Her eardrums felt as if they had ruptured for a moment. Severe pain spread through her nerves, and her entire world dissolved into a ringing buzz, drowning out all sound.
The slap was swift, sudden, and vicious. Her mind went blank for a second.
Before her stood Mercy Hawthorne, her face twisted with contempt and arrogance. Her pale palm was red from the impact. "Zoe Lancaster, if you don’t know how to speak properly, I’ll teach you!" she said furiously. "Peyton is a benefactor to the Hawthorne family! I won’t allow you to bully her or speak of her like that!"
In Mercy’s heart, Peyton Joyce was practically a sister. She had also saved her brother’s life. Naturally, Mercy had felt a deep gratitude toward Peyton since childhood. For that life-saving grace alone, she would defend her at all costs!
Zoe touched her numb, throbbing cheek. Mercy’s voice sounded muffled; her ear couldn’t seem to hear clearly—
"Zoe!"
Crystal Hayes reacted, immediately rushing to Zoe’s side. Seeing the woman’s flawless cheek turning red and swollen, Crystal’s eyes instantly welled up with red-hot fury. Overwhelming anger swallowed her!
Crystal turned around and glared coldly at Mercy.
Peyton looked at Zoe with sorrow. "Zoe, I know you hate me. But Simon and I have known each other since we were kids. Weren’t you the one who came between us? What right do you have to speak of me that way?"
Mercy frowned. "She’s just been married into the Hawthorne family for so long that she’s forgotten how she even got there! How is she worthy to be compared to you, Peyton?" Linking arms with Peyton, she added, "Don’t pay attention to this clown! Let’s go."
The two had just turned around when Crystal’s icy voice rang out from behind. "You can mess with me, but if you touch her, I will end you!"
Mercy turned her head at the words.
But in that split second, her hair was violently yanked backward! The agonizing pain made her scream, but that was only the beginning. Like a madwoman, Crystal dragged Mercy to the floor by her hair, straddled her, and began slapping her left and right!
Towering hatred made her disregard everything!
How dare she... How dare she hit her Zoe?! Earlier today, Mercy had sent bodyguards to forcibly drag her to this engagement banquet, forcing her to endure the humiliation of watching her and Caleb Ford take their vows and kiss! She could endure all of that! But Zoe was pregnant and physically weak. That slap just now had nearly knocked her to the ground! If anything had happened to the baby, she would have killed Mercy without hesitation!
Crystal moved too fast.
Zoe’s ear was still throbbing in sharp pain, but she finally snapped back to her senses. Fighting through extreme discomfort, she rushed over. "Crystal! Stop hitting her! Crystal!"
She didn’t want to save Mercy. She was simply terrified that Crystal would face retribution from the Hawthorne and Ford families!
Mercy had clumps of hair torn out, and her cheeks were swollen high from Crystal’s blows. Her expensive designer gown was ripped! Crystal even had her hands clamped fiercely around Mercy’s neck!
Zoe turned white as a sheet.
But in the next second, she saw Peyton’s expression turn ruthless. In an attempt to help Mercy break free, Peyton grabbed a nearby vase and swung it toward Crystal!
Burning with rage, Zoe sprinted over and shoved the woman away. Peyton stumbled to steady herself, and the vase slipped from her hands, hitting the floor with a loud SMASH and shattering into pieces!
"Don’t touch her!"
Peyton was taken aback for a moment by Zoe’s ferocity. However, Crystal was still pinning Mercy down and beating her mercilessly. Peyton’s eyes flickered. "She’s going to beat Mercy to death! I can’t just stand by and watch!" She charged forward again.
Naturally, Zoe refused to let her lay a hand on Crystal. She reached out to intercept the woman, swatting away the hand Peyton had clamped onto Crystal’s shoulder. Yet, with just that simple motion, Peyton acted as if she had been shoved with immense force. She staggered violently backward, slammed her lower back against the corner of the stairs, and instantly collapsed to the floor.
