As Ken spoke, everyone was shocked.
No one had expected that the head of the Davis family would carry out punishment in front of such alarge audience.
Even Christina was taken aback, and she exchanged a glance with Victoria.
Although it was the 21st century, with a well-established legal system, families as entrenched as theirsstill had their own family laws.
These were in place to punish those who didnât break the law but smeared the familyâs reputation.
Those outside the family werenât privy to such matters; no family would enforce its laws in front ofoutsiders. Large families cared about face they wouldnât broadcast the disciplining of their own,preferring to handle it privately.
Todayâs mention of family law was simply meant to pressure the Davis family into punishing Mary uponreturning home,
Chad was also confused. âDad, maybe we should go home and carry this outâ¦.â
Once they were back home, the enforcement would be less severe, and the prescribed five lashesmight not all be carried out.
But Ken was stubborn. âSince weâve already made a spectacle, of course, we should do it here andshow everyone how strict the Davis family is in managing its affairs!â
Chad was bewildered.
Something seemed off to him.
His father, the family head, was actually quite lenient with those beneath him, resorting to family lawonly for serious transgressions.
Since Mary had already been given her own residence, effectively distancing her from the mainlineage; there was no need to go this far.
Even Mary herself was puzzled.
When she mentioned family law, it was to protect the reputation of the women in the family and tosalvage some honor for the Davis family. Yet she knew that Ken wouldnât really flog her..
But if the flogging was carried out in public⦠how could Ken possibly spare her?
Mary couldnât figure out why, but her hand had already moved to her abdomen.
She couldnât possibly miscarry from a few lashes, could she?
A look of worry crossed her face.
Keira frowned, stepping forward. âMr. Davis, are you going to publicly use capital punishment? After all,that would be illegal, wouldnât it?!â
Ken turned to look at her. âIâm disciplining a junior member of my own family. Will someone call thepolice? Or perhaps you, Mary, will call the police?â
Knowing she was at fault for todayâs matter, Mary simply closed her mouth and said nothing
Chad wanted to say more, but Ken rebuked him, âJust go if I tell you to go! Where did all th nonsensecome from!â
Chad had always obeyed his father, and with a sigh, he could do nothing but turn and exit the room.The hotel wasnât far from the Davis residence, but it would still take at least half an hour to go back andforthâ¦
After Chad left, Ken found a place to sit down.
Mary stood there, lost and unsure of what to do. She looked down at her abdomen, never once raisingher head to look toward Ellis, who wasnât far away.
Keira wanted to rush over and take her away.
But Lewis held her arm.novelbin
Keira turned and frowned at him, only to hear him explain, âIf the Davis family uses capital punishmentin public, do you think the public opinion will be favorable?â
Keira shook her head, âOf course not, so has Ken lost his mind?â
As soon as she said this, she saw Lewis look at her intently. âThink again.â
His voice was steady, calming Keiraâs restless heart.
As she looked again toward the distance, she muttered to herself, âKen wouldnât have reached hisposition today if he were foolish. Iâve interacted with him; heâs quite open-minded. He even promotedMary beyond the usual protocols because he saw potential in her. He wouldnât damage both parties inthis manner, soâ¦.â
Keiraâs eyes suddenly widened with disbelief as she looked at Lewis. âHe knows that the childâs fatheris Ellis?ââ
Lewis lowered his gaze. âIf she knows it, how could Ken possibly be unaware?â
The âsheâ referred to Shirley.
Keira immediately thought back to the day when she went to pick up Mary when Shirley urged Mary toget rid of the child. At that time, Mary was locked in a room and couldnât possibly have informed Shirley.
It must have been Maryâs parents who spoke of it.
Considering the kind of people her parents were, and given Mary was pregnant with Ellisâs child, theycertainly would have told Ken to gain some advantage!
So⦠Ken really knew?
Was this whole farce to lure Ellisâs benefit?!
Ken was uncertain whether Ellis actually fancied the distant niece of the Olsen family. After all, thefeedback from the arranged meeting was that he wasnât interested.
A niece managed to force Ellis to marry her just by getting pregnant, which could offend Ellis, and itmight also put the Davis family in a disadvantageous position.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
So, Ken did this on purpose!
He intentionally acted this way to force Ellis to make a choice!
Keira realized this and immediately looked at Ellis, only to see his brows slightly furrowed
stared at Mary in the distance, with a hint of annoyance flashing across his eyes.
Keira instantly felt an itch in her hands.
Why wouldnât this guy trust Mary?!
Although Mary was forced by her Uncle Ken and father to go to all those drinking parties, the Davisfamily rules were strict, and she had never slept around!
Keira wanted to go over and teach him a lesson but was stopped by Lewis, who grabbed her arm. âItâsuseless to say anything. Ellisâs biggest trait is confidence.â
Keira didnât know what to say.
Ellis was too confident in himself, which was why he refused to trust others.
Thinking about it, wasnât this characteristic of him?
She was anxious. âSo what do we do? I canât just watch Mary get hit!â
Lewis looked at her and saw her eyes were brimming with worry. He suddenly felt a bit
uncomfortable.
Concern led to chaos.
Keira had always been a person of calm and restraint. When she herself was abused by Poppy Hill andcursed by Isla Olsen, she always remained calm, but now she was agitated because of Maryâ¦..
And for some inexplicable reason, his heart felt a bit sour.
Lewis coughed to suppress that sour feeling, âIf she really gets beaten, weâll address it then.
Keira, hearing these words, nodded, âWe can only do that.â
Time passed quickly.
When Chad walked over with the whip, both Christina and Victoriaâs eyes lit up, and theysubconsciously walked to Ellisâs side, whispering to each other.
âI heard from Chad that this whip is really powerfulâ¦
âWho knows whose bastard sheâs carrying; one lash from this whip and the child might be gone.
âIf itâs gone, then itâs gone. Who asked her to do such an ugly
âBut I think Mary cares quite a bit about the child, and if the child is gone, she wonât get any more crazyideas, right?
The two giggled and spoke thoughtlessly, not noticing that Ellisâs expression was growing darker by
the moment.
Suddenly, Chad handed the whip over to Ken.
Ken took it and swung it on the leather couch, instantly peeling away a layer of leather and sending outstuffing.
The people around were shocked.
Could Mary really endure such a whipping?!
Mary also shuddered all over.
She looked at the mark on the couch and fearfully turned her gaze to Ken.
âKneel!â
Ken roared at her.
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Mary bit her lip, pleading, âUncle Ken, can we wait until after I give birth to carry out the
punishment? Iâm worriedâ¦â
âThe rules of the Davis family donât give you the right to bargain!â
Ken angrily interrupted her. âReveal the father of the child. If you canât, you canât escape these fivelashes!â
Upon hearing this, Mary closed her eyes in despair.
Ellis didnât believe her, how could he possibly stand up for her.
She looked at Ken, clenched her fists tightly, and slowly knelt.
Seeing this, Ken immediately raised the whip!
Just at that moment!
âStop!â