Chapter 139
Pearl's scream exploded through the alley, shrill and piercing.
Her right hand was already injured. Now someone gripped it and twisted hard. The pain made her entire body curl up. Tears and snot streaked her face.
But before she could beg for mercy, Gaia's fist came down again.
One punch landed on her shoulder. Another on her ribs. No technique. No strategy. Just over twenty years of pent-up hatred, each punch heavier than the last.
"When you beat me all those years, did you ever think this day would come?" Gaia's voice was hoarse, her eyes bloodshot. Every punch she threw carried years of suppressed rage. "You used me as your punching bag. You hit me whenever you wanted, cursed me whenever you wanted. Did you ever think I'd fight back one day?"
One girl yanked Pearl's hair backward. Another twisted her arm. Gaia pounded her fist down again and again.
Three people surrounded Pearl, beating her. Not one of them stopped.
Pearl curled up on the ground, arms wrapped around her head, her body trembling violently.
She wanted to scream, but when she opened her mouth, all she tasted was blood. Only muffled whimpers came from her throat.
She'd never been this scared before.
All her life, she'd bullied countless people, beaten countless people. But she'd never imagined that one day she'd be the one surrounded and beaten.
Those people she'd trampled underfoot, those people she'd never even looked at—now they stood in front of her one by one, their eyes brimming with hatred so thick it could drip.
"I want to hit her too!" Another girl rushed into the alley, eyes red. She'd clearly been keeping watch outside and ran over when she heard the commotion. "Last month she made me work overtime for two weeks straight. I had a fever of 102.2 degrees and she wouldn't let me take leave. When I fainted at my desk, the first thing she asked was whether I'd finished the report!"
She charged forward and kicked.
"Me too! She changed the name on my proposal to hers and presented it herself. The director chewed me out for a full hour and she didn't say a single word!" Another person rushed in.
More and more people trickled into the alley—all technical staff from Fluxo Research Institute, all people Pearl had bullied, exploited, and humiliated.
They heard the commotion and came running. When they saw Pearl curled up on the ground, not a single one stepped forward to break it up. Instead, they joined in one by one.
Someone slapped her face. Someone yanked her hair. Someone kicked her legs. Someone spat on her.
"I quit! I'm submitting my resignation right now!"
"Me too! Whoever wants to stay in this hellhole can stay!"
"Pearl, you're garbage! You think you're hot stuff because your family has money? Let me tell you—we're done serving you!"
Angry voices rose one after another. Pearl lay on the ground. Every part of her body hurt.
Her face was smeared with a mixture of blood and tears. Clumps of her hair had been yanked out. Her clothes were twisted and disheveled. Someone had stepped on her bandaged right hand. The pain nearly made her pass out.
She wanted to beg for mercy, but her mouth was too swollen to open. All she could manage were muffled "mmph" sounds.
She'd never imagined she'd have a day like this.
Just then, her gaze moved past Gaia's shoulder and landed on a figure standing at the mouth of the alley.
White shirt. Black slacks. Hair tied back. Standing backlit at the entrance, face obscured, but that silhouette—she'd recognize it even in death.
"Lucinda… Lucinda, save me…" Pearl's voice shot up, tinged with near-hysterical terror. "Make her stop! Make her stop! I'll never do it again, I promise, I swear—"
Lucinda stood there, hands in her pockets, watching the scene unfold in the alley. Her expression didn't change.
She didn't say a word. She just gave Pearl a chilling smile.
Then she turned around, walked a few steps toward the alley entrance, turned her back on the chaos, and glanced down at her phone.
Completely ignoring Pearl's cries for help.
Behind her, Pearl's wailing grew fainter and fainter.
Lucinda pocketed her phone, looked up at the overcast sky, and her mouth curved slightly.
After what felt like an eternity, the group finally had their fill. One by one, they straightened up, looked down at Pearl curled up on the ground, and their eyes gleamed with satisfaction.
"I'm sending my resignation letter tonight."
"Me too."
"Let's all leave together. Let this garbage institute rot on its own."
They turned and walked toward the alley entrance in twos and threes.
Pearl lay on the ground, trembling all over. Tears and blood smeared her face.
She braced herself with her arms and crawled up, leaning against the wall. Her entire body shook.
She wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth. Her gaze landed on Gaia, who hadn't left yet.
Those eyes, swollen to mere slits, now churned with fury.
"You… you're all dead!" Her voice was hoarse, choked with tears, but each word was bitten out hard. "Do you know who I am? The person backing me—you can't afford to offend him!"
No one responded.
Seeing this, Pearl straightened her back a little more. Her voice rose. "Let me tell you—the big boss behind me is the eldest son of the Douglas family! The CEO of the Douglas Group! Our institute has a partnership with the Douglas Group. If you bully me, you're bullying the eldest son of the Douglas family! Just wait and see—he'll make every single one of you pay!"
Lucinda stood at the mouth of the alley, her back to the chaos. Her finger paused on her phone screen.
Her brow furrowed slightly.
The eldest son of the Douglas family? Her older brother?
She thought of Manuel's face—gentle yet sharp. She thought of the stacks of files in his study. She thought of Uma saying he'd waited until the early morning just to have dinner with her.
How could someone like that have anything to do with someone like Pearl?
Her mouth twitched. She sighed inwardly.
'What kind of taste does my brother have, partnering with someone like this? I'll have to ask him about it when I get home.'
Gaia stood in the middle of the alley. When she heard "the eldest son of the Douglas family," her expression shifted slightly.
She was an employee of Ridgeway Tech. Of course she knew that Ridgeway Tech's parent company was the Douglas Group. The eldest son of the Douglas family was her boss's boss!
She'd never met the man, but she'd heard countless stories about him.
Ruthless methods. Decisive action. Unquestionable authority in the business world.
If Pearl really had a connection to the eldest son of the Douglas family, if he blamed them for this…
She bit her lip. Her hands began to tremble uncontrollably.