Chapter 9

Caden's brows furrowed deeply. He strode to the edge of the lake and reached out a hand to Victoria, his voice taut with suppressed anger. "Victoria! Get out of there!"

Victoria brushed his hand aside and continued her desperate search. Only when her fingertips brushed against something cold and solid did she finally clamber out, soaked to the bone, clutching her prize tightly in her fist.

It was only then that Caden got a clear look at the object she had risked her life for. It was a small gemstone necklace, appearing somewhat old-fashioned and worn.

A wave of inexplicable fury washed over him, and he grabbed her arm. "You donate items worth up to a hundred million dollars without a second thought, and you jump into a lake without a care for your own life for this… this trinket?"

Victoria wrenched herself free. She trembled violently from the cold and her overwhelming emotions.

"You know nothing! So don't stand there making flippant remarks! You said it yourself—we're over! So do me a favor and leave me alone! Stop paying me any attention, and stop initiating conversations—"

Then, she stared straight into his eyes, enunciating each word that followed with deliberate clarity, "My future brother-in-law."

The address hit Caden like a physical blow. He stiffened, his eyes widening.

Before he could respond, Cassandra approached, her voice sweetly innocent yet laced with triumph. "Thank you for retrieving my necklace, Vicky."

She reached out for the necklace clenched in Victoria's hand.

But Victoria held on, refusing to let go.

Cassandra turned to Caden with a wounded expression. "It's mine! Caden, Mom gave this to me…"

Caden's gaze shifted between Victoria's stubborn defiance and Cassandra's expectant look. His frown deepened. Finally, he reached out and seized Victoria's wrist in a vise-like grip.

"Let go," he said firmly.

"No!" Victoria glared at him with reddened eyes.

Caden pried her fingers open, one by one, with brute force.

A faint, sickening crack was heard before Victoria let out a choked gasp of agony. He had dislocated her wrist.

Excruciating pain radiated up her arm. Her face drained of color, sweat beading on her forehead as she stared in disbelief at the man who could be so brutally cold.

Cassandra seized the opportunity to snatch the necklace away, throwing a triumphant glance at Victoria before slipping her arm through Caden's. "Caden, let's get our coats and leave," she said softly.

Caden gave a stiff nod. His gaze lingered for a fraction of a second on Victoria, now curled in on herself with pain, before he turned to leave with Cassandra.

However, as they crossed the threshold of the club, a heavy wrought-iron light fixture suspended above them came loose somehow, plummeting straight down at Cassandra.

Caden reacted with lightning speed, shoving Cassandra out of the way, but the edge of the fixture still grazed the back of her head.

"Cassie!" Caden's face paled. He immediately scooped her up and rushed toward the parking lot, heading straight for the hospital.

Victoria, cradling her dislocated wrist, was in agony and on the verge of passing out herself. She was eventually taken to the same hospital by a kind stranger.

The doctor setting her bone couldn't help but comment, "Who on earth could be so cruel as to do this to a young woman?"

Victoria's face was ghostly pale, her lips trembling. The pain in her heart far eclipsed the physical torment.

The doctor informed her the injury was severe and required several days of observation, so Victoria ended up being admitted.

However, she had barely been settled into her room when Caden stormed in, bringing a wave of icy fury with him.

His expression was thunderous, his eyes boring into her as if he wanted to tear her apart. "Victoria, I reviewed the security footage. You bribed a staff member to loosen that light fixture, didn't you? You intended to kill Cassie."

Victoria found the accusation absurd. She met his gaze coldly. "I did not!"

"Who else would harbor such malice toward Cassie? Victoria, I've underestimated you. You truly believe you're above the law and are capable of anything!"

"I said I didn't do it! You have no right to accuse me!"

Caden's gaze turned glacial. "Accuse you? It seems you won't tell the truth without a lesson."

He pulled out his phone and dialed a number, his voice dropping to a chilling tone.

"Contact the police. Ms. Victoria Calloway is suspected of intentional assault. Send someone over. A few days in detention should help clear her mind."

"Caden Larkson!"

Victoria stared at him in horror, unable to believe he would use his influence to have her thrown into a detention center.

But no matter how desperately she struggled, explained, or cried out, it all proved futile.

Soon, uniformed officers arrived at the hospital room. They ignored the doctor's protests and Victoria's injured state, forcibly taking her away.