Chapter 1294: Chapter 1294

Chapter 1294:

Standing in front of Rhys, Harlee’s eyes, once clear, now appeared bloodshot, almost as if poisoned. She looked at him blankly, no longer reaching for the whip.

Rhys looked down at her stomach and sighed. Maybe keeping this child wasn’t the right decision. He knew he needed to discuss this with her family. Her health might not endure much more.

“Listen to me, be calm,” Rhys whispered close to her ear, his voice deep and compelling. “Let me handle everything from here.” Harlee stayed quiet, her hold on the whip gradually easing.

“That’s my girl,” Rhys whispered as he kissed her cheek and gently took the whip from her hand.

Rhys glared at the bloodied figure of Herman on the floor and cracked the whip again, saying, “Anyone who wishes to end up like him, keep quiet!” Promptly, the crowd erupted into simultaneous declarations.

“Silence! Speak one at a time!” Rhys shouted impatiently, pointing the whip toward Denver. “You start.”

Denver, eyeing the injured Herman on the floor, hesitated, clearly fearful of his disapproval. This hesitation brought another swift lash from Rhys to Herman.

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A painful scream echoed. Herman writhed on the floor, his body a mangled mess, eyes burning with resentment toward his father. Was his father doing this intentionally? He had been ready to speak, but the pain was overwhelming. Just as he mustered the strength to respond, another whip strike came down because of his father.

Denver had no such intention. In a panic, he knelt and begged, “I’m sorry. I’ll tell you everything. Just please don’t hurt my son anymore.”

With another impatient crack of the whip, Rhys said, “Waste no more words, or I assure you, you’ll regret living.”

Terrified, Denver quickly said, “I used to lay bricks back in the countryside. Tonya had stumbled upon me during a mission and, taken by my craftsmanship, invited me to the island to assist in building a villa. At that time, the Clifford family was struggling back in our village, with Herman caught up in a criminal gang, compelled to pay annual protection fees to keep him safe. We accepted the offer for the money.”

“When we arrived on the island, Miss Santos mentioned it was a surprise for her good friend and insisted that we carry out every detail of her design. Miss Santos often came to check on our progress, insisting on perfection,” Denver continued.

Ophelia interjected, “Miss Santos was compassionate, recognizing our struggles and compensating us well. Later, as my health worsened and the construction was nearly complete, Miss Santos found us other jobs.”

Denver sighed deeply, his expression one of regret and guilt toward Tonya. “And then? How did you tear apart her hard work piece by piece?” Harlee asked, her tone cold.

Denver and Ophelia focused mostly on their own stories, barely touching on their interactions with Tonya. Harlee quickly lost interest, sensing that their interactions with Tonya had been limited, and deciding she didn’t need to hear more. What really mattered to her was discovering how these individuals had undermined Tonya’s projects.

Denver, coughing harshly, his voice shaky, stuttered, “It was… It was me…” At this revelation, Rhys swept a cold look over the group. “Patrick, take these people away and ensure they’re punished severely. But make sure Goodwin keeps them alive!”

“Understood!” Patrick responded, stepping up immediately.

A woman behind Ophelia abruptly shoved her aside, shouting, “Ophelia, if you’re eager to die, leave me out of it!” Her outburst triggered a flurry of confessions.

“Yes, sir, I know what happened! I’ll tell you everything! It was Denver who wanted to pay a large sum to secure his son’s release, and he convinced us to go to the island!”

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