Emily, feeling satisfied, said smugly, “So you think I’m right, right?”

Brian’s gaze fell on the large red stain beneath Ashley.

The white wool carpet was speckled with blood stains...

He said coldly, “But you’ve dirtied my carpet.”

Emily looked down and saw the mess on the carpet.

She frowned and looked at Ashley, who was unconscious on the floor.

“Ashley is so inconsiderate. You brought back from abroad...it’s quite expensive, huh?”

Sarah, who had been silent since Brian entered, finally put down her teacup and called for the butler.

“Take her away, and clean the carpet. See if it can be restored.”

The butler quickly stepped forward, hesitated, and then looked at Brian. “Should... Ashley be sent to the hospital?”

“No need.” Brian adjusted his cufflinks. “She should be punished for her mistakes.”

Before Ashley completely lost consciousness, she heard Brian say this.

...

Late at night, the rain poured harder.

Accompanied by thunder, the temperature in Huai City suddenly dropped.

Ashley lay on the bed, her body alternately freezing and burning up.

In a daze, she had a dream.

In the dream, Brian brought Olivia back from outside and saw her kneeling in the living room.

For some reason, it was extremely cold inside, making her bones ache.

The living room was empty, with only the hum of the air conditioner.

Brian held Olivia’s hand and walked to her side.

Olivia stopped and looked at her. “Brian, Ashley is kneeling. Won’t you help her?”

Brian frowned in disgust. “She dirtied my carpet.”

Ashley felt a sharp pain in her heart, as if something warm was flowing out of her body, indeed staining the carpet.

Olivia sneered. “Brian, should we send her to the hospital?”

Brian kissed Olivia’s hand. “She deserves to be punished for her mistakes.”

His voice was full of scorn and cold disgust.

As he finished speaking, the once empty living room suddenly filled with people.

Sarah, Emily, Brian, Olivia, Robert, and indistinct maids and classmates.

They pointed at Ashley maliciously, laughing wildly.

“You deserves that.”

“You deserves that.”

“You deserves that.”

The three words echoed like a curse, resounding through the entire living room.

Ashley tried to stand up, but no matter how hard she struggled, her legs were too weak to support her.

She kept shouting, trying to make them stop laughing.

But when she opened her mouth, she found she had no tongue and could only make pitiful whimpers.

Ashley jerked awake, her eyes wide open.

Ah, it was a dream.

Then she fainted again.

“Ashley , Ashley ?”

Melissa, keeping watch by Ashley’s bed, saw her wake up and quickly leaned in.

But Ashley fainted again.

Melissa touched Ashley’s forehead, feeling the scorching heat.

Frightened, she withdrew her hand and searched the bedside table for the medicine box, but to only found one piece of fever medicine, which was expired.

Gritting her teeth, Melissa knocked on the butler’s door.

“Butler, please save Ashley , save my daughter!” Melissa knelt in front of the butler. “Ashley ’s fever won’t go down. If it continues, she might die!”

As she spoke, tears streamed down her face.

The butler’s expression darkened. “Such a high fever could be damaging her organs. Ashley ’s liver...”

Melissa couldn’t stop crying.

The butler sighed.

He remembered the surgery Ashley had as a child. If it relapsed, it would be a big problem.

The butler gritted his teeth. “Wait here!”

He made a phone call, and half an hour later, the family doctor arrived stealthily through the side door, braving the storm.

After examining Ashley, who was flushed with fever, the doctor shook his head. “Send her to the hospital.”

She had numerous external and internal injuries, and the doctor suspected multiple fractures.

“If the fever continues, her immune system will crash. She has had a liver transplant and can’t handle such prolonged high fever.”

Melissa cried even louder.

The butler didn’t want any deaths on his watch and hesitated about whether to notify Mr. Quinn.

While he pondered, a loud bang came from the front door.

“You are so ridiculous, ridiculous!”

A man’s furious voice echoed through the villa, waking everyone up.

Emily, supporting Sarah, came downstairs. At the landing, they saw David Quinn striding towards the maid’s quarters.

“What’s going on?” Sarah frowned, looking at Brian. “What’s your father so mad about now?”

“Let’s go see.” Brian, expressionless, went downstairs.

Sarah followed him.

On the first floor, they saw David Quinn carrying Melissa out.

Seeing Sarah, fury and disgust filled his eyes. “Sarah Quinn! If you cause a death in my Quinn Family, I will divorce you!”

Sarah had never seen her husband so furious.

She first looked at him, then at the unconscious Melissa in his arms. “Is she... dead?”

Her tone was initially confused, then tinged with a hint of delight.

“You!” David Quinn’s face turned livid.

“How could she be?” Emily muttered. “I didn’t hit her that hard!”

“Dad, Mom, don’t be fooled by her! Who knows what tricks this slut is up to now, maybe—”

Seeing her husband’s face darken further, Sarah feared her daughter would bear the brunt of his anger and pulled her back. “Stop talking!”

If they continued to stoke the fire, this hateful slut would truly take advantage.

David Quinn’s smoky grey eyes bore into Brian, his gaze inscrutable.

“Go bring Ashley out and take her to the hospital.”

Brian noticed the probing in his father’s eyes.

Recalling his friend’s earlier taunt, Brian lowered his eyelids.

“Is your father using Ashley to test you?”

“Years ago, he didn’t believe you let go of that incident and guarded against you. Now, he’s old and has to delegate power. You, as his ’only son,’ are a hurdle he can’t avoid.”

The prediction hit the mark.

Brian watched coldly, unmoving.

The living room fell eerily silent.

Outside, lightning and thunder roared, and torrential rain poured down.

Although the atmosphere was emotionally cold, it subtly eased the tension indoors.

A gleam of satisfaction flashed in David Quinn’s eyes.

After a long pause, Sarah sighed. “Come on, it’s the middle of the night. Ashley’s only a maid. Why bother my son?”

She looked at the butler. “Call someone to send her two to the hospital.”

The butler quickly complied and went to get the driver.

Emily pouted, muttering, “It was just a few hits, what’s the big deal?”

David Quinn glared at her. “Just a few hits? Want to try it yourself?”

Emily hid behind Sarah, afraid to speak.

The driver soon arrived at the door, and David Quinn carried Melissa outside.

The butler brought a stretcher for Ashley, lifting her into the car.

The group left the villa in a flurry.