Clutching her stomach in agony, she cried, "My stomach... My baby..."
This sudden development brought an immediate halt to Crystal’s brawl as well.
Her exquisite makeup utterly ruined, a battered and bruised Mercy scrambled to her feet. "Peyton!"
Zoe looked down at her own hands in sheer bewilderment. She thought to herself, "I clearly didn’t push her! I just brushed away the hand she had on Crystal! How did this happen?"
Peyton curled up in pain. "It hurts so much... Simon..."
Mercy’s expression drastically changed. She glared at Zoe with pure hatred. "You pushed Peyton! You vicious woman!"
The commotion up here was simply too loud, and it quickly alerted the people downstairs.
Simon Hawthorne and Caleb Ford hurried upstairs one after another. The first thing they saw was Peyton lying on the floor. This chaotic scene made Simon’s face instantly darken.
Mercy shed anxious tears. "Simon! Hurry up and save Peyton! Zoe pushed her down! Quick, get her to the hospital!"
Simon brushed past Zoe. Mercy had slapped her on the left cheek, and Simon walked past on her right side. He cast a dark, unfathomable glance at her before sprinting toward Peyton.
"Linden! Go get the car!" Simon scooped the woman into his arms. With a cold and grim expression, he descended the stairs in wide strides.
It felt as though a branding iron had burned a hole right through Zoe’s throat. She tried hard to hear his words clearly, but he didn’t spare her another glance. She instinctively reached out to touch the hem of his jacket, but it merely brushed past her fingertips.
Caleb moved with maximum efficiency to have his men secure the area, ensuring the VIPs downstairs remained undisturbed. He looked at Crystal, noticing that her clothes were disheveled, her wrists were scraped, and her small face bore a furious yet stubborn expression.
Mercy was originally about to chase after Simon. But seeing Caleb looking at Crystal, her eyes filled with resentment and jealousy. Weeping, she threw herself into Caleb’s arms. "Caleb, this woman is crazy! She’s jealous that I’m getting engaged to you, so she beat me up like this! I’m going to sue her! I’ll make her rot in a jail cell!"
Since childhood, wherever she went, she had always been the center of attention. When had she ever suffered such humiliation?
Caleb’s face darkened. He gripped Mercy’s arms and pulled her out of his embrace. "Let’s go to the hospital first. You need an examination to treat your wounds, and we also need to see how Peyton is doing."
Mercy hadn’t expected Caleb to refrain from blaming Crystal immediately. She gritted her teeth, tears uncontrollably swirling in her eyes.
Crystal didn’t spare Caleb a single glance. She grasped Zoe’s ice-cold hand. "Zoe, let’s go to the hospital and get that checked. Your face was scratched by her nails."
Zoe lowered her eyelashes, utterly incapable of mustering even a ripple of emotion. She nodded in silence.
Caleb glanced at the two of them. "Take my car."
At Kingsward Hospital.
Mercy had been beaten rather severely. Her bones ached all over, though they were all superficial wounds. The scratches on Zoe’s cheek were disinfected and treated. Throughout the entire process, Zoe didn’t say a word.
Peyton’s condition had also stabilized. She had a minor hairline fracture in her lower back and required bed rest. Fortunately, the point of impact was somewhat far from her uterus. She had merely experienced some fetal distress and minor spotting, but there was no miscarriage.
Outside the hospital room.
Simon grabbed his jacket and opened the door, walking out.
Mercy immediately stood up. "Simon, how is Peyton?"
"She’s fine now," Simon replied, his tone devoid of any discernible emotion. However, his gaze landed on Zoe. Upon seeing her visibly red cheek, his eyes turned as dark as an abyss.
Mercy immediately pointed at Zoe. "She deliberately tried to get rid of Peyton’s baby! She was just using this as an excuse for premeditated revenge! I saw it plain as day—she shoved Peyton hard!"