Natalie stared at the bloodstained bedsheet. It had been cut into a small piece, and the blood had driedpletely. Beside it, a piece of paper was attached with a note—"Sophia''s virgin blood".


    So, not only had Shane vited Sophia, but he had also kept evidence of his crime.


    He had left these things behind with a clear purpose-to threaten and control her.


    Natalie closed her eyes, her nails digging into her palms. No wonder Sophia looked so pale that day when she came to the Walker residence with Marcus. For her, stepping back into this ce must have taken unimaginable courage. "Nat." Mason, who had been watching Natalie stand by the table for a long time, cast a warning nce at Shane before walking up to her.


    "Holy shit!" Mason caught a glimpse of what Natalie was holding and blurted out in shock. "What... what the hell is this?"


    "Mason, close the door."


    Natalie slowly opened her eyes, a crimson fury burning in them. She set the album down and turned to Shane, her gaze as venomous as snake.


    Terrified by the look in her eyes, Shane instinctively turned and bolted.


    "Stop!" Mason lunged forward, grabbing Shane''s shoulder.


    Shane twisted away with all his strength, desperate to escape. Now that his crime was exposed, he knew he was finished.


    His arrogance had doomed him—he had assumed that none of the heirs from the Walker family would ever set foot in the helper quarters. In all his years working here, they never had. Gorge was the only one who ever came by, and even then, he always gave prior notice.


    Besides, with Emma tipping him off and backing him up, Shane had always felt untouchable.


    But now, as he saw Natalie pull open that drawer and flip through the album, he knew he was done for.


    Natalie, who had just returned to the family, was no easy opponent.


    "Shane, you beast! Where do you think you''re running?" Mason cursed as he chased after him.


    Natalie pulled out her phone and called Gorge. Within moments, security guards swarmed in from all directions, subduing Shane without effort.


    "Let me go! Let go of me!"


    Shane struggled violently. "You have no right to go through my things! Natalie, just because you''re the heiress, does that mean we helpers have no rights or privacy?"


    Natalie strode forward and pped him hard across the face.


    "You used these to ckmail Sophia, didn''t you?" Her voice was ice-cold, and her eyes were red-rimmed. As a woman, she could not tolerate seeing another woman suffer such an atrocity.


    There was an inherent imbnce of power between men and women. She could almost picture the scene-Sophia, pinned beneath this beast, crying, screaming, as he vited her.


    "Bah! It was Sophia, that whore, who seduced me first!" Shane spat on the ground, defiant even as he was restrained.


    Natalie pped him again, harder this time.


    "You even recorded it. You''re not just a beast-you''re a monster."


    Shane chuckled, unfazed. "I still have videos. These photos are nothing!"


    "That bitch-Sophia, the so-called heiress of the Sinir family-was crying and begging me to let her go. Butter, when I made her feel good, she begged me to go faster!"


    Natalie rained down p after p before kicking him viciously between the legs. Shane let out a bloodcurdling scream. But before he could recover, she rolled up her sleeves, yanked him away from the guards, and unleashed her fury- punching, kicking, beating him relentlessly.


    "Nat, I''m joining in!"


    Mason, who had been standing aside, felt his own rage explode. He couldn''t believe that something this horrific had happened in their home.


    And the victim was none other than the woman he had always respected- Sophia.


    Ever since childhood, he had known that Sophia, though unloved in the Sinir family, was meant to marry Sky. She was supposed to be his sister-inw, and they were supposed to be a family.


    Yet now, she had been vited in their house-by this beast-and none of them had ever known.


    Natalie''s fists mmed into Shane again and again. Her kicksnded with brutal force.


    Sophia had Marcus'' protection, but even then, she was helpless. Natalie couldn''t imagine what might have happened if Marcus hadn''t been there for her.


    Now, she finally understood why Sophia refused to undergo surgery in any hospital in Dithoria.


    Even when Marcus arranged it, she still didn''t dare because she couldn''t afford to -the person backing Shane was Emma.


    Before Natalie returned, Emma had been the pampered heiress of the Walker family. How could a helper''s son have been so bold and fearless without her approval and support?


    "Nat, that''s enough." Mason saw Shane coughing up blood and, worried Natalie would go too far, hurried to restrain her.


    "Nat, stop. We can''t kill him—we have to turn him in to the authorities."


    "Let go of me!" She struggled against his grip, her eyes still zing red.


    "I dare you to kill me." Shane spat out a mouthful of blood and sneered. "If I die,


    Sophia''s photos and videos will be leaked everywhere."


    Heughed maniacally. "If I go down, she''sing with me. We were rtionship. We were lovers. Do you wantproof? Bring that whore here and make her say otherwise."


    Shane''s eyes gleamed with cruelty as he stared at Natalie. "What''s wrong, Ms.


    Walker? You dare bring her here to confront me?"


    "Natalie," Marcus suddenly interrupted.


    The next moment, Mason was pulled aside, and Natalie was wrapped in a familiar embrace—the scent of jasmine flowers surrounding her.


    "Don''t move. You''re not thinking clearly right now." Marcus was much stronger


    than Mason, but he was careful not to hurt her.


    "He''s trying to provoke you." His low, maic voice was calm yet assertive. "Breathe. Stay in control."


    Hisrge hand gently stroked her head, holding her close. Slowly, the woman in his arms began to settle.


    "Be good. I''ll handle this." Marcus looked down at Natalie, his sharp gaze catching the blood on her bruised knuckles.


    "Mason, get the first aid kit. Natalie''s injured," he said.


    "A-Alright!" Mason rushed off to fetch the first aid kit.


    The guards stood ready, their gazes murderous, waiting for Natalie''s order to tear


    Shane apart.


    No one spoke, but they all understood what had happened.


    "Marcus," Natalie whispered, still leaning against him. "You didn''t protect Sophia. You used to say she was r savior. So why didn''t you


    protect her? Why did you let this happen to her?"


    "It''s my fault," Marcus admitted, his voice tinged with regret. "I take the me."


    "It''s not your fault," she said, covering her eyes with one hand. "The me belongs to the ones who hurt her."


    "Natalie."


    "Don''t say anything." She tugged at the corner of her lips. "I don''t mean to me


    you; I just feel sorry for Sophia."


    Sophia''s childhood was so simr to her own, but in the end, Sophia did not


    be like Natalie.