Chapter 2

Selena turned back to the bodyguards and barked, "Are you deaf? I said to feed them the shrimp ravioli. Have they eaten yet?

"Stuff them, especially Mrs. Peterson's mother. She's allergic to shrimp, isn't she?

"Well, as a PhD in nutrition, I'd love to see which allergies can't be cured by a little forced feeding!"

The bodyguards obeyed and treated Fred and Lora like stray dogs by shoving shrimp ravioli into their mouths with cruel aggressiveness. Before they could even swallow, the next mouthful was forced in, so saliva, shrimp, and sauce were smeared across their faces in a sickening mess.

Fred was flushed with rage, while Lora's breathing had clearly turned rapid and uneven.

Seeing Lora on the verge of collapse, Fred found a sudden burst of strength to break free from the bodyguard holding him down. But before he could reach her, another bodyguard kicked him and sent him sprawling.

Selena looked down at him as if he were trash. "I offered you a kind meal, but you're ungrateful and even had the guts to resist. In that case, don't blame me for being rude.

"Beat him up! Let's see if his bones are tougher than my rules!"

At her command, the bodyguards rained kicks and punches on Fred. Within moments, he lay silent and still.

Lora's breathing grew weaker, but when she saw Fred lying motionless, tears slipped from her clouded eyes.

I desperately struggled against the bodyguards holding me down and screamed, "Stop right now, Selena! Are you trying to get them killed?"

She looked down at me with a calm, condescending demeanor. "So what if they die, Mrs. Peterson? Do you think Mr. Peterson would send me to prison over a couple of hicks like them?"

My heart raced with panic, but I knew that she was right. She was Josh's deeply trusted housekeeper, while my marriage to him was nothing but an old family arrangement made by our grandparents.

After we married, he treated me with cold indifference for ten years and stood idly by as Selena humiliated me.

With Fred and Lora at death's door, I spotted a fruit knife in the fruit bowl. I wrenched myself free from the bodyguard who pinned me down and lunged for the fruit knife.

Before anyone could react, I pressed it against Selena's throat and yelled at the bodyguards, "Get the car to the door and put the elders inside. No one follows!"

Selena's face went pale with terror. She quickly barked at them, "Hurry up and do what she says!"

Even then, she still gritted her teeth and threatened me. "If Mr. Peterson finds out about what you're doing to me, you're dead meat!"

Lives were at stake, so I ignored her words.

Once the bodyguards carried Fred and Lora into the car as per my instructions, I dragged Selena to the car, shoved her, and hopped in. Then, I immediately raced toward Josh's hospital.

The Petersons were one of Woodward's most powerful families. Fred and Lora adored Josh so much that instead of forcing him to inherit the family business, they let him follow his passion for medicine and invested heavily in building him a massive private hospital.

I drove as fast as I could, racing against time. As long as we arrived at the hospital, Josh would surely save his parents.

While driving, I repeatedly dialed his number, but every call was rejected, just as expected.

I never hoped he would pick up. Through all these years, my contact with Josh went through Selena. He had never answered my calls or replied to my messages.

Finally, I screeched to a halt at the emergency entrance. I grabbed a passing nurse and urgently said, "I'm the hospital director, Dr. Peterson's wife!

"His parents are in the car; one is unconscious from a severe beating, and the other is in anaphylactic shock. Get them to the ER now!"