipulative seductress and a two-faced bitch really does require a certain talent. Our Buddy isn’t even competing in the same lane. How could she possibly win?" His words were laced with venom, dealing a fatal blow the moment he opened his mouth.
Simon shot him a cold glare, his deep-set eyes dark and unreadable. Before he could reply, the door was pushed open.
Ken Lowell walked in from outside. Seeing the scene unfolding and spotting the cut on Simon’s mouth, she frowned severely. "Who hit you!"
Simon was in a foul mood, and his mother’s arrival only made his demeanor gloomier. His voice was freezing cold. "What are you doing here?"
Ken Lowell sneered. "I heard you rushed out of the hospital. I guessed right—she summoned you back."
Zoe didn’t respond. But Ken Lowell looked right at her. "Peyton’s emotional state is still unstable. There’s no need to respond to those speculations on the internet for now. The negative comments will eventually die down. Just don’t read them. It won’t kill you. What matters most right now is a human life."
Her words made Zoe want to laugh. The online backlash against her was intense. The internet was buzzing with curses, calling her a homewrecker and a shameless woman who stole someone else’s man. Yet Ken Lowell forbade her from clearing her name. She was to let herself be misunderstood. And all for the sake of Peyton Joyce’s... mood?
Regardless of Zoe’s reaction, Ken Lowell frowned again. "You may be the Hawthorne Family’s daughter-in-law, but there was no need to be so high-profile about it, admitting your relationship in front of so many reporters. Now it almost cost a life! Who could take responsibility for that?"
"They are a legally married couple. Do they need the mistress’s permission to do what married couples do?" Jules smirked, his eyes full of sarcasm. "Who is your actual daughter-in-law? The Hawthorne Family’s morals are truly something else. A mother-in-law helping the real mistress bully her own daughter-in-law. My eyes have truly been opened."
Ken Lowell frowned and looked over at him. "And who might you be?"
Jules scoffed, his tone dripping with false sweetness. "I’m quite curious, Mrs. Hawthorne. Is it because you also have a mistress sister sharing your husband, so you think the whole family should follow suit?"
"How dare you!" Ken Lowell’s expression shifted drastically, a surge of monstrous fury flashing across her glamorous and elegant face.
At the mention of Cecilia Sloan, Ken Lowell indeed couldn’t maintain her composure. Although, after her son was sent abroad, that woman was also packed off overseas by the old madame and was no longer an eyesore, she remained her ultimate disgrace!
Jules’s face instantly turned cold as he demanded, "Since you’ve suffered this kind of humiliation yourself, why are you still sympathizing with a mistress?"