Chapter 314: Chapter 314

Samantha, observing on the side, knew that this was an adult-thing and that she did not need her contribution, but she couldn’t help but thump a small fist in the air. However, she couldn’t help but think,

’How dare she think of coveting my father from my mother? The audacity!’

The crowd, on the contrary, was split.

"Serves her right! A person like her deserves to be slapped in the face. Otherwise, any pretty face would think of sporting such nonsense."

"Yes, I am appalled by her behaviour! She just started provoking these nice ladies! And what is it with the peasant-related talk? I feel ashamed that she would even say such words in public!"

"But don’t you think that the blond woman is too heartless?"

"Why is she heartless? Because she did not let herself be bullied? Don’t you know that the Ian, who was mentioned is her husband?"

"B-ut still, t-his does not seem right. Two wrongs do not make a right!"

"It’s easy enough for you to say. I don’t think Ian’s wife is that heartless to hit someone unprovoked! I trust that Ian would not marry a shrew. That girl must have done something!"

"But still, four slaps? I have heard of one or two but never four in such succession. That makes her too cruel! With a beautiful face but a black heart like that?"

"I am sure Ian Thornston does not bride! What kind of woman does this? Isn’t she afraid of offending people she should not?" As these whispers and observations went around, Brianna bit her lips and roared,

"SHELBY MONROE! DO YOU REALLY THINK THAT YOU ARE INVINCIBLE? Do you think that I cannot touch you? You are but like lice under my feet! I can crush you at anytime!"

Brianna’s voice was laced with fury and a touch of humiliation. Both hands clutched her cheeks as she glared at Shelby. She tried to stand her ground but couldn’t help as a wave of dizziness forced her to stumble back a few steps.

"I have ways of making you disappear from this world!"

When she said this, Brianna had expected Shelby’s demeanour to crack. She had expected Shelby to tremble before her, but that did not happen. Against her better judgement, Brianna felt her jealousy and the pain in her cheeks soar.

’Impossible! Where was that timid girl who had followed her every whim some time back? This did not fit the narrative, not even close!’ To add to it, Brianna felt too hot and flushed, and this was affecting her judgement or reaction to the situation at hand.

Ava puffed her chest with pride after the shock of seeing Shelby do that had worn off. Ava was the one who had noticed that something was off with Brianna. She watched her ex-friend’s behaviour keenly.

In all this time, only about ten seconds had passed from the first slap.

Brianna lowered her arms, as if she now wanted to pay back. She swung her hand back in a wide arch in retaliation, but her planned slap never landed.

Ava caught the ongoing hand with her right hand and swung her left hand, connecting that with Brianna’s already bruised cheeks, with the crisp sound echoing.

"OUCH!!!" The crowd echoed, feeling sorry for Brianna.

"AHHHHHH!!!!!!" Brianna screamed in frustration. She snapped her head to Ava in disbelief, only to get another one on her other cheek, which made her stumble back and fall on her bum this time. Six solid slaps in about thirty seconds. This was just too much for Brianna, or anyone for that. Her ears rang with a monotone, high-pitched sound from all the slaps.

Brianna’s neck hurt, and she tasted the metallic taste of blood in her mouth. The tears ran down freely, and the crowd gasped again.

"Avril got two slaps for the same actions that Brianna did. As your former friend, doesn’t she deserve to get more of anything from you?"

Ava skewed her head and asked mockingly.

That bit of words got the people around talking again. Some still felt sorry for Brianna, but others realized that Brianna might have done something grave to deserve that, so even though they felt sorry for her, no one wanted to step up and comfort or help her.

"YOU! DO YOU THINK YOU CAN GET AWAY FROM ME?!"

Brianna, who had finally managed to get herself up, had taken a few steps back and was clutching both cheeks, with blood trailing from both corners of their cheeks, shouted—taking hurt, not to talk of shouting. Brianna felt so wronged, but a tinge of fear clouded her eyes as she saw that she was no match for the two women glaring at her. They were not that easily bullied anymore.

