Chapter 46 conspiracy

Chapter 46 conspiracy
Erin's POV：

My knuckles turned white as I gripped the blanket, a bitter ache rising in my chest.

I sniffled and forced myself to suppress the churning emotions, lifting my head to smile at him.

"Forget it. He's Talia's cousin. You handle it however you want. Whatever punishment you choose is fine. I... I have no objections."

The moment I finished speaking, my heart felt like it was being squeezed by an invisible hand, suffocating and painful.

How could I have no objections?

But Kingsley had saved me. This was my way of repaying him.

I could only lower my eyes, avoiding his gaze, pretending I truly didn't care.

"What are you thinking?"

Kingsley's voice suddenly rang out, carrying a hint of helplessness.

He reached out to grip my chin, forcing me to look up at him.

"Erin, you just want to whip him a few times? That's far too kind."

I froze, not immediately understanding what he meant.

Seeing my confused expression, he frowned, his tone becoming serious.

"Erin, remember this. Revenge must be thorough enough to ensure your opponent never has a chance to retaliate, or don't act at all. If you spare him today, when he recovers, he'll only come back at you twice as hard. You might not even keep your life then. Especially with a despicable rat like Mark!"

"You mean... I should kill him?"

I gasped, my back wounds aching from the shock.

I knew Mark deserved to die, but actually having me kill him or watch him die...

It still felt too cruel.

I instinctively shook my head.

"Wouldn't that be too brutal?"

"I'm not saying you should kill him, but you need to make sure he either doesn't dare trouble you again, or lacks the ability to do so."

Kingsley interrupted me. He released my chin, his fingertips stroking the back of my hand as his eyes darkened.

"My uncle Thomas, my grandfather's biological son, once kidnapped me to threaten my parents."

I held my breath, listening as he continued.

His voice was calm, but I could feel the suppressed emotion beneath it.

"Later I was rescued. Grandfather was furious and trembling, but ultimately couldn't bring himself to kill his own son. He banished Thomas to South Africa, never to return. My parents were soft-hearted. Seeing Thomas's wife and children suffering, they even pleaded for mercy, thinking that was punishment enough."

"But they never expected Thomas to remain unrepentant."

Kingsley's fingertips suddenly tightened. I could feel his body stiffen.

"The year grandfather died, Thomas used attending the funeral as an excuse to orchestrate a car accident that killed my parents. Then he tried to sell me to a group of old men at a hotel. If I hadn't escaped later, I'd be the one dead now!"

I suddenly remembered that night at the hotel five years ago.

That night of wild abandon between us.

So he had been drugged too!

The bitterness in my heart suddenly dissipated, replaced by an inexplicable amusement. I couldn't help teasing him.

"So you were drugged five years ago? If you hadn't met me that night, would you have been taken by those 'ugly old men'? By that logic, I'm your savior. Shouldn't you thank me properly?"

I poked his chest as I spoke, my tone carrying playful provocation.

His face instantly darkened. He grabbed both my hands, pulling me entirely into his embrace.

I cried out as my back hit his chest, the pain making me gasp.

"Behave yourself."

His voice carried a husky edge, his breath washing over my neck.

"You're still injured. Keep teasing me and you'll never heal."

His arms circled my waist tightly while carefully avoiding my back wounds, his movements full of tenderness.

I immediately felt guilty, my cheeks burning.

Just then, the butler's respectful voice came from outside.

"Sir, Miss Talia has arrived with Mr. Mark. She says they've come to apologize to Miss Erin."

Kingsley's eyes instantly turned cold.

He released me.

"Come on. Let's see what game they're playing."

I followed him downstairs. Just as we reached the living room entrance, I saw Mark curled up on the floor.

He was covered in injuries, his face a patchwork of bruises, blood still flowing from the corner of his mouth. He looked half-dead from the beating.

Talia stood nearby, her face showing worry and guilt. Seeing us come down, she immediately approached.

"Kingsley, I'm so sorry."

Talia's voice carried a sob.

"Mark did all this behind my back. When I found out yesterday, I gave him a severe beating. Now I've brought him here for you to deal with as you see fit. I support whatever you decide to do!"

Looking at Talia's face, I felt nothing but disgust.

What an act!

Mark was her cousin. How could she not know what he'd been doing?

Now she was putting on this show in front of Kingsley just to protect herself.

But why would Mark listen to her?

Mark on the floor struggled to lift his head, kowtowing repeatedly to Kingsley.

"Kingsley, I was wrong! I was really wrong! Please spare me! I promise I'll never do it again. Please..."

"I'm not the one you should apologize to. I have no right to punish you. How to deal with you should be Erin's decision!"

Kingsley looked coldly at Mark on the floor.

Mark's face turned ugly, but he still turned to look at me, kowtowing and begging for mercy.

"I'm sorry, Erin. I'm a beast who committed unforgivable crimes against you, but I know I was wrong. Please spare me."

His forehead hit the floor with loud thuds, quickly drawing blood.

Watching his pathetic, wretched state, the hatred in my heart didn't diminish at all. Instead, it grew more intense.

He was only being forced to apologize to me because his life was threatened, because he was in front of Kingsley.

This wasn't his true intention. He wasn't sincere at all.

If Kingsley weren't here, he and Talia would definitely try every means to torture me, wanting nothing more than to kill me!

I looked at Kingsley. His eyes swept coldly over Mark and Talia, a mocking smile playing at his lips.

Perhaps he saw through their act too?

Talia seemed to sense our coldness. Her eyes immediately reddened.

She walked toward me, reaching out to take my hand, but I dodged away.

A flash of malice crossed her eyes before she put on that pitiful expression again.

"Erin, I know you've been wronged this time. You can punish Mark however you want! But I'm asking you to spare his life. He's still young. Whatever compensation you want is fine. Oh, that raw material your father needs, I can help him get it. Your father really needs those supplies. If you spare Mark, I'll give those materials to your father. For the family's sake, you'd be willing, right?"

Talia was threatening me with the family.