Chapter 23: A Slap for Two
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“I don’t recall agreeing to an engagement.”
“Hope!” Mr. Newton’s face darkened as he growled in warning.
Hope stood unflinching, “The scandal is your problem, not mine. I’m just an innocent victim here!”
“You want to solve this misunderstanding through marriage? Fine. Let Sylvia and Griffin get engaged. Sylvia’s been spoiled by you both since childhood, so she’ll certainly be reluctant to see you suffer. If you ask her, she’ll probably agree to be your marriage pawn!”
“Hmph! You created this mess, so why
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should my precious daughter bear the blame?” Mrs. Newton sneered disdainfully at Hope.
Hope shot back, “Does the person who causes the mess not have to bear the consequences?”
“Of course!”
“Then I remember it was he…” Hope pointed at Mr. Newton. “He’s the one who caused all this trouble! When I left the private room, Griffin was fine. When Griffin got hurt, I was downstairs. Am I supposed to have been soul–snatching from afar? Or did I tell Griffin to chase people around with a belt?”
“And then, in full view of everyone in the hall, it was him who tossed me, his own daughter, out as a scapegoat!”
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“So, who exactly should take responsibility for this scandal?”
“Why not have you and Griffin get married?” Hope mocked, her words dripping
with sarcasm. Griffin’s face darkened immediately, and even Mr. Newton’s face became unbearable to him.
He was being asked to marry an old man? Was this some kind of dream?
Mrs. Newton and Mr. Newton were both fuming with rage.
“Hope! How dare you speak like that? He’s your father!” Mrs. Newton was trembling with fury, her chest rising and falling rapidly, fists clenched. Her good manners stopped her from striking Hope in front of the guests.
Otherwise, she would have lunged at Hope,
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C
tearing her to pieces!
Hope ignored her and instead turned to Griffin.
“Mr. Berry, who do you think should take responsibility for this? Me, or him, or perhaps Sylvia?”
“Oh, wait, you don’t even know who Sylvia is, do you?” Hope pointed to a portrait of Sylvia hanging on the wall.
“This is Sylvia. Pretty, isn’t she? She’s pure, kind, and talented, and she’s the perfect daughter that the Newton family has spent years nurturing!”
“How could a country bumpkin like me be a match for you? If word gets out, people will laugh at you. It should be Sylvia who’s a better match for you!”
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Griffin had noticed the portrait the moment he entered. At first, he had assumed she was some celebrity model, but to his surprise,
she was the Newton family’s precious daughter!
Her looks were pure and adorable–exactly the type he liked!
He fantasized about roasting her, whipping her with a riding crop, dripping candle wax…
He imagined her begging for mercy, tearful and pleading.
Just thinking about it thrilled him!
Hope sneered inwardly as she saw Griffin staring without blinking, disgust filling her heart.
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“You all can claim the entire fiasco last night was a misunderstanding, and that both sides have reconciled. Mr. Berry and Sylvia will get engaged soon to show the friendly relations between the families. Mr. Berry, what do you think of that idea?”
Griffin finally looked away. “Since Hope doesn’t want to marry me, I won’t force it. And honestly, she was a victim that night. Why not have Sylvia marry me instead? She’s been pampered all her life and should do something for her parents.”
The implication was clear–Sylvia should take the fall for this whole mess.
“If you’re going to resolve it through marriage, then let Sylvia take the role!”
“Absolutely not!” Mr. Newton was the first to protest.
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Mrs. Newton then turned her fury toward d Hope. “Hope, how malicious are you? You u know Sylvia is about to debut as a star nextxt month, and yet you want her to marry into this mess! If you think being engaged is beneath you, we can offer you money!”
Mrs. Newton, already fuming, pulled out a bank card. “Tell me, how much do you want?”
Hope raised her hand, and Mrs. Newton immediately scowled. “Is five hundred thousand not enough for such a small matter?”
Hope smirked with derision, raising her hand high and slapping it down sharply across Mrs. Newton’s face.
The loud crack echoed throughout the large room, leaving everyone stunned.
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Mrs. Newton’s eyes widened in shock, her expression filled with disbelief as she stared at Hope. “You… you dare hit me?”
“What are you staring at? If you feel wronged, I can offer you some money.”
Hope pulled out two hundred dollar in cash from her wallet. It had been years since she last carried cash, and now, with the rise of electronic payments, the money had sat forgotten at the bottom of her wallet. It had a faint musty smell from disuse.
She slapped the two hundred dollar into Mrs. Newton’s face.
“A simple slap like this, two hundred dollar should cover it, right?”
“You… you…” Mrs. Newton was so furious
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she nearly bit her tongue. She gasped, d. toppling backward.
Mr. Newton rushed to catch her. “Honey, are re you okay?”
Mrs. Newton’s eyes rolled, her pupils dilating g as she glared at Hope, full of rage.
Hope didn’t flinch. She locked eyes with Mrs. Newton, as if daring her to do her worst.
If Mrs. Newton died from anger, that was her own fault!
Griffin watched the spectacle with amusement, knowing that nothing would come of the marriage talks today. But he was clear on his stance.
“I don’t like Hope’s temperament, so I’ll only accept an engagement with Sylvia. If that’s
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not possible, then forget about any future cooperation. It’s fine–after all, I, Griffin Berry, have no reputation, but money is enough for me!”
As for the incident at the banquet, he didn’t care. So what if he had some peculiar tastes?
And he suspected someone had poisoned him; otherwise, he wouldn’t have lost control like that!
He would make sure to get to the bottom of it.
Griffin dropped his final words and stormed out, while Mr. Newton, fearing for his wife’s health, rushed to take her to the hospital.
As for Hope…
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She wasn’t interested in waiting for their return to continue the drama.
She turned back to the Farrell family. Her back still hurt, so she couldn’t take a full bath -only a sponge bath.
Feeling too embarrassed to ask Easton for help, Hope decided to handle it herself. She entered the bathroom, stripped off her clothes, and examined her back in the mirror. Sitting by the tub, she wrung out the towel and slowly began wiping her body.
Her movements were slow and gentle, and Easton, returning from his study, didn’t notice her in the bathroom.
Planning to shower before Hope returned, Easton opened the bathroom door without thinking.
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Hope was startled, quickly grabbing the towel to cover her body and glaring at him from the door.
“Had enough of the show?”
“Sorry!”
Easton, his ears bright red, quickly backed away and closed the door.
Hope, her face burning with embarrassment, bit her lip in frustration.
She’d been seen!
The more she thought about it, the more she felt wronged!
Between their past and present lives, he’d seen her twice, and she’d only seen him once… No, not even that–she’d only seen
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him when he was fully clothed!
Hope hastily finished drying herself off and, wearing her nightgown, crawled into bed, burying her face in the pillow.
Her voice muffled and tinged with anger, she muttered, “I’m done. You can use the bathroom now.”
Easton, standing by the floor–to–ceiling window, had been brooding for a while, his ears still burning.
He looked through the reflection in the window and saw Hope sulking in bed, assuming she was upset about his rude intrusion.
He opened his mouth, trying to find the right words to apologize.
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But he dididn’t know what to say.y.
So, he wheeteted himself into the bathroom in silence.e.
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