NovelEndChapter 291 Everyone was startled when they saw who had spoken.
But the words "Young Master William" sent a fresh wave of shock through the crowd; faces paled in an instant.
Especially the man who'd been provoking William-his expression drained of all color, and he dropped to his knees right there on the floor.
"Oh, con," the newcomer drawled in an exaggerated tone, "even for Young Master William, isn't that a bit much? Get up! Mr. William isn't that petty, right, Mr. William?" William shot the man a sidelong glance.
The speaker stood out in a pastel-pink suit, his soft features and almost melotic tone making him look, at a glance, like a strikingly pretty woman. But despite the delicate air, he was unmistakably and unapologetically a man.
"This is nothing worth holding a grudge over," William said, his gaze finally landing on the man still cowering at his feet. When he saw the man sigh in visible relief, William spoke again, his voice cool and measured. "Still, if I just let you off, people might start thinking I'm a pushover. Here's a compromise: I'll have my friend here teach you a lesson. A fair trade, don't you think?" He gestured toward Serena.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtThe man didn't dare protest. Noticing Serena was a woman, he scrambled to agree, practically tripping over his own words. "No problem-please, miss, do your worst! Really, go ahead!" Serena hadn't anticipated things would take this turn.
She was still holding the feather duster William had shoved into her hands earlier. She'd frozen in confusion at the time, unsure what he expected.
Now, William's voice called her name.
She snapped back to the present, catching the glimmer of mischief in William's eyes as he raised an eyebrow at her.
Her heart skipped. Before she could process what was happening, the man leaned forward, practically thrusting his head toward her. "Please, miss, I'm begging you just get it over with!" Serena almost laughed at the ridiculous sight-this grown man practically pleading to be punished.
But then she remembered he'd just called William a loser. Her expression hardened. Without another word, she gripped the feather duster and brought it down on him, hard.
At first, the man barely flinched, smirking as if it was nothing more than a tickle. But the blows kept coming, and soon pain cracked through his bravado. It felt less like a feather duster and more like a whip.
He tried to squirm away, but the bodyguards already anticipating this-held him firmly in place.
Soon, his pained cries echoed through the bar, drawing curious onlookers from the upstairs lounges, all peering down to enjoy the spectacle.
It wasn't until a good half hour later that Serena exhausted and out of breath, finally let her arm fall. She looked down at the man, now bruised and battered, her eyes red from the intensity. Gradually she calmed, and saw clearly-this wasn't Penelope.
She closed her eyes, trying to steady herself.
At first, she'd only wanted to teach this guy a lesson for insulting William. But as she kept striking him, her thoughts had drifted, unbidden, to Penelope.
And just like that, she lost all sense of reason.
Penelope-the woman who'd caused her father's death. The woman Serena believed deserved nothing less than damnation.
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But to win her lawsuit, Penelope hadn't hesitated to use Serena's guilt, prying open old wounds and rubbing salt in them. Serena couldn't understand it.
How could there be mothers like that in this world? Maybe... maybe she really wasn't Penelope's daughter after all.
Because she simply couldn't understand how Penelope could pour all her love into Bella, yet be so cruel to her.
If it hadn't been for William-his
words echoing in her mind, "If you prote really did play a part in your father's death, all the mor more reason to protect the antiques he left behind"-ske the might have given up on them altogether. With that thought, Serena glanced at William, gratitude shining in her eyes.
William was looking at her too, but he quickly turned away, nodding toward the man collapsed on the floor. "Take him away."
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