1 My best friend and I had just finished dinner and were about to leave when a woman blocked our path, insisting I pay for another table’s bill. I refused, telling her I didn’t know them. She exploded. “Damn it, I’m doing you a favor by letting you pay! Who the hell do you think you are, disrespecting the Sterling Corporation in this city? You looking to die?” Before I could respond, she became even more arrogant. “Do you have any idea who I am? I’m the wife of Sterling Corporation’s chairman, Rory Sterling! Scared now, aren't you?” I froze for a second, then pulled out my phone and dialed Rory’s number. “I hear you have another wife at the company?” … The moment I hung up, the woman flew into a rage. She snatched my phone and smashed it on the floor. “Still trying to call for backup? Believe it or not, I can make sure you never walk out of this restaurant.” “Stop it!” My friend, Moya Devaney, pulled me behind her. “Is this how people from Sterling Corporation behave? Harassing strangers for money and getting physical without any reason?” The woman’s face flushed with anger. “Manners? In this city, the Sterling name is manners! I’m letting you pay my bill because I’m giving you a chance to climb the social ladder, understand? You want to talk about rules? My word is the rule here!” I laughed out loud, looking up at the woman, whose name I now knew was Ivy Lilley. “Sterling Corporation may be big, but I doubt they taught you how to be a highway robber.” Ivy snorted, planting her hands on her hips like a common shrew. “I’m giving you a chance to network! Do you know how many people are lining up to buy me dinner? I wouldn’t even give them the time of day!” A chance to network. As if my family, the Croftons, ever needed to network with anyone in this city. I glanced at Moya, her expression dark. I knew my friend, a princess from the capital’s most elite circles, was shocked to be bullied by someone from a company like Sterling. Ivy sneered and waved a hand toward the door. “Let me tell you something. In this city, what I, Ivy Lilley, say, goes! Grab these two idiots who don’t know their place!” The words had barely left her mouth when seven or eight bodyguards in black suits swarmed in, surrounding us. Moya instinctively pulled me back, her eyes sharp and ready for a fight. But there were too many of them. Before she could make a move, two men grabbed her arms, pinning her. “Moya!” I lunged forward, but a sharp blow to the back of my neck sent darkness exploding behind my eyes. Through the haze, I saw Moya struggling, cursing them, before a fist slammed into her jaw. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. I was forced to the ground, helpless, as Ivy kicked Moya in the stomach, spitting insults. “You dare meddle in my business? Today, I’ll teach you that you don’t mess with Sterling Corporation!” Fists rained down on me, each blow a dull, throbbing pain. Moya had only come to visit, and now she was caught in this mess. “Ivy Lilley!” I yelled, my voice hoarse. “I am Rory Sterling’s legally wedded wife, Autumn Crofton.” I gestured to Moya, who was still being held down. “And she is Moya Devaney, from the Devaney family of the capital! Let us go now, and we can still forget this ever happened!” Ivy’s foot froze mid-air. Then she burst out laughing. “Rory Sterling’s wife? From the Devaney family? Did you two get your brains beaten out?” The people at her table roared with laughter. “Everyone knows the boss’s wife is Vice President Lilley.” “She’s really got some nerve, making up stories like that.” “The Devaney family? From the capital? Never heard of them. Probably just some name she pulled out of a hat to scare us.” Ivy leaned down and grabbed a fistful of my hair, her eyes vicious. “Say you’re his wife one more time, and I’ll rip your mouth off. I’ll show you what’s real and what’s fake. Only I can say Rory’s name. And I am the only woman who will ever be his.” Moya, still pinned to the floor with blood on her lips, let out a mocking laugh. “Well, Autumn Crofton, looks like you got married for nothing. This woman is claiming your man right in front of you, and you, the actual wife, are the one left looking like a fool.” Her words, strangely, made me want to laugh. And I did, though it was a harsh, bitter sound. Ivy was still pulling my hair. I suddenly jerked my head to the side and bit down, hard, on her wrist. She screamed in pain, her grip loosening. I used the momentum to slam my knee into the groin of the bodyguard behind me. As he doubled over in agony, I grabbed a beer bottle from a nearby table and smashed it over another guard’s head. By the time Ivy realized what was happening, I was on her, my fist connecting with her face. She stumbled back, stunned by the sudden counterattack, blood gushing from her nose. “You bitch! You dare hit me?!” she shrieked, clawing at my face. I caught her arm and threw her to the ground. I straddled her, raining down punches. The Sterling employees at her table, reeking of alcohol, rushed forward to pull me off. “You’re attacking VP Lilley? Are you tired of living?” Somehow, Moya had broken free. She kicked away a man who was coming at me and yelled, “Beat the hell out of her, Autumn! I’ve never been this insulted in my entire life!” In the chaos, someone smashed a chair across my back. I