‘Don’t mind how smug this stand-in is right now.
She’s definitely not going to have it easy in the future.’
‘Leave Winston Wyatt?’
For some reason, Isla Chambers didn’t want to hear those words from anyone else.
A wave of resistance surged within her.
Outwardly, Isla Chambers looked utterly dejected, the very picture of someone forced into a situation beyond her control.
“Victoria, you know…
Winston Wyatt will never let me go.”
It was true.
If Winston Wyatt had any intention of letting her go, he would have done so long ago.
He wouldn’t have waited three years.
Victoria Sutton was at a loss for words.
Her emotions were still spiraling from the day’s events.
As Victoria Sutton’s best friend, how could Isla Chambers possibly ignore her pain?
She spent a long time comforting and consoling her before finally ending the call.
Isla Chambers sat in a daze for a long time, her heart growing heavier and her thoughts more frantic.
…
Victoria Sutton and Kian Blackwood returned to the Blackwood estate, disheveled and in a hurry.
The servants were shocked to see their miserable state.
One was the adopted daughter of the Blackwood family, and the other was a young master who, no matter the circumstances, still had Blackwood blood running through his veins.
Who could have done this to them?
Victoria Sutton’s injuries were minor; she was more shaken than hurt, so she didn’t rush to get treated.
Kian Blackwood, however, had protected her from Winston Wyatt’s brutal, bone-deep blows and was severely injured.
She frantically ordered the family doctor to treat his wounds.
However, no one moved.
Victoria Sutton stamped her foot in a rage.
“What’s wrong?
Are you deaf to my words?
Can I not give you orders anymore?
Do you have any respect for me at all?!”
The servants didn’t dare offend her, so they all turned to look at Butler Ford, the Blackwood family’s long-serving butler.
“Miss, please don’t make things difficult for us,” Butler Ford said.
“The Eldest Young Master forbids the Second Young Master from setting foot here.”
Kian Blackwood’s face darkened when he heard Butler Ford call him the “Second Young Master.” The title had haunted him for years, but he had never gotten used to it.
After all, he should have been the Eldest Young Master of the Blackwood family.
He was a year older than Silas Blackwood.
“If the Eldest Young Master finds out you brought the Second Young Master home, his condition will only get worse.”
“Furthermore, Miss, the Eldest Young Master will be furious that you snuck out to find the Second Young Master.”
Victoria Sutton’s expression turned grim.
Of course, she knew all this. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
She had only dared to bring Kian Blackwood home because Silas Blackwood was away.
‘Why does Silas Blackwood get to live here, while Kian, who is also a son of this family, can’t even step through the door or stay for a single moment?’ she seethed internally.
“If you all keep quiet, how will Silas Blackwood find out?”
Everyone thought Victoria Sutton was being naive.
And just as they predicted, a cold, imperious voice cut through the air the very next moment.
“You think I wouldn’t know just because they don’t tell me?”
Victoria Sutton flinched, her face paling.
She whipped her head around and, sure enough, there was Silas Blackwood, approaching step by step.
Tall and imposing, dressed in a sharp suit and leather shoes, he radiated an arctic chill.
A group of subordinates followed him.
Beside him stood Finn Lynch, his most trusted man.
Without a word of command from Silas Blackwood, Finn Lynch strode forward and kicked the back of Kian Blackwood’s knee, forcing him to the ground.
Kian let out a muffled grunt.
An instant later, several subordinates swarmed him, working in perfect concert to pin him flat on the floor, face down.
Victoria Sutton shrieked at the sight.
“Mr.
Kian!” She lunged forward to help him, but the maids at her side instantly restrained her, keeping her at a distance from Kian Blackwood.
The maids who worked for the Blackwood family were all surprisingly strong.
Outnumbered, Victoria Sutton was utterly helpless.
She could only watch in horror as the man she loved was forced to lie there like a dog.
Unable to bear the sight, Victoria Sutton screamed, then shot a venomous glare at Silas Blackwood.
“Silas Blackwood, what are you doing?!
Let him go!”
Pinned down, Kian Blackwood struggled to breathe.
He gasped for air, his eyes looking up from the floor to meet Silas Blackwood’s condescending gaze.
The angle only emphasized his pathetic weakness.
Humiliation tore through Kian, and his control snapped.
He thrashed with all his might, roaring in fury, “Let me go—”
Silas Blackwood shrugged the suit jacket from his shoulders.
Butler Ford accepted it, smoothed it out, and draped it over his arm, sighing inwardly as he looked at Kian Blackwood on the floor.
Silas Blackwood slipped one hand into his pants pocket.
His polished leather shoe ground down on Kian Blackwood’s fingers.
Kian cried out in agony, his body breaking out in a cold sweat as he stared at his trapped hand.
“Didn’t I tell you not to touch people you shouldn’t?” Silas Blackwood stared down with bone-chilling coldness, grinding his shoe even harder into the hand beneath it.
Kian Blackwood was the son of Mr.
Blackwood and his mistress—an illegitimate child.
Back when Mrs.
Blackwood had loved her husband with all her heart, she never could have imagined he had already betrayed her.
Loathing and hatred poured from Silas Blackwood’s eyes.
As memories flooded his mind, red veins crept across the whites of his eyes, making him look terrifyingly cold.
“Stop it!
Silas Blackwood, stop right now!
I won’t let you step on him, do you hear me?!” Victoria Sutton stomped her foot, her eyes red and brimming with tears.
Kian Blackwood’s hands were precious.
With those long, beautiful hands, he had played the most romantic melodies in the world for her.
If his hands were ruined, he would never be able to play the piano again.
“He didn’t touch me!
I touched him!
I went to find him!
I’m the one who likes him!
If you’ve got a problem, take it out on me!”
At her last words, Silas Blackwood froze.
His gaze snapped toward her, his cold, deep eyes turning vacant for an instant, his heart hollowing out along with them.
Victoria Sutton wasn’t a Blackwood by blood.
Her parents had passed away, and because her parents had been close with his, the Blackwood family had taken her in when she had no one else, protecting her and her inheritance from the clutches of greedy relatives.
Victoria Sutton had lived with the Blackwoods for over a decade.
She was, for all intents and purposes, the family’s adopted daughter.
To the outside world, she was a daughter of the Blackwood family.
With their backing, people treated her with respect, addressing her deferentially as Miss Blackwood.
“Say that again.
I dare you.” The red in Silas Blackwood’s eyes deepened with vicious fury.
He took an iron rod from a subordinate.
Victoria Sutton’s eyes widened in horror as she realized what he intended to do.
“I told you,” Silas Blackwood said, “if you ever dared to sneak out and see him again, I would break his legs.”
The iron rod swung down without a hint of hesitation.
Kian Blackwood’s agonized, contorted scream was met with Victoria’s terrified, piercing shriek.
“NO!”
Victoria broke down, clutching her head and yanking at her own hair.
Silas Blackwood was utterly ruthless.
He kept the iron rod aimed at Kian Blackwood’s legs and asked again, “Who do you love?”