Freya pretended to be distraught and tearfully claimed, "My sister just bullied me and said she wants to kill me. She doesn't want me to come home anymore."

Bradley's mood immediately soured after hearing this.

He raised her chin and looked her over closely, observing that her entire face had a red mark.

"She slapped your face?"

Freya tightened her lips and nodded, "She slapped me several times. Oh, Bradley, that hurt so bad."

Bradley's expression darkened in an instant.

"Did you run away from home because she slapped you?" he asked.

"Freya was scared! Freya doesn't want to feel the pain anymore," Freya pretended she had no idea what was going on while stealing glances at Bradley, who was indeed fuming.

She had a suspicion that the Lawson family was doomed if Mr. Austin ever became enraged.

He immediately called Frederick and said sternly, "Take some people to the Lawson family and teach Lola Lawson a lesson."

When she was still living in the Lawson mansion, Bradley disregarded their mistreatment of her, but now that she was his bride, he would not stand for it.

Freya almost laughed out loud as she cuddled up in Bradley's arms. She thought Lola truly deserved to be beaten.

After experiencing those days of being bullied in the past, Freya wished she could put Lola through something worse.

With a nod, Frederick locked the car and led two guards to barge into the Lawson mansion.

Lola walked in the door and mockingly looked up to the second floor: "Is that idiot back home? Dad, you should let me back into my room."

Bruce was already fuming when he overheard Lola, but her words fueled his rage.

He shouted at her, "From now on, stop calling her a fool or idiot. Also, that room belongs to Freya from now on. You can find any room upstairs to be your new bedroom."

His original intent was to win Freya's approval and benefit from her, but now he had angered Bradley.

He had no idea where he would get money if Freya never returned home.

Bruce was apprehensive because Arthur's refusal to sign the contract had also disrupted their family's finances.

Sophie, who was sitting next to him, also appeared to be in a bad mood. She had a strange feeling ever since Freya had returned, as she sensed that she appeared to be acting more foolish than she actually was.

Freya never defended herself or fought back when she was living with the Lawson family back then, but now she not only complained but also showed her intelligence.

Sophie began to wonder if Freya was pretending to be foolish.

Just now, she contacted Mrs. Smith, Freya's caretaker in the country, to find out what was happening.

Mrs. Smith explained that after Freya had a severe fever, she began acting foolishly and never complained in all these years.

Sophie couldn't shake off her growing suspicion about the situation.

Feeling profoundly hurt and unjustly treated, Lola couldn't bear losing her room forever.

Lola clung onto Sophie, tears streaming down her face, desperately pleading, "Mom, I don't want to give up my room. I don't want..."

"You can't refuse! How could Freya have run away if you hadn't bullied her?" Bruce, consumed with anger that had no outlet, became even more furious upon seeing Lola. "I warned all of you not to provoke Freya," he shouted.

"Now Mr. Austin has taken her away and threatens us that she won't come back home anymore. Don't anticipate a good life for any of you if I can't benefit from the Austins."

Lola had been beaten by Freya and Bruce on the same day. On top of that, she had just had sex with Ethan, leaving her feeling uncomfortable in every possible way.

Frightened by Bruce's aggressive behavior, Lola sought refuge behind Sophie.

Sophie came to her daughter's defense, reasoning with Bruce, "Bruce, we need to find a way to gain something from Freya. Either she pays significant compensation, or we take her money. Getting angry now won't get us anywhere."

"Why should I compromise and appease that idiot if she could just die?" Bruce erupted in anger.

A hint of wickedness flickered in Sophie's eyes. "Since Bradley won't kill her, we can have someone else do the job. What do you think, Bruce?"

"What are you planning to do?"

Sophie's intention was evident as she drew a finger across her throat as she made the gesture.

Just now, Sophie began to feel uneasy about the prospect of Freya playing dumb. After all, she was the one who caused so much pain to Freya's mom.

She was afraid Freya might return for vengeance now that she was no longer dumb.

Therefore, she needed to eliminate the potential danger before anything terrible happened.

After hearing this, Bruce angrily rebuked, "I warn you, Freya is still my daughter, and no matter what others do to her, it's not my concern. But I won't spare you if you dare to lay a hand on her and harm her."

"And do you think the Austins as a whole are complete and utter morons? We won't have anything to gain if Freya does not die at the Royal Garden Mansion. Don't cause me any trouble, or you'll suffer too."

Sophie was stunned into silence by Bruce's warning, but she continued thinking the same thing. She determined to find out if Freya was mentally disabled or just acting that way.

If Freya was indeed faking her condition, Sophie believed it was necessary to get rid of her to avoid future complications, regardless of any potential compensation she may gain, A disturbance was audible outside as she contemplated this, and Frederick entered the room accompanied by two bodyguards.

With a smile, Bruce asked, "Frederick, did Freya drop something here?"

Frederick disregarded him and gave the bodyguards the go-ahead.

Bruce was caught off guard by this turn of events, and before he could react, the bodyguards lunged toward Lola and struck her across the face.

"What are you doing? Why are you hitting Lola?" Sophie anxiously asked.

Lola, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, was bewildered and unable to comprehend why they were striking her.

Confused and desperate, Lola sank to her knees on the ground, crying out in despair. The bodyguards showed no mercy, slapping Lola's face continuously, causing her features to swell quickly.

Bruce's expression contorted into an unpleasant grimace as he was taken aback by Bradley's extreme protection of Freya. He never thought Bruce would ask his bodyguards to teach Lola a lesson.

"I have already told Lola not to mess with Freya in the future," Bruce said to Frederick, with frustration and helplessness evident in his voice. "She will never dare to repeat it."

Sophie's heart burned with anger as she witnessed her daughter subjected to such brutality. However, paralyzed by fear, she could only plead in a choked voice, "Frederick, Lola has already got punished. Please spare her!"

Frederick paid no heed to her pleas and silently signaled the bodyguards to cease only when Lola fainted from the violence.

"Mr. Austin has made it clear that anyone who mistreats Mrs. Austin will suffer the same fate," Frederick declared before swiftly departing with the bodyguards.

The brutal consequences faced by those who dared to bully Bradley and his wife served as a stern warning to others.

Once the commotion had settled, Bruce's anger ignited, and he harshly slapped Sophie's face, shouting, "If it weren't for your mistake, none of this would have happened today!"

Stumbling and in shock, Sophie collapsed onto the ground, sobbing as she covered her face. The mixture of anger and distress overwhelmed her, causing her to cry loudly.

"Bruce, how could you hit me?"

Bruce, consumed by his unvented rage, furiously overturned a nearby table in frustration.