Leo’s command left no room for argument. No matter how much Harrison resented it, he had no choice but to obey.
One of Leo’s men stood beside Harrison, leaning in to make sure he followed instructions. Harrison unlocked his phone and opened a group chat called “The Capital Circle.”
Moving like a puppet, Harrison lifted his phone and aimed the camera at Felicity.
His features were striking–sharp, cold, and chiseled, as if sculpted from stone.
Strike where it hurts most. Selene knew exactly how to grab Felicity by the throat, both literally and figuratively.
Smack!
“Aaah! Ahhh!”
Felicity howled in pain, clutching her face with both hands.
Don’t film me! Please, don’t!
If that video of her, battered and humiliated, found its way into The Capital Circle group chat, everything she’d painstakingly built–her carefully crafted image among those spoiled trust fund brats–would collapse in an instant.
A plainclothes security guard relayed Leo’s order:
“Miss Felicity, apologize to Miss Selene and Master Áltair.”
Felicity’s fingers dug into the grass and dirt beneath her, her nails packed with soil.
She raised her head, teeth clenched, cheeks blazing red, veins standing out in her
neck.
She refused to apologize. She wouldn’t let Selene win so easily.
“Ahh!”
The cane–no, a switch–came down again.
If she stayed silent, another guard would simply pause in his counting, drawing out the punishment.
“Twenty–five… twenty–five… twenty–five…”
1/3
15:47
Chapter 206
Each time Victor Thompson struck her, the guard chanted, “Twenty–five.”
Victor, growing tired himself, finally barked at Felicity, “Just apologize already!”
“Nngh!” Felicity sobbed, her voice raw. “Selene! I’m sorry! I was out of my mind, I wasn’t thinking straight! That’s why I threw the stone at you!
I just wanted to help Harrison get back at you–I didn’t mean to really hurt you, Selene! Please, forgive me!”
Selene’s voice was calm, almost indifferent. “That doesn’t sound much like an apology.”
The guard insisted, “Miss Felicity, start again.”
Meanwhile, the other guard had already counted up to thirty, only to circle back to twenty–five.
Harrison had to record the whole miserable scene all over again.
Felicity, furious, cried out, “I don’t even know what you want me to say!”
Victor Thompson roared, “Just say it! If this keeps up, I’ll break your tailbone!”
Felicity’s brow knotted in agony; she was close to passing out. The more she resisted, the longer Victor’s blows continued.
Her face was streaked with sweat and mud, her mouth stretched in a twisted
scream.
Weakly, Felicity gasped, “Altair, I’m sorry! I never meant to hurt you!”
She added, “Selene, I’m sorry! I was foolish, I swear I’ll never do this again!”
Damn it!
She screamed inside her head, feeling split in two–forced to say what she didn’t mean, choking on humiliation.
Selene’s voice was icy and precise. “Look into Harrison’s camera and tell us clearly–what exactly did you do to me and Altair?”
Felicity realized the lower half of her body had gone numb; her strength was draining away. She no longer had the energy to lash out as she had before.
Her whole body ached, but Selene had no intention of letting her off easy.
This was a punishment that cut deeper than any bruise.
Felicity tasted blood at the back of her throat.
212
15:47
Finally, she confessed, “It was me. I put those wild mushrooms on the slope and told Dames to lure Altair over. I swear, at first I just wanted to see Altair take a fall. I’d never dare put Academician Vaughn’s son in real danger!
I never expected Selene to catch him.
So I ran up and shoved you, Selene! I’m sorry! Please, just let me go!
I shouldn’t have thrown that stone at you! If it’ll make you feel better, you can throw one at me–I’ll let you get your revenge. Do whatever you want, just please, let this end.”
In the end, she chose to beg for mercy, hoping her pitiful display might win sympathy from the onlookers.
Dames stood to the side, listening to Felicity’s wretched sobs, his own insides twisting with dread.
He could feel it–Selene completely overshadowed Felicity. Felicity, for all her bluster, had no fight left in her.
She wasn’t nearly as formidable as he’d imagined.
Dames shot a fearful look at Selene, his expression haunted.
“Mr. Vaughn, you can let her go now. And don’t forget to hit send,” someone said.
Harrison, voice laced with resentment, muttered, “Do you really have to take it this far?”
Selene tilted her head, giving him a faint, almost playful smile. “Mr. Vaughn, you don’t have to send the video–if you
3/3
He hesitated, refusing to send it.
But if he tried, he’d be finished.
don’t want to.”
