Chapter 616: Dodged a poisonous bullet

"Now, what shall I do to you?" Penny chuckled, raising an eyebrow as Aiden desperately scrambled onto the floor. He faced her, on his knees.

"Please forgive me!" he exclaimed, like an obedient child, bowing until his head was on the ground. "I promise I won’t do this again! I just want to talk to Lily!"

Penny tilted her head to the side. "If you want to talk to someone, you ask nicely. If they don’t want to, then go away. You don’t hire some gangsters from the street and dress them as bodyguards as a Plan B."

"Please! I know I was wrong! I made a mistake! It’s just that I really want to talk to Lily and fix our relationship!" Aiden begged, letting go of the little dignity he had left.

Could anyone blame him?

Penny had fought a total of seven big guys without even breaking a sweat. She did it so easily and gracefully that she could fight ten more of them as a warm-up. Aiden might be a foolish and greedy man, but he wasn’t stubborn enough to seek more beating.

"Please! I wouldn’t do this again!" Aiden exclaimed, and when he didn’t hear anything from Penny, he turned toward Lily. "Babe—I mean, Lily! Please forgive me! I just love you so much, and my heart is so devastated—ah! Ah!"

His face twisted in pain as Penny pinched the top of his ear, pulling him up as she rose to her feet. She tugged on his ear, making him wince, unsure whether to touch her hand on his ear or just let it be.

"Lily, what do you want to do with this guy?" Penny asked, raising her voice so Lily could hear her loud and clear. "He’s quite the clown, isn’t he?"

Lily, who was still by the bar counter, glanced at Penny and then at Aiden. She pressed her lips into a thin line, her body still recovering from shaking. Tonight had been fun, but that guy had made it traumatic. Tears coated her eyes, keeping her silence as a lump began to form in her throat.

"To be honest..." she whispered, continuing the rest of her thoughts in her mind. ’... I still love him. He’s the man I thought I would spend the rest of my life with. Of course, I can’t unloved him so easily. But after tonight...’

Lily’s thoughts trailed off as she gazed at Ginnie and then at Grace before setting her eyes back on Penny. ’... I can’t forgive him.’

Slowly, Lily took a deep breath and rose from her seat. She held her chin high and clasped her hands tightly until they trembled. When she loosened her grip, her shoulders relaxed, and a short smile crept onto her face.

"You know what? Let him go," Lily remarked, earning raised brows from everyone. However, she didn’t mind them, knowing that her statement deserved a reaction. "Let him go because, unlike him, I will deal with him legally. What he did tonight... he won’t get away with it."

Penny nodded, smiling with pride. Meanwhile, Grace chuckled, earning a look from Lily.

"I got it," said Grace, nodding reassuringly at Lily. "Don’t worry."

Satisfied, Lily faced Aiden and Penny once again. "Aiden, even if we talked tonight, my decision will never change," she added with finality. "You just showed me all the reasons that going back to you or even forgiving you would be the worst decision I could make in this lifetime. I’m not stupid enough to make such a foolish decision—never."

The moment Lily finished her remark, some of the crowd was so in awe that they started clapping. Lily furrowed her brows and looked around. Her surprise, however, didn’t last long as she beamed with pride.

Even if her heart still yearned for the love she thought she had lost, she knew deep down that she was making the best decision of her life. It hurt, if she was being honest. And for sure, she would cry later once she came home. However, she might cry about it and long for the memories she created with him, but she would never go back to him or let him in her life again.

Little did Lily know—or rather, everyone, including Penny—that tonight saved Lily from years of abuse and heartache from her supposed husband. The husband she had married in her previous life who had stolen everything from her: her family’s wealth, her authority, and even her life.

They all had no idea what horror Lily had dodged in this lifetime.

"Well, since that’s settled..." Penny shrugged, letting go of Aiden’s ears. She smirked triumphantly at him as she said, "Be thankful that Lily is such a kind soul and still respects the time you two shared. However, know that the moment you wake up, you’ll find yourself filing for bankruptcy."

Aiden’s entire body froze, as if he had just been pulled from the bottom of a freezing ocean. He stood there motionless, blankly staring at Penny’s back as she sauntered off.

[The moment you wake up, you’ll find yourself filing for bankruptcy.]

[Find yourself filing for bankruptcy.]

[Bankruptcy.]

Penny’s remarks replayed in his mind like a broken record. Aiden’s face was blank as he hung his head down to stare at the floor. Without thinking, he slowly turned on his heel. He could still hear the strange applause from the crowd, some even cheering as if they were celebrating his downfall.

Aiden knew the power Lily’s family had. Just them alone was enough to meddle with his business affairs. And if there was one thing Aiden was terrified of, it was losing his hard-earned company, which he had built from blood and sweat.

"I can’t just fall like that," he whispered, stopping in his tracks. When he looked back, he saw Penny smiling as she reunited with Nina. Lily, Ginnie, and even Grace were also approaching her. They all looked so happy and proud.

’It’s her fault,’ he told himself, setting his eyes on Penny. ’If not for her, I would’ve taken Lily with me.’

Aiden’s mind went blank when he heard the echo of his gulp. His eyes slowly turned red, and when he caught something shining from the corner of his vision, he marched to grab it.

Everyone was clapping as they celebrated the victory of these brave women. Thus, they didn’t notice that Aiden had grabbed a bottle from a nearby table and walked back toward Penny.

"Hehe. I’m okay, Nina..." Penny trailed off as she caught sight of Aiden’s figure approaching behind Nina. "Nina! Watch out!"