Ellis subconsciously took two steps toward Mary, and then he saw Keera and Lewis rushing into thecrowd, which made him pause slightly.
He let out a sneer and continued to look down at the wine glass in his hand.
Keira hadnât expected Mary to encounter such an incident either; she hurried over upon hearing thecommotion and had just gotten close when she heard the crisp sound of a slap.
She immediately pushed through the crowd and charged in, positioning Mary behind herself, and thenturned to Chad. âWhat gives you the right to hit people?!â
Chad fixed his gaze on her. âOn the grounds of the Davis familyâs ancestral teachings! I am her elderbrother! If she doesnât respect or love herself, I have every right to teach her a lesson!â
Keira countered. âThatâs domestic abuse!â
Chad circumvented her and turned to Mary, âMary,
come and tell us. Do my hitting you count as domestic violence?!â
Maryâs face had already begun to swell up.
She was holding her head down, covering her face with her hands.
Keira argued. âGetting pregnant before marriage is her right! Chad, youâre infringing on her personalfreedom by doing this!â
Chad was already pointing at her, berating loudly. âSure, getting pregnant before marriage is her right,but did she ever consider, after getting pregnant, what kind of impact that would have on the women ofthe Davis family? Did you not just hear? What have the Davis familyâs women been reduced to inpeopleâs imaginations? If I donât discipline her? Who would dare marry any woman from the Davisfamily in the future?!â
The rumors about the wealthy second-generation were already quite messy out there.
The five major families put a premium on face and honor, hence they manage both boys and girls quite
strictly.
09.23-
<
In such matters, itâs often the girls who were at a disadvantage, so they were governed even morestrictly.
Under the deliberate guidance of Christina and Victoria just now, everyone had already formed a badimpression of the Davis familyâs women.
Chadâs words were spot on; if this matter passed without clarity, the reputation of the Davis familyâswomen would suffer, and marrying off would be difficult-doubt would be cast upon their honor!
Upon hearing this, Keiraâs brow furrowed. She was about to speak when suddenly Mary pushed herarm away from behind. âKeera, this has nothing to do with
you.â
Mary emerged from behind Keira and came in front of
Chad.
She looked directly at Chad, then turned her head to the crowd. âMy personal behavior has nothing todo with the Davis family.â
Chad was about to retort, but Mary looked at him
again. âBrother, since Iâve made a mistake, and as a woman of the Davis family, I should accept
C
punishment. Letâs go with the family law!â
At these words, Chadâs eyes widened in disbelief,
âYouâ¦â
Mary said, âLetâs carry out the punishment right here, so everyone can see how strict the Davis familyrules are! Donât let my actions tarnish the Davis familyâs reputation.â
Chad was startled by her demeanor.
Even Christina couldnât help but exclaim, âFamily rules? My god, Iâve heard the Davis familyâspunishment is flogging, and their whips have barbs⦠Those barbs would peel away a layer of skinâ¦This girl hasnât been chaste. How many lashes will she get?â
Chad was stumped for a moment and didnât answ
Mary answered for him, âFive lashes!â
Christina then exclaimed in shock. âHeavens, after fiv lashes, wonât her back be left without good skin?Mary, are you sure about this? You could just say who your boyfriend is, and have Uncle Davisadvocate for you and arrange an engagement, couldnât you? Why go to such lengths?â
Chad couldnât bear to whip Mary either and quietly urged her, âMary, please tell us! Father and I willtake care of you! Who on earth is the father of the child? Just tell us who the childâs father is, and wecan talk
about what to do next. Thereâs no need to resort to
flogging!â
The whip was still coated with salt water and chili water, causing unbearable pain when it lashed the
skin.
When Chad was a child, his love for play was intense. Once he lied and underwent the family disciplineinvoked by his father, feeling as if his soul was nearly
torn out with each lash.
Therefore, he couldnât bear to see Mary suffer the
same way.
Yet, Mary clenched her fists tightly and kept her mouth firmly closed, adamantly refusing to speak.
She couldnât speak, because even if she did, Ellis would
never admit it.
Why should she humiliate herself?
Mary lowered her head, saying nothing.
Seeing this, Chad, frustrated with her obstinacy, blurted out, âMary, why are you so stubborn! Even ifthe father of your child is a commoner, the Davis family can accept it! Why wonât you speak? Is it truewhat Christina said, that you donât know who the father of your child is?!â
His words were met with Maryâs continued silence.
Chad, exasperated, couldnât help but look around and say, âIs that man here? Look, Mary, he hasnâtcome forward to protect you yet. Is he worth all this?â
Mary remained silent.novelbin
Chad was on the verge of madness, seeing no end to the dragging issue, he had no choice but to inforhe family head, Ken.
Ken rushed over in haste and, seeing Maryâs condi and the crowd around, along with some journalistswho had been specifically invitedâ¦n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
He knew that they had to provide some explanation today.
Otherwise, tomorrow the scandal would be all over the place, shaming the Davis family.
He turned to Mary. âMary, Iâm giving you one last chance, are you sure you wonât talk?â
Mary shook her head.
Ken took a deep breath and then looked around. âIsnât there anyone who will come forward to admit it?Nowadays, free love is acceptable. As long as you step forward, the Davis family wonât do anything toyou⦠we could even prepare a generous dowry for Mary!â
Unfortunately, no one in the surrounding crowd spoke
1.
Keira immediately looked toward Ellis, glaring fiercely at him. Seeing his completely unmoveddemeanor filled her with both anger and anxiety, her gaze suddenly shifted to Lewis.
As she was about to say something, Lewis said indifferently, âI wonât help with that kind of favor.â
Keira didnât know what to say.
Asking Lewis to acknowledge the child was indeed asking too much.
But she really couldnât bear to watch Mary suffer like
this!
She wanted to rush over, but her arm was held by Lewis, who spoke in a voice that was not loud, yet itcarried clearly to Ellis, âFor Mary to have done such a thing, it indeed brings shame to the Davis family,and not being disciplined is no way to provide an
explanation. Five lashes, considering she is pregnant and canât take medicine, who knows if thewounds can
even healâ¦â
Keira immediately became even more anxious. âThen
what should we do?â
In the midst of the scene.
Seeing that no one came forward and Mary remained silent, Ken sighed quietly and then said, âBringme my whip!â
09.25 â
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