Chapter 451
Chapter 451:
Suddenly, the low rumble of engines filled the air. A fleet of three Rolls-Royces pulled up behind my car, boxing the Kensingtons in.
Doors opened in unison. Six bodyguards stepped out.
And then, Alistair Thorne descended.
He didn’t walk; he glided. He radiated power. The air around him seemed to grow heavier. He walked straight to me, taking off his suit jacket and draping it over my shoulders. The silk lining was warm.
He turned toward Beatrice’s car.
“Mrs. Kensington,” he said. His voice was smooth, polite, and absolutely terrifying. He didn’t shout. He simply walked up to the closed window and tapped it once with his knuckle. “Harassing my fiancée p>
Beatrice hesitated. She looked at Alistair, then she looked at me. Really looked at me.
The window rolled down an inch—just enough for her voice to escape.
“You…” she stammered. Her composure cracked. “You should be p>
“Dead?” I finished the sentence for her. I whispered it so only she could hear.
Beatrice recoiled into the seat. She knew. She knew about the kidnapping. She knew about the hitman she had paid. And she realized, in that moment, that I had survived.
Alistair noticed her fear. He smelled blood in the water.
“Apologize,” Alistair commanded. Softly. Lethally.
“What?” Sienna screeched from the background, standing by the open trunk where the driver was loading the wheelchair. “She insulted us! She called my brooch fake p>
Alistair ignored Sienna. He stared Beatrice down through the glass.
“Apologize for the inconvenience,” Alistair said. “Or I buy your bank loans tomorrow. All of them. And I call them in by noon p>
Beatrice gasped. The Kensington empire was leveraged to the hilt. If Alistair bought their debt, he could bankrupt them with a single phone call.
She was cornered. She was terrified of exposure for the murder attempt, and she was terrified of financial ruin. She swallowed her pride. It must have tasted like bile.
“I…” Beatrice choked out. “I apologize, Miss Sterling p>
Liam, who had been lifted into the car seat by the driver, looked at his mother, shocked. “Mother? Why? We don’t apologize to her p>
𝘝e𝗿i𝖿𝘪𝗲𝘥 𝘤on𝗍e𝗇𝘁 𝗈𝗇 b𝘦.𝖼𝗼𝗺
Beatrice grabbed Liam’s arm. She grabbed Sienna’s arm.
“We are leaving,” she said, her voice shaking. “Now p>
They turned to retreat into the safety of their vehicle.
“Wait,” I called out.
My voice cut through the air like a whip. It stopped them in their tracks.
I pointed a manicured finger at Sienna.
“She called me a criminal in front of the press,” I said. “And she called my artist a rapist p>
Alistair nodded, crossing his arms. “Defamation. Actionable p>
“I want an apology too,” I demanded. “A bow p>
Sienna laughed nervously. She looked around at the cameras. “You’re joking. I’m not bowing to you p>
I looked at Beatrice’s silhouette in the car. “Mrs. Kensington? Do you agree with her refusal p>
Beatrice was sweating. She knew I was holding the kidnapping card. If I went to the police now, with Alistair’s lawyers, she would spend the rest of her life in prison. She turned to Sienna. Her eyes were desperate.
“Do it,” Beatrice hissed.
Sienna was floored. “Auntie? She’s trash! She’s a nobody p>
“Do it!” Beatrice shrieked, losing her composure completely. “Or you’re out of the family! I will cut you off without a penny p>