Chapter 6

I pulled my arm back and turned to face Joe, whose face had gone completely pale.

"Mr. Poole, since Alisson thinks nothing went wrong, I'd like to hear what you and Mrs. Poole have to say."

Alisson opened her mouth to speak again, but Joe swung his hand and delivered a resounding slap straight to her face.

She was stunned into silence. Clutching her cheek, she stared at Joe in total disbelief.

Rebecca let out a sharp gasp and tried to rush forward, but a deadly glare from Joe froze her in her tracks.

"You embarrassing piece of trash!" Joe pointed a finger at Alisson. His body was trembling with pure rage.

"You commit such a shameless act, and you still have the nerve to tell Terrence he's overreacting?"

He turned back to me, forcing a softer expression. "Terrence, don't be angry. It's my fault for failing to raise her right. Rest assured. I will set her straight! I'll make sure she learns what she can and cannot do!

"Look, you two have been together for so many years. That doesn't come easy. How can you just cut ties like this? Just give her one more chance, alright?"

His tone was deeply earnest, but I saw right through it. Beneath the desperate plea was pure terror of losing our financial backing.

The Poole family was nothing but a hollow shell, sustained entirely by my family's money just to keep up their high-society facade.

I sneered inwardly and took the perfect opportunity to set a trap. "Mr. Poole, I can consider it."

I paused, letting my gaze sweep over Alisson, who hurriedly looked away with guilt.

"Today's fire broke out far too suspiciously. The smoke alarm failed, and the automated sprinkler system didn't even respond. I suspect it was arson.

"If you're truly sincere about asking me to give Alisson another chance, then go to the police and ask them to open a criminal investigation. Find out exactly who tried to kill my family!"

The moment the words left my mouth, Alisson's head snapped up. Her eyes were filled with sheer panic.

"No! You can't call the police!" she blurted out anxiously. Even her voice cracked with panic.

"Your parents are fine! Why make such a fuss? A full investigation is way too much trouble! Besides, the system was probably just old! There's no way it was arson!"

Avoiding my eyes, she turned to Joe in a panic. Her tone descended into a desperate plea as she said, "Dad, just drop it. It's better to avoid unnecessary trouble…"

As I watched her guilty routine, the very last trace of warmth inside me completely vanished.

I turned back to Joe and shrugged before saying flatly, "Mr. Poole, you saw it yourself. This is how your daughter feels about the matter. It seems our families' ties end here."

With that, I turned around and headed straight out of the ward.

Behind me, Joe's furious roar echoed once again, accompanied by Alisson's tearful screams as he hit her. I also heard Rebecca's futile attempts to break it up.

I didn't slow my pace for a second.

Just as I reached the hallway, I ran straight into a man holding a massive bouquet of crimson roses.

It was Rhett.

The moment he saw me, his eyes flashed with unhidden provocation. "Oh, if it isn't Terrence? What's the matter? Your wedding got canceled, so you came here to beg Alisson to take you back?"

He deliberately thrust the eye-searing bouquet forward.

"Too bad Alisson probably doesn't have time for you right now. After all, she and Lily and the rest of the ladies are all my…"

He took a step closer and leaned in to whisper with utter contempt, "Good little bitches. They're so well-trained. They kneel when I tell them to kneel, strip when I tell them to strip, and lick when I tell them to lick."