Chapter 267: Crisp Slaps

Clara tasted blood in her mouth, and her jaw throbbed with pain. Tears welled up in her eyes.

"You old hag," the figure said coldly, her piercing gaze boring into Clara. "Just like how you forgot to teach your daughter the right things, your mother must have forgotten to teach you as well. But don’t worry, I’m always ready to knock some sense into nasty minds like yours. And I don’t care if the person is elderly—my way of teaching doesn’t discriminate by age."

"You, how dare you hit my mother?" Briena spat angrily, forgetting her own tears.

Briena joined her mother on the floor, clutching her face. The sting mirrored the one her mother had felt moments ago, adding to her already teary-eyed humiliation.

The figure knelt on one knee in front of the mother-daughter duo.

"How fortunate you two must feel to be graced by my tight slaps—something someone should have done to you two a long time ago," the figure said coldly. "Now, I wonder how lovely it would be if Sephina Ford were here, so I could bless her with a crisp slap just like the ones you two mongrels received."

Clutching her burning cheek, Briena looked at the figure with wide eyes. "You... You’re the one who gave us that formula and even took our money. Cathy, you betrayed your friend, and you—"

"Haha!" Cathy’s mocking laughter rang through the waiting area. "Your ?" Cathy asked, her tone dripping with disdain. "How dare you try to buy my friendship with Natalie and Mia for a mere hundred million? Do you know my heart almost bled when you thought my friendship was so cheap—worth a hundred million and a job in your shitty company? Are you kidding me?"

Cathy raised her hand as if to slap Briena again, and Briena instinctively flinched, sinking back in fear to protect herself.

Cathy lowered her hand and smirked. "You should have offered me at least a hundred billion Sephina’s place. But you... Wait, now that I think about it, even that would have been too little."

Cathy’s playful tone turned ice-cold. "Even if you’d offered me the entire Ford Group, it would still be too cheap to buy my friendship with those two. Honestly, I wished I could strangle your grandmother right there when she offered me that money, but I held back. After all, how else would I have been able to witness this glorious day?"

Briena turned to look at Natalie and Mia. Natalie remained expressionless, while Mia wore a smug smirk on her lips.

"You three..." Briena stammered in disbelief. "You three planned this?"

Cathy glanced at her friends, chuckling. "This bitch is slow, but she’s finally catching on."

Natalie’s lips curved into a mocking smirk.

Mia scoffed, crossing her arms. "Let her be. Don’t waste your time or dirty your hands on trash."

Cathy sighed and stood up, turning to face Natalie and Mia with exaggerated, teary expressions. "My heart still hurts at how cheap they thought our friendship could be."

Mia hugged her dramatically, pretending to console her. "There, there. Don’t be sad."

"To make up for your broken heart, Mia will let you work in her company," Natalie added.

"Really?" Cathy exclaimed, her eyes lighting up.

Natalie nodded, while Mia protested, "I didn’t agree—"

"Oh, shut up," Cathy interrupted and hugged both her friends. "I didn’t know screwing over these Ford bitches would bring me fortune."

When she let go, she looked at them mischievously. "What would I earn if I screwed over Sephina Ford? A partnership in both your companies?"

In response, Mia and Natalie gave her narrowed, skeptical looks.

The three friends momentarily forgot about the two women still crying on the floor.

Just then, Daniel arrived, his calm demeanor contrasting with the chaos outside, where security and police were trying to control the enraged crowd. It seemed impossible to escort Briena and Clara Ford out safely without a proper plan.

"Mr. Daniel?" Mia said in surprise, while Natalie also looked at him in shock. They hadn’t called for him.

The man nodded politely. "I’ve been instructed to take care of everything here. You can leave for home now," he said, his gaze shifting to Mia and Natalie.

They exchanged glances, realizing he was acting under the orders of the CEO of NextEra.

Mia frowned slightly, while Natalie looked thoughtful. This situation had nothing to do with Mia’s company for the NextEra CEO to get involved. It was Natalie’s personal matter, unrelated to him or Mia. Then... why?

Mia, Natalie, and Cathy left the venue, escorted by security through a cleared path away from the crowd. John and Ryan walked alongside the three women, ensuring their safety.

As they reached outside, a black, limited-edition, rarely spotted luxury car awaited them.

"Ms. Natalie, this way," Ryan said, signaling toward the car. Natalie instantly knew Justin had come to pick her up and must be inside.

Natalie turned to Mia and Cathy. "I have to leave. See you later."

"Take care," Mia said, understanding Natalie had to leave with Justin. Cathy, however, looked puzzled, still unaware of who Natalie’s husband was. Yet, she chose to stay silent.

Natalie got into the car, and John and Ryan ensured Mia and Cathy reached their own cars safely. Once they departed, the two bodyguards followed together in a separate car, trailing behind Justin’s vehicle.

As soon as Natalie settled inside the car and the driver began turning it around, Justin reached for her hand, pulling her closer. With effortless strength, he lifted her onto his lap.

Natalie didn’t resist. She rested against him, leaning her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes.

Justin remained silent. One hand gently caressed her cheek, while the other held her securely in place. He understood how tired she must be physically and drained emotionally though outside she was acting all calm and composed like an unshakable pillar.

He allowed her this moment of peace as the car drove them home with nothing but silence filling that space small space of the car. All he wanted was to be by her side at this moment as her silent support.