Chapter 11 Throw Them Out
Lauren’s breath hitched when she felt a chilling presence drawing close, and she turned to see a tall and impeccably elegant man walking toward them, carrying with him an overwhelming sense of rage.
Sophia, too, followed her mother’s line of vision, only to be stunned by the view at first sight.
The man looked like a noble work of art, and she had never seen such a refined and top-quality specimen before this. In fact, he seemed so high above others, so imperious and intimidating, that she was seized with the urge to shrink back from him.
However, she quickly straightened up as she asked bluntly, “Who are you?”
To one side, Trevor scoffed disdainfully and drawled in an icy tone, “This is Nicholas Sawyer, otherwise known as President Sawyer—the man who holds the reins in Sawyer Group.” Then, eyeing Lauren condescendingly, he added, “And as for the mongrel you were talking about, he happens to be Young Master Gregory, the Little Prince of the Sawyer Family.”
At that moment, it was as if Lauren’s mind imploded. She felt like lightning had struck her where she stood, and all the color drained from her face.
Sophia wasn’t much better off. Both mother and daughter were so astonished that their jaws nearly dropped to the floor.
He’s Nicholas Sawyer? As in the man over whom countless socialites and heiresses are fawning over? What is he doing here? What is his relationship with Tessa?
Countless questions flooded their minds as their hearts slowly filled with jealousy and envy.
Lauren was the first to snap out of her reverie, and in a fit of shock and fear, she stammered, “O-Oh, President Sawyer, I do apologize for the misunderstanding. I accidentally pushed the young master in the heat of the moment just now, and I promise you I didn’t mean to hurt him in any way—”
Nicholas looked down at her like she was nothing more than a pest to him, his voice deep and frigid as he demanded, “In the heat of the moment? Do you think I will let you off the hook after you called him a mongrel and pushed him to the ground?”
“Well, I—” Lauren faltered, and cold sweat was breaking out over her forehead as she stuttered, “I-I really didn’t mean to push him, President Sawyer, or call him harsh names. I’m sure there’s no need for an esteemed man such as yourself to pick a bone with the humble likes of me.”
There was an insidious gleam in Nicholas’ eyes as he gazed down at her with scorn. He wouldn’t mind sparing her, but he had no intention of making it easy for her. “I’ll give you a chance to redeem yourself. If you slap yourself on the face and teach yourself a hard lesson for messing with my kid, then maybe I’ll think about letting you go unscathed.”
The assertion in his voice meant he was not offering room for negotiation.
Lauren grimaced at this ridiculous and humiliating proposition. Does he really think I’d agree to something like that?
Sophia, too, was ashen-faced as she said piteously, “We’re really sorry, President Sawyer. My mother and I were truly at our wits’ end, and we meant no harm to the little master. We’re really sorry about this whole misunderstanding. You seem like a man who appeals to reason, sir, and we’d appreciate it if you just let us off on a warning.” She put on a damsel-in-distress facade as she pleaded for mercy on her mother’s behalf, hoping that this would be enough to gain Nicholas’ sympathy.
She had always been the sort to have too much confidence for her own good, and now that a man of Nicholas’ standing and stunning visuals had presented himself before her, she had half a mind to throw herself at him.
However, her little act earned nothing but disgust from those watching this tense exchange as they collectively thought, Is she actually trying to seduce him at a time like this?
Nicholas regarded her with repulsion, and spite filled his gaze as he countered frostily, “What, are you offering to take the punishment on her behalf?”
Startled, Sophia gulped and hastily replied, “N-No.”
He raised a brow, and as the air around him froze, he concluded ruthlessly, “In that case, I’ll just have to find someone to do the work.” With that, he turned and zoned in on Tessa, then said authoritatively, “You’re the cause of this mess, so you’ll do the honors.”
Tessa gaped at him. This sure is some funny logic. If she didn’t know better, she would think that this was his way of coming to her defense, but it clearly wasn’t.
As things were, she was furious as well, and in particular, she had been filled with inexplicable rage when she saw Gregory fall earlier.
After a moment of thought, she gritted her teeth and bit out coldly, “Fine. I’ll do it!”
Lauren glared at her incredulously. “Don’t you dare!”
In such grim tones that one might think the devil himself was speaking, Nicholas barked, “Anyone who dares stop her will have to deal with me personally!”
With a casual wave of his hand, four bodyguards barreled through the entrance and swiftly dispatched the two men Lauren had hired. Then, moving at lightning speed, they apprehended Lauren and Sophia.
“Hey, what are you doing—no, President Sawyer, please just spare us. I know I made a huge mistake, and I’m sorry!” Lauren had gone pale with fright as she begged for forgiveness.
However, Nicholas ignored her and merely ordered imperiously, “Slap her!”
Lauren had enough sense to refrain from baring her teeth at him, but she did not fear Tessa at all, for she shrieked, “Don’t you dare slap me, Tessa! I’m older than you!”
Tessa let out a cold bark of laughter. “Oh, believe me, I dare!” As soon as the words left her mouth, her hand came down and smacked Lauren hard across the face.
A resounding crack filled the deathly silent room, and Lauren’s cheek throbbed where Tessa’s slap had landed.
“That was for Gregory,” Tessa bit out.
Outraged, Lauren refused to ask for mercy as she yelled, “You useless wh*re, Tessa! You’ve crossed the line! Why don’t you just drop dead right now?!”
A few more cracks rang out Tessa, scoffing, slapped the seething woman a couple more times in quick succession. “I’ve crossed the line? But aren’t you the one who started all this in the first place? What right do you have to call me names?”
The slapping continued, and the sound of her palm connecting hot and fast with Lauren’s already-swollen cheek filled her with indescribable satisfaction. She thought about how the vicious mother-and-daughter duo had put her and Timothy through all the hardship, and they had been so shameless that they took away the only house she and Timothy had ever known.
It was because of Sophia and Lauren that Tessa and Timothy lived so miserably. Now that she finally had a chance to pay them back for their misdeeds, Tessa certainly did not hold back and rather delivered each slap with full force.
Meanwhile, Sophia was taking this all in with bloodshot eyes, and even though she was furious, she dared not speak up in front of Nicholas. She had never hated Tessa more than she did at that moment, but there was nothing she could do other than watch her mother suffer the abuse.
Everyone who stood by the sidelines to witness this scene felt a rush of satisfaction as they watched the pair of mother and daughter get what they deserved.
It wasn’t until Tessa’s hand was tingling and growing numb with pain that Nicholas put a stop to this endeavor. The room was filled with silence once more, and Lauren looked as if she had been slapped into a stupor.
Nicholas turned around and commanded the bodyguards, “Throw them out of here before their presence stinks up the place!”
