Chapter 5

Hannah said, "I will keep you beneath my heel, always."

"Take your time." I looked at Hannah emotionlessly. "I'll give the position of Mrs. Blakely to you."

While I wasn't sure how much she believed, Hannah suddenly turned around. As she brushed past me, she whispered in a voice only she and I could hear, "I won't forgive either of you."

I had no intention of responding to Hannah's provocation. I was about to step out onto the balcony for some fresh air when a loud noise erupted behind me.

I instinctively turned around to see Hannah raising her hand to slap Paige Hughes with all her might. Before Paige could react, Hannah kicked at a nearby stack of props. The rack tilted under the force.

Erick rushed over just in time to see the rack about to crash down on Hannah. He kicked it aside with force and pulled her into his embrace tightly to protect her.

"Paige!" Erick was furious. "I let you come here because you are Kimberly's friend. But you tried to kill Hannah when I wasn't around?"

"Not that..."

"Not that? What do you mean? I saw it clearly."

He grabbed Paige's neck in a tight grip. Veins bulged on his hand. "I've warned you before that Hannah is the most important one in my life. If you or Kimberly dare harm her, I'll make you face the consequences."

Hannah wiped her tears with a look of grievance. "It's okay... I'm fine... After all, Paige is Mrs. Blake's friend..."

"I'm here to protect you. What are you afraid of?" Erick whispered tenderly and then kissed away her tears. "I've told you many times that you can do whatever you want. No matter what happens, you don't have to worry about anything. Don't be too kind-hearted and let others bully you. Today's lesson for Paige also serves as a warning for Kimberly."

With that, he ordered his bodyguards to restrain Paige and grabbed a stick from nearby. He handed it to Hannah. "She almost had you crushed by the props. Now, beat her with full force."

Hannah pretended to be scared. "No. I don't dare..."

Erick held her hand and swung the stick hard at Paige.

"This is to teach you to protect yourself."

They swung the stick twice.

"And this is to teach you not to be too kind-hearted."

They swung it again and again.

"Ugh!" Paige was in such pain that she felt dizzy. A metallic taste rose in her throat before she coughed up blood.

It wasn't until the air was thick with the scent of blood that Erick stopped.

The guests murmured among themselves in hushed tones. "Oh my, that woman must be miserable..."

"Who can she blame? She tried to crush Hannah with the prop rack..."

Erick handed the stick to a bodyguard and then gently blew on Hannah's palm with concern. "Your hand must be numb. Let me help with that."

As the bodyguards released Paige, she collapsed to the floor unconsciously. Her body was battered and bruised.

Erick scooped up Hannah in his arms and cast a cold glance at me as I rushed over. He left a curt remark. "As my wife, you'd better behave well. Manage your friend and think about what you've done."

"Alright."

"Well, Erick, do you think I'll stay here for you?" I sneered inwardly.

He seemed surprised by my compliance but didn't dwell on it before leaving without another word.

"Paige!" I got down in a panic to check on Paige. My eyes were filled with guilt and pain, and my hand was trembling uncontrollably as I reached out. "Paige!"

She didn't respond. My voice cracked with fear as tears streamed uncontrollably down my face.

I took deep breaths and tried to suppress the terror in my heart. I wiped my face haphazardly before dialing the emergency number.