Another thing that made her wary was Ava’s statement, ’Why did that bitch, Ava, say that? Does that mean that they know of something from that night? No, no, that is impossible! All traces have been cleared!’ Brianna assured herself.

Shelby’s chest heaved up and down as she tried to calm herself down to no avail. She trembled with anger and kept telling herself that she shouldn’t have done that, but Brianna had cut it close to home. Of course, Shelby trusted her husband, but that did not mean that she was ready to listen to stupid talk from someone like Brianna.

She opened her mouth to say something, but the lone majestic sound of footsteps slowly approaching made the whole place calm down.

Brianna, still clutching her cheeks, looked at the person who had been able to command silence even without a word. The swinging chandelier in the room, which she had not noticed, cast, reflecting and refracting light against the majestic build walking towards them as people made way for him. The subtle fear in their stance went unnoticed just from his presence.

Her stance was that she could not see his features accurately, but she would have recognized this man even in her sleep. The powerful aura that emanated from him could not be ignored, however.

Looking at the approaching figure, Brianna was so stunned that she temporarily forgot her pain. It was like the feeling of being bullied by other children and ones parent or eldest sibling made their presence, suddenly. That was a unique feeling that can only be related to.

Brianna felt wronged, but she was no longer afraid. Ian was there. He was there for her!

"What’s going on here?" Ian asked.

"Ian! You must decide for me! Look at what they have done! I know that you invited me out of goodwill so I’ll let it pass if Shelby apologizes!"

Brianna quickly said and rushed to Ian’s side, only for him to sidestep her with ease and walk straight to Shelby.

Samantha and Ava could not help but burst out laughing in the then-quiet lobby. The action was so shocking the people around there could only bow their heads in embarrassment on Brianna’s behalf.

"Are you okay? Is your hand okay?" Brianna nearly choked on her next words when she heard this. What did Ian mean by that?

’Shelby is very lucky with love this time.’

"It’s just like the dramas and romance books that I read! These two make me want to find a man of my own!" Ava sighed again, not knowing that wish was about to be answered in a way. Samantha added,

"Dad looks like the rich CEO who sweeps the FL off her feet!"

"Your dad is a rich CEO!"

"Oh yeah! I nearly forgot that!" This drew chuckles all around.

Throughout this time, some people had been videoing and taking pictures. The show was too good to be true. Who could witness such a real-life Telenovela like that? If they had not known Ian Thornston and his wife, people would have thought that this was a staged drama for their benefit.

"You shouldn’t be doing such tedious work on your own! It is beneath you."

Ian said in a low voice, which meant only for Shelby, but almost everyone there heard.

What the observers did not know was that Ian could sense his wife’s turbulent emotions and wished that he could whisk her off to an unknown place and make crazy love to her to comfort her.

He settled for opening her reddened palms and gently kissing them. He kissed each finger and asked, "Do they feel better now?"

Shelby could not help but smile.

"You’re not angry tha-"

"Why should I be?" he asked, then switched to their mind link: ’I think that what you did is not enough. In the future, let loose and do what you want. I’ve got your back in everything, Mrs Thornston. Let me handle this for you.’

’Currey, deal with them!’ Ian used his mind link again, and Currey knew precisely what he had to do. He set up his laptop and connected remotely via wireless and open Bluetooth gateways. He deleted any negative ’evidence’ captured by those around that could impact Shelby.

"You did well!" Ian comforted Shelby and then hugged her tight, tugging Shelby’s head under his chin by bending slightly.

Then, looking at Ava on the side, he smiled at her. Ava was the happiest at that moment, but Samantha was smitten! Unknowingly, her bar for looking for a man in the future had just been driven up way high.

Brianna’s fury went up again. She did not understand why Ian was ignoring her. ’Wasn’t he the one that invited me? Is it that witch again? I need to get rid of this bitch once and for all!’

Brianna walked up to the hugging couple. Her face was already swollen almost beyond recognition, and it hurt bad, but Brianna had come there with a mission and a backup plan, and she was not about to leave empty-handed. She inched forward, biting her lips,

"I have some business to discuss with IAN!"

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