their backs and forcing them to the ground. “Are you crazy?! You dare lay a hand on the Vance family’s people!”
Liam, pinned to the ground, stared in utter disbelief. “Are you insane?!”
“I’m Liam Sterling, the eldest son of the Sterling family! My parents just arranged to meet your Mr. Vance! Let me go!”
Mr. Vance looked at the three of them, his face dark. “Which hand of yours dared to hit my son?”
“Son?” Liam, still pinned, his voice cracking, “How could he be your son… isn’t he the Thorne family’s nanny’s son?”
The surrounding guests began to whisper, their voices growing louder.
“No wonder Mr. Thoroby
agreed to Aria marrying him; turns out he’s the son of Mr. Vance, the global billionaire!”
“Now with the Thorne and Vance families allied, the Thorne family’s position as the city’s richest is even more secure!”
“Haha, that young St
brat just hit someone and dared to challenge the Thorne family! I wonder how he’ll survive this!”
Liam heard these words and shook his head frantically, his eyes wide with disbelief. “Impossible! I don’t believe it!”
Chloe also trembled, pointing at me. “You just found some random people to impersonate the Vance family! Do you know what the consequences will be?!”
༡༡ ་་ ་ ་ ་ ་
With that, she reached out to pull at Mr. Vance’s face. “I don’t believe it either! You must be faking it! You’re wearing a mask!”
Mr. Vance coldly shoved her away, his eyes filled with disgust. “What are you?! How dare you touch me!”
“Who was it that laid hands on my son and
Saw just now?! Double the payback!”
With that command, Liam, Brandon, and Noah were held down tightly.
F
Then Mr. Vance’s cold voice gave another order, “Break
their hands.”
Chloe stumbled back a few steps in fright, nearly falling to the ground.
Just then, Liam’s parents rushed in from the crowd, their faces panicked.
Mr. Sterling saw his son and immediately slapped him a few times. “You ungrateful brat!”
ミプン
Then they both immediately knelt before Mr. Vance. “Mr. Vance, your son likes Aria Thorne, our Liam won’t try to take her. This is all just a misunderstanding today!”
“You promised me that as long as Liam didn’t interfere, you’d give us a chance at a
I suddenly understood. So that was it.
partnership.”
No wonder the Sterling family managed to get a meeting with the Vance family, bypassing us.
I sneered, cutting them off. “I’m sorry, I think you’ve misunderstood.”
“It’s not that Liam isn’t trying to take me; it’s that I never even considered him.”
“The only person I’ve loved, from beginning to end, is Julian Vance.”
At this, everyone suddenly realized what I meant.
ルー
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Someone pointed at Liam and cursed, “How disgusting are you? Aria has always said she wouldn’t marry you, and you still tried to drag her into your car!”
“Exactly! Aria’s parents were right there, and he even slapped her!”
“Even more laughable, a few years ago when the Sterling family faced a crisis, it was the Thorne family who stepped in to help them
out.”
“And now Liam is opposing the Thorne family for some low–class woman? He’s a
“Breaking their hands is already letting them off easy!”
Liam’s face turned mottled, from green to white, his
lips trembling.
www.
backstabbing ingrate!”
www
His parents were so panicked they collapsed to the ground, kowtowing. “Mr. Thorne, this whole mess today is Liam’s fault. Please, you’re a big man! Forgive him!”
“I’ll take him and leave right away, alright?! Please, talk to Mr. Vance, don’t…”
My father scoffed. “He dared to hit my precious daughter, and he expects me to forgive him?”
With that, he turned to his secretary. “Starting today, cut off all collaborations and investments with the Sterling, Hayes, and Collins families!”
Brandon and Noah finally panicked. “Liam forced us to come here! What does it have to do with us?!”
“Uncle Thorne! You absolutely can’t do this, or my parents will kill me!”
Their eyes were filled with fear and regret.
Chloe finally snapped back to reality, letting out a disbelieving gasp.
Then she clutched Liam’s arm. “Liam, if we can’t work with them, then we don’t. I believe with your abilities, the Sterling family can still succeed..”
She hadn’t finished her sentence when Liam’s mother slapped her. “How dare you speak!”
“If it weren’t for you! How could my son have made such a mistake!”
“If it weren’t for you! Aria would be my daughter–in–law!”
Chloe stumbled from the blows but still jutted out her chin. “Liam said he doesn’t love Aria! He loves
me the most!”
“Besides, the Sterling family has such a huge business; how could it be ruined just because of Aria Thorne? Don’t let them scare you!”
But Lian’s mother delivered several more slaps. “Open your eyes and look clearly, the Vance family is the richest in the world!”
“We’re doomed!”
Chloe’s face was swollen from the beating, and she looked to Liam, her eyes red, for help.
But this time, Liam didn’t even glance at her. Instead, he stared intensely at me. “Aria, didn’t you love me the most?”
His voice was filled with despair and resentment. “You used to send me messages every day, saying you loved me, saying you wanted to marry me…
