"The drug Snake given to Victoria had a strong hypnotic effect, and Victoria slept heavily after having lunch, not waking up until the next morning. "
After washing up, Victoria walked down the spiral staircase to the first floor, where Jack was already waiting for her at the foot of the stairs.
"Mrs. Haines, please follow me," he said.
Jack was always kind and soft-spoken, but he was extremely serious today.
Victoria sensed that something serious must have happened today. Without hesitation, she followed Jack to the entrance hall.
As soon as she stepped out the door, Victoria saw two men covered in blood kneeling in the courtyard.
The faces of these two people were covered with bruises, and Victoria recognized one of them as Snake, who had tried to assault and kill her yesterday.
Edmund stood under the tree nearby, noble and imposing.
"Mrs. Haines, spare me!"
Snake cried out when he saw Victoria. He stumbled towards Victoria and keeled at her feet.
"Mrs. Haines, I was wrong! I will never lay a hand on you again. Mr. Haines said he would spare me if you agreed to let me go...
"Please, Mrs. Haines, my life is in your hands. Please spare me for the sake of our acquaintance!"
The other man, Snake's accomplice, also knelt at Victoria's feet, begging for mercy.
Victoria's pretty face showed no sympathy, only sarcasm.
"Yesterday, I reminded you that I am Mr. Haines' wife, and you claimed that you are not afraid of the Haines family. It seems like your tune has changed quite quickly. Now you fear and respect me, and you refer to me as Mrs. Haines."
"I..."
Snake was speechless for a moment, then began to cry and plead again.
"Mrs. Haines, I was foolish and deceived by your sister Xenia. She knew that I had been harboring impure thoughts about you for a while. She offered me an opportunity to fulfill my desires with you and even gave me 1.4 million dollars.
"It was her idea to disguise as a taxi driver, drug you, and take you to the abandoned warehouse... Everything was her idea!
"Mrs. Haines, your sister is the mastermind behind all of this. Mr. Haines should seek revenge on her instead. I was just being used by her. Please, I beg of you, spare me!"
He threw himself at Victoria's legs, but before his hands could touch her, Jack kicked him to the ground.
"How dare you touch Mrs. Haines with your dirty hands?" Jack scolded.
Snake lay on his back, unable to speak due to the blow to his chest.
The other man knelt there dumbfounded, too scared to say a word.
Ignoring the two men, Victoria walked straight up to Edmund.
Edmund was noble and aloof, with his eyes as cold as ice.
In the past, Victoria never dared to look Edmund in the eye.
However, the fact that Edmund and Xenia had gone to the hotel together was like a poisonous thorn in Victoria's heart. Whenever she thought of it, she felt suffocated with pain. At the same time, she no longer wanted to reveal any weakness or fear of him.
Victoria raised her small face and looked him squarely in the eye.
"Mr. Haines, may I ask how you intend to deal with these two men?" she asked.
Edmund frowned.
It made Edmund feel uncomfortable that Victoria addressed him as 'Mr. Haines'.
He said, "If you refuse to forgive them, I will torture them until they beg for death.
"Even if you forgive them, I will make Jack blind them and cut out their tongues before sending them to jail as they had seen my face."
Victoria shuddered at his words, but she remained calm and collected on the surface.
"So, what do you plan to do with Xenia? Even Snake said that the person who should receive retribution the most is Xenia. How do you plan to deal with her?"
Edmund's handsome face remained expressionless.
"I cannot be as cruel towards Xenia as I would be towards two murderers."
Suddenly, Victoria felt a sharp pain in her heart, causing even her fingertips to tremble.
Strangely, what caused her so much pain was not Edmund's protection of Xenia but the fact that he referred to her with a soft voice.
They had been married for three days, and Edmund had never used any intimate nicknames like Victoria or been gentle when he talked to her...
"Huh."
Victoria suddenly burst out laughing, her eyes filled with sarcasm.
"If someone who has nothing to do with you hurts your wife, you'll be cold and merciless. But if the person who hurts your wife is the woman you love, you won't do anything to her."
"What happened to principles first? What happened to insulting your wife being an insult to your dignity? Are your wife and your dignity less important than the woman you love?"
Edmund wasn't angry at all. Instead, he even smiled a little.
"So, you're jealous."
Victoria met his playful gaze, and her heart sank even further. Her eyes were filled with mockery.
"Mr. Haines, please don't be so conceited. I've already told you that you're not my type. Why would I be jealous of someone I don't like?"
The curve of Edmund's lips instantly froze.
Victoria turned away from him indifferently and walked away calmly.
As she turned her back to him, she couldn't hide the tears that had filled her eyes.
Victoria had long ago decided to seek revenge on her own.
She had never expected Edmund to help her.
Victoria had even thought that if Edmund discovered the truth, he would side with Xenia.
Victoria thought she didn't care at all, but when the moment came, she couldn't control her feelings...
Although it was a little early to go to work now, Victoria really didn't want to see Edmund again.
Victoria didn't return to the room but paced toward the courtyard gate.
Jack came up to Edmund and sighed softly.
"Mr. Haines, why don't you explain to Mrs. Haines?"
Edmund stared at Victoria's figure with an expressionless face.
"Explain what?!"
Jack shuddered at Edmund's cold tone.
"Explain why you're being lenient with Xenia, and tell Mrs. Haines that even if Xenia saved you, you would make her pay..."
Edmund sneered.
"Didn't you hear her say she doesn't like me? Why should I explain anything to someone who doesn't like me?"
...
Jack was stunned.
Was Mr. Haines throwing a childish tantrum?
The usually dignified Mr. Haines was actually acting like a child. That was rare!
According to Jack's experience, men in love were the most prone to act like children.
Could it be that Mr. Haines was in love?!