“Ernest!” Eric’s voice thundered through the room as he jabbed his finger accusingly at Linda. “Today, she’s coming with me whether she likes it or not! Don’t direct your anger at me—she brought this on herself! She deliberately destroyed…”

“Everything by revealing this to Hadley! Since she’s proudly admitted her sabotage, why shouldn’t she face Hadley and beg for forgiveness?” As the last word left his lips, he lunged forward again, hands outstretched to seize her.

“No, I refuse!” Panic edged her voice. Before Eric could reach her, Linda scrambled behind Ernest, clutching his arm with desperate strength, her head whipping back and forth in frantic denial. “I won’t be taken anywhere against my will! Apologize? For what exactly? I harbor no regrets! If given a hundred chances to relive this moment, I would make the identical choice every single time!”

“Ernest, are you hearing this?” Disbelief colored Eric’s tone as his eyes smoldered with righteous indignation. “Look at what she’s become! This vindictive creature bears no resemblance to the compassionate, selfless girl who once risked everything to save our lives—that Linda has vanished completely.”

Ernest stood frozen, eyes wide as he turned slowly toward Linda. “You… Why would you do this?”

Before she could find the words, Eric cut in, his patience snapping. “Enough, Ernest!” he shouted, grabbing Linda by the arm and motioning for his brother to step aside.

“Let go of her!” Eric insisted. “I’m taking her with me.” ?s s ?ovelFind.net

“No!” Linda shouted, clutching Ernest’s sleeve like her life depended on it. Her voice cracked as she struggled against Eric’s grip. “Don’t let him take me! If you think I’m going to kneel before Hadley and beg, I’d rather be dead!”

“Then tell me this…” Ernest’s brows knitted tightly, his voice low but sharp. “Why did you go out of your way to provoke Hadley in the first place?”

His gaze settled on her, filled with a mix of sorrow and frustration. “I already cleaned up the mess you made. But you can’t keep doing whatever you want and expect someone to shield you every time.”

Linda froze, visibly shaken by the shift in both men’s stances.

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Lifting her chin, she masked her panic with defiance, glaring straight at Eric. “So what if you drag me to her?” she said through clenched teeth. “I still have a voice. And I’ll say whatever I damn well please.”

Eric blinked, momentarily thrown. What was she getting at?

“Hah!” Linda scoffed, her voice dripping with contempt. “You really think I’ll back down and beg for mercy? Keep dreaming.”

Then, with a cruel twist of her lips, she added, “Hadley’s furious, right? Good. I’ll make her explode. I’ll tell her how sweet you’ve been to me, how you can’t even bring yourself to raise your voice. That’ll really set her off—again.” A cold laugh spilled out of her. “Ha… ha…”

Her eyes locked on Eric, unflinching. “She’ll despise you after this. Down to the marrow. She’ll never believe a word from you again. You two? You’re finished. Completely.”

“You—” Eric’s hand began to shake where it gripped her arm, rage flooding his veins.

The fury hit him fast, hot, and his temples throbbed under the pressure. Grinding his jaw, Eric struggled to keep his temper from erupting. But every word out of Linda’s mouth made it harder.

An eerie silence settled over the room, thick and suffocating.

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