grunted in pain but didn’t stop. Ivy was screaming, scratching wildly at my hair. “Sterling security! Kill her! I’ll take responsibility! Triple bonuses for everyone!” The employees swarmed me like a pack of wolves, grabbing my arms, my waist, kicking at my legs. As I was being pulled back, Ivy kicked me hard in the stomach. I staggered back, and was about to charge again when a voice boomed from the restaurant entrance. “Everyone, stop!” 2 Two men in police uniforms pushed their way in. They frowned at the wreckage, but their expressions changed completely when they saw the bruised and beaten Ivy Lilley on the floor. “VP Lilley? What are you doing here? What happened?” one of the officers, a portly man, asked, his voice dripping with sycophancy as he rushed to help her up. Seeing the police, Ivy acted as if her savior had arrived. She pointed a trembling finger at Moya and me. “Officer Wang! These two outsiders are crazy! They refused to pay for their meal and then started a fight! Look what they did to me! And my employees! They’re all injured!” The portly officer glanced at our own injuries and dismissed them, turning to us with a scowl. “What do you two think you’re doing? Brawling in broad daylight and assaulting employees of Sterling Corporation? You’ve got some nerve!” “She was the one who started it,” Moya said, spitting out a mouthful of blood. “She tried to force us to pay her bill.” “Nonsense!” Ivy interrupted immediately. “I was just trying to be nice, letting them bask in the glory of the Sterling name for a moment, and they just turned on me! They even had the audacity to pretend to be my husband’s wife and some big shot from the capital.” The portly officer clearly believed her. He pointed at the shattered glass and overturned tables. “Regardless, you beat her up like this and destroyed the restaurant’s property. It’s clearly your fault! Let me tell you, in this city, everyone shows respect to Sterling Corporation. VP Lilley is Rory Sterling’s woman. By touching her, you’re disrespecting Sterling, and you’re going against the rules of this entire city!” The other, thinner officer was already brandishing a pair of handcuffs. “Enough talk. You’re coming with us to the station. Oh, and you’ll be covering VP Lilley’s bill, the damages to the restaurant, her medical bills, and her emotional distress compensation. Then, if you get on your knees and apologize, maybe we can settle this privately.” “On what grounds?” I laughed, furious. “She started this, and you’re convicting us without even investigating?” “On what grounds? On the grounds that you’re not from around here!” the portly officer waved his hand dismissively. “You’re in our city, you play by our rules. VP Lilley letting you pay her bill was an honor. Don’t be ungrateful!” Moya sneered. “I’d like to see if the rules of this city are above the laws of this country.” “Still talking back, huh?” The thin officer moved to cuff me. “Looks like you haven’t learned your lesson!” I dodged him. Enraged, he pulled out a stun baton and flicked it on. “You want to do this the hard way?” he said, jabbing it towards me. “Looks like you’re itching for a stay in a jail cell!” A jolt of electricity shot through me. My whole body seized up, and I nearly collapsed. Moya caught me, her eyes blazing. “How dare you abuse your authority?” “Abuse my authority? I’m performing my official duties,” the portly officer said, pulling out his own stun baton and pointing it at Moya. “In this city, anything involving Sterling Corporation is a big deal. People like you who don’t know their place need to be taught a lesson!” Moya grunted as the electricity hit her, the smell of burning fabric in the air. “You power-tripping dogs… you’ll regret this one day…” “Regret it?” The portly officer’s grin widened. He used his baton to lift Moya’s chin. “You can regret it all you want when you’re getting beaten every day in your cell.” He turned to Ivy, his face a mask of fawning servitude. “VP Lilley, is this enough for you? If not, I can turn it up a notch!” Ivy watched, smugly. “A little more. They need to learn who’s in charge here.” The portly officer kicked me, then bowed to Ivy again. “VP Lilley, if you don’t mind my asking, when is the baby due? My partner and I will be sure to prepare a generous gift to congratulate you and Mr. Sterling.” The thin officer nodded eagerly. “Yes, yes! We hope you’ll give us the honor of sharing in your joy. Maybe Mr. Sterling might even consider a little promotion for us…” At the mention of this, Ivy smiled. “About four or five months. I had it checked. It’s a boy.” Ivy… was pregnant. The news hit me like a physical blow. I’d been away on a business trip for six months. I had only just returned, and Rory already had a child on the way. The blood rushed to my head. Rory and I had been married for two years, and he’d always put off having children, claiming he was too busy with the company. I struggled to get up. Seeing me move, the thin officer jabbed the stun baton at the back of my neck. My vision went black. As I was about to fall, Ivy grabbed a stool and raised it over my head. Just then, the sound of hurried, expensive footsteps echoed from the restaurant entrance.
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "393680", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel