Chapter 49 Chapter 49: Balthazar’s Counterattack
As soon as he stepped out of the Sterling family’s gate, Brutus pulled out his phone to contact his lawyer. He couldn’t divorce Laura, but he could find another way to take care of Kelly and their child.
By the time Selena found out that Kelly had been hospitalized, several days had already passed. She rushed to the hospital to visit her.
Once there, Kelly expressed a desire to go outside, so Selena pushed her wheelchair down to the hospital garden to get some fresh air.
It was there that Kelly revealed she was pregnant. Upon hearing this, Selena became visibly shaken.
"How could you be pregnant, Kelly? Brutus has a wife and children already! He can’t divorce Laura, and the child would be illegitimate."
Kelly shrugged and replied:
"So what? It’s Laura who can’t divorce—she’s the one who’ll suffer. I want her to feel the same pain as Selena, to understand Selena’s sorrow."
Selena couldn’t believe her friend would go to such lengths. While she had chosen revenge, she would never involve children. They were innocent. When they grew up, what kind of life would they have? How could the hatred of adults be placed upon them?
Suddenly, a terrifying thought crossed Selena’s mind. She anxiously asked Kelly:
"Did… did you cause yourself to miscarry?"
Kelly remained silent, and Selena immediately felt a cold shiver run down her spine. Just the thought of a baby dying because of her revenge made her feel as if her hands were stained with blood.
"How could you do that, Kelly? Your baby is innocent! This is heartless!"
"Hmph, if the Sterling family had shown any decency back then, you wouldn’t have suffered, and Uncle Collin wouldn’t have died!"
Seeing the tears welling in Selena’s eyes, Kelly could only sigh. This friend of hers was too kind-hearted and was unintentionally standing in her way.
Gently caressing Selena’s cheek, Kelly said:
"Don’t worry, Selena. I’ll bear the consequences myself. I won’t let you be implicated."
Suddenly, Selena stood up and knelt beside Kelly’s wheelchair, to her friend’s astonishment. She begged:
"Please, Kelly, if you’re pregnant, take care of your child. Don’t turn them into a tool for revenge, okay?"
Kelly took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before offering a lighthearted response to ease Selena’s mind.
"Alright, let’s not talk about this anymore. I’m a bit thirsty. Could you go get me some water?"
Selena nodded, wiped away her tears, and headed toward the hospital’s canteen. However, she hadn’t gone far when she heard Kelly scream.
"Stay back!"
Selena spun around to see a woman in a hospital gown wielding a knife, lunging toward Kelly. Without thinking, she used her spatial shifting magic, darting toward Kelly and positioning herself in front of the wheelchair.
"Die!"
The fruit knife stabbed directly into Selena’s shoulder, and blood soaked Kelly’s hand. She held her friend, mouth agape, unable to make a sound.
The commotion quickly drew everyone’s attention, and the security guards immediately rushed over to restrain the woman. Meanwhile, Selena collapsed into Kelly’s arms.
“Selena... Selena..."
Selena was rushed to the emergency room, while Kelly sat outside, tears streaming down her face. Her whole body trembled, and a sharp pain shot through her lower abdomen, but she didn’t care.
At this moment, regret overwhelmed her.
If she hadn’t called Selena over today, this wouldn’t have happened.
Kelly could be ruthless to herself, even to her own child, but she would never want Selena to suffer any harm.
“Selena, please be okay, I’ll listen to everything you say from now on."
Kelly sobbed and prayed, her tear-streaked face blurry with emotion.
Not long after, Brutus arrived. After hearing Kelly recount the attack, he seemed to have an inkling of something. In a fit of anger, he rushed off, but Kelly didn’t care where he went. All she could think about was Selena’s well-being.
…
In the chairman’s office of WEE Group.
“Cheers, to us beating those sly old foxes."
Balthazar poured the wine himself, sliding a glass towards Ryan.
A month ago, he had been bracing himself for an all-out war with the conglomerate led by the Sterling family. But then Ryan brought in a large sum of cash, completely changing the situation.
Key projects and several major partners were seized by WEE Group, causing significant losses to the companies allied with the Sterling family's enterprise.
Don’t think the Sterling family’s minor setback didn’t have serious consequences. If they sent foot soldiers to lead the charge, they’d have to compensate when those soldiers suffered losses. The compensation the Sterling family had to pay their group of businesses was no small amount.
Though WEE Group’s foundation was still weak, after winning this battle, the old foxes wouldn’t dare covet them anymore. Balthazar could now firmly plant his feet in the domestic market, and his face could barely hide his joy.
“This time, it’s all thanks to you. I’ll never forget this debt of gratitude." Balthazar said sincerely.
Ryan simply smiled and drank his wine. If Balthazar knew the money he had provided came from Selena, he’d be shocked.
Then Balthazar continued:
“Besides you, there’s also another big shot who invested in me. I still don’t know why he helped."
“Who?" Ryan asked.
“Mr. Freck."
Though Ryan wasn’t involved in business circles, he had heard of the gem tycoon Freck Rome. This made him even more confused as to why Freck would help Balthazar.
Just then, the assistant entered, saying:
“Boss, Mr. Freck has responded to your thank-you letter. He said it was his way of showing gratitude for you helping his son."
Balthazar frowned and asked:
“Who’s his son?"
“Kevin Rome, the owner of Kola Entertainment." The assistant replied.
Ryan knew the company. Isn’t that where Selena worked? So, not only had she asked him to transfer cash to Balthazar, but she had also sought out connections to help him?
Selena treated Balthazar so well, so well it made him envious.
Balthazar, sitting across from him, had the same thoughts. Aside from Selena, he couldn’t think of any other reason Kevin would help him. But had she made any deals with him in exchange for that help?