NovelEnglishChapter 293 Sophia's heart twisted in pain as she watched Garnett Brown, battered and bleeding. Instinctively, she rushed forward, desperate to help him-only for Liam to slam his boot straight into her stomach.
A wave of agony crashed over her. Sophia doubled over, clutching her abdomen, her body curling up on the floor as she writhed in pain. She could no longer stand.
Liam let out a cold snort and, without hesitation, ripped out a lock of Garnett's hair.
He strode over to Nathan next.
Nathan barely had tto flinch before Liam's icy voice cut him off. "You saw what happens to those who don't cooperate." Nathan's body tensed. He knew resistance was pointless-why add to his suffering? With a grimace, he let Liam yank a strand from his head as well.
Lastly, there was Vanessa.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtSean's people had shaved her head not long ago, but by now, wispy tufts had started to grow along the sides. As Liam plucked a hair from her, Vanessa trembled uncontrollably, terror clouding her eyes.
Liam gathered the three strands and handed them to Victor.
"Dr. Lewis, I'll need your expertise." Victor, who had just witnessed this entire ordeal, was left reeling. He hadn't imagined that the truth behind Claire being abandoned at the orphanage could be so brutal.
Claire was only twenty-three. From the day she was born, her life had been a relentless string of injuries and betrayals.
Nathan-what kind of monster could do this to his own flesh and blood? Unforgivable.
Of all the Linwoods, Claire was the only one who seemed remotely sane-and Victor had once sneered at her, treating her with nothing but contempt.
He already felt guilty toward Claire, but now, knowing the full, ugly truth, Victor hated himself even more. Why had he believed Ethan and Vanessa's lies? Why didn't he trust his own judgment and see Claire for who she truly was? Taking the hair, Victor said solemnly, "Giveone hour. I'll run the tests and bring you clear results." He turned to leave, but suddenly felt someone clutching at his ankle. Looking down, he saw Sophia, still sprawled on the floor.
"Don't go!" she screamed, her voice ragged with desperation.
Victor shot her a look of utter disgust and shook her off with a swift kick, striding toward the door.
Panicking, Sophia scrambled after him, calling out, "I'm the hospital director! If you dare disobey me, I'll have you fired on the spot!" Victor paused, turning back with a sneer. "You seem to forget that the Lewis family owns a stake in Cresthaven General, don't you?" "I only practice medicine because I love helping people. If I wanted your job, you'd be out on the street before you could blink." For years, The Linwood Group's partnership with The Lewis Group had allowed Nathan to use his influence to promote Sophia to the director's chair. But as the principal shareholder's eldest son, Victor could have her removed with a single word.
That Sophia dared to throw her title in his face was laughable.
Finishing, Victor turned to Claire, his gaze full of regret and resolve-as if to say: I've wronged you in the past, but from now on, I'll stand by your side. Always.
He gave her one last, lingering look, then walked out without hesitation.
The living room fell into a suffocating silence. Everyone sat frozen, the air thick with dread and unspoken tension.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmSuddenly, Vanessa snapped.
Like a woman possessed, she bolted for the door, desperate to escape this nightmare even one more second here felt unbearable.
To Vanessa, Claire wasn't the threat. The Cole family learning the truth from five years ago wasn't the threat. Even Nathan discovering she wasn't his biological daughter paled in comparison. No, there was only one person she truly feared: Sean.
She still remembered Sean's merciless tactics at the Aberdeen birthday banquet.
His reputation for ruthlessness was no exaggeration.
Everyone who had ever hurt Claire had paid dearly-shad their m fingers broken, swere left disfigured, others had every tooth knocked out. Sean hadn't even spared his own father, who'd been left so traumatized he could barely function.
Vanessa couldn't begin to imagine what Sean-this devil-might do to her to avenge Claire.
She had to run. Even if it meant abandoning her own parents, she had no choice. She dashed to the door and yanked it open.
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