Chapter 3

A few days later, Joshua took Sheila and Max to a formal banquet.

The invitation had been addressed only to the president of the Stewart Group and his family. However, standing quietly in a corner, Sheila spotted Cecilia.

As Joshua's personal secretary, Cecilia accompanied him to all kinds of business events. Sheila had never questioned it.

On Cecilia's birthday, she had even bought a gift herself and asked Joshua to deliver it, thanking Cecilia for taking such good care of him over the years.

Looking back, Cecilia had always seemed so gentle and fragile.

Joshua had pitied her, and even Sheila had felt the same.

Now, thinking about it, she felt nothing but bitter irony.

Lost in thought, Sheila did not realize Joshua had already pushed her wheelchair over to Cecilia.

Their eyes met and, for a fleeting moment, it felt as though a thousand unspoken words passed between them. Then, just as quickly, the moment was gone.

Joshua entrusted Sheila to Cecilia before picking up a glass of wine and walking off to greet the other guests.

After he left, Cecilia treated Sheila with the same respectful attitude she always had.

"Ms. Jenkins, is there anything you'd like to eat? I can get it for you."

Just looking at Cecilia was enough to make Sheila's chest ache. She quietly shook her head.

She had not glared at Cecilia or spoken harshly, she had simply declined. However, Cecilia suddenly looked as though she had been deeply wronged. She bowed to Sheila, tears filling her eyes, before turning and walking away.

Sheila was still wondering why Cecilia had reacted that way when, the very next second, Cecilia seemed to trip and fall directly toward a towering decorative cake.

The sharp edge of the cake stand slammed into her forehead. Blood immediately poured down her face.

Gasps echoed throughout the ballroom.

Not far away, Joshua saw what had happened and instinctively rushed over. No matter how well he had hidden his feelings all those years, love could not be disguised forever. The moment he saw Cecilia injured, panic filled his eyes.

Without thinking, he shoved Sheila aside.

"Move!"

Sheila was already confined to a wheelchair. She had no chance of resisting the force of the push.

She was thrown straight out of the chair and crashed hard onto the marble floor.

The entire ballroom fell silent. No one could believe that Joshua, the man everyone claimed adored his wife beyond reason, had shoved Sheila so violently for the sake of his secretary.

Only after Sheila hit the ground, her blood slowly spreading across the floor until it reached the toes of his polished shoes, did Joshua suddenly come to his senses.

His face turned pale as he hurried over, gently lifted Sheila back into her wheelchair, and apologized in a panicked voice. "I'm sorry, Sheila. I didn't mean to. I wasn't paying attention.

"Ms. Zeller is hurt. I need to take her to the hospital first. You and Max can go home, okay?"

Before Sheila could answer, he turned around in a hurry, scooped Cecilia into his arms, and rushed out of the ballroom.

The guests gradually drifted away. Only Max stayed behind with Sheila.

"Mom, don't be sad, dad didn't do it on purpose. Ms. Zeller was hurt really badly, that's why he got so worried.

"I'll go home with you, okay?"

Sheila looked down at the little boy kneeling beside her wheelchair. Her heart was filled with sorrow and she could not find the strength to speak. Instead, she gently stroked his soft cheek in silent agreement.

The two of them got into the car together.

Halfway home, another vehicle suddenly swerved in front of them, forcing their driver to stop.

Sheila instinctively reached for Max, but before she could pull him into her arms, the car door was yanked open.

Several men rushed in. A burlap sack was thrown over her head, plunging her into darkness, and moments later, she felt herself lifted off the ground.

She had no idea where they were taking her. By the time everything finally fell silent, fists and kicks were already raining down on her from every direction.

"Ah..."

Curled up inside the sack, Sheila was overwhelmed with despair.

She had no idea whether Max was safe. As she worried about him, another question kept racing through her mind.

Why had she been kidnapped?

The beating continued without mercy until she could no longer hold on.

Then everything went black.

She had no idea how much time had passed before a trace of consciousness slowly returned. Just as she tried to move, familiar voices drifted into her ears.

"Mr. Stewart, Mrs. Stewart has been beaten too badly. She's been unconscious for hours.

"If this was to get revenge for Ms. Zeller, it's enough. If this goes on any longer, Mrs. Stewart could die."

So that was it. Joshua had arranged her kidnapping, all because Cecilia had staged that fall at the banquet. He had done it to avenge her.

A sharp pain pierced Sheila's heart.

Before she even had time to grieve, she heard Max's angry voice.

"It's not enough!

"She hurt my mommy! I want her to pay a terrible price for what she did!"

The obedient little boy she had raised lifted a wooden club high into the air. Then, with all his strength, he brought it crashing down onto Sheila's back.