Briony knelt upright on the unforgiving ground, fists clenched tightly at her sides.


    Though she was on her knees, her back remained ramrod straight. Her face was calm, almost serene, as she stared up at Mack, who was still howling withughter.


    There was no fear or pleading in her delicate features. If anything, her eyes shed with stubborn defiance-a refusal to break.


    That only infuriated Mack further.


    Not humble enough. Not nearly humiliated enough.


    "Briony! That''s not how you beg for mercy!" Mack stormed down the steps, grabbed a fistful of her hair, and yanked her head back hard.


    A jolt of pain shot through Briony, making her brow crease. Forced to look up at him, tears sprang to her eyes from the sting, but she stayed silent. Gritting her teeth, she red at Mack, refusing to utter a sound.


    Her defiance stabbed at him, sending his temper ring. He pressed her head toward the rough pavement.


    "Don''t know how to bow your head, do you? Want me to teach you?!"


    "What are you so proud of, Briony? You''re nothing but the Kensington family''s cast-off! Who do you think you are, acting high and mighty in front of me?!"


    "You thought Stewart was some prize you could easily snatch? He''s just toying with you! His real girlfriend is Rosita Lockwood-daughter of the Lockwoods, the hottest star in Hollywood! You''re nothing to him but a disposable ything. Did you really think he''d break the rules for you, again and again?"


    "Let me tell you tonight, I''ll have a few guys take turns with you right here, and Stewart won''t even bother to show up!"


    Briony''s forehead mmed into the coarse asphalt. The pain drained the color from her face in an instant.


    The Kensingtons stood above on the steps, looking down at her, every face twisted in satisfaction at her misery.


    From the shadows, Ottilie pulled out her phone and started filming, sending the footage to a massive group chat-over five hundred members, all sons and daughters of Northborough''s elite.


    Five years ago, Briony had defied the Kensingtons to save Julia-something many in Northborough still remembered.


    So when the video of Briony, once proud, now kneeling and bowing her head in humiliation outside the Kensingtons'' mansion, hit the group, the chat exploded.


    Within minutes, the footage spread from one group to another, and then onto social media...


    Meanwhile, Ste couldn''t reach Briony.


    Today was supposed to be Briony''s surgery, but she hadn''t answered her phone all morning.


    Something was wrong. Worry gnawed at Ste as she rushed to find Cedric rke.


    Cedric looked surprised when Ste mentioned Stewart. "Why are you looking for him?"


    "I can''t get hold of Bryn. Last night she told me you suggested she ask Stewart for help!"


    "That''s right," Cedric replied. "She came to me yesterday to ask about the surgery.


    I assumed she talked things over with Stewart the night before."


    "She went to see Stewart the night before yesterday?"


    "That''s what I figured."


    Ste frowned and shook her head. “No, something''s off. Bryn and I had ns today—important ones. Even if something urgent came up, she''d tell me in advance. But she didn''t. And now her phone''s off!"


    Cedric pressed his lips together, suddenly uneasy. "You think something happened to her?"


    Ste''s eyes brimmed with anxious tears. "I''m scared she went alone to the Kensingtons!"


    "The Kensingtons?" Cedric frowned. "But Stewart already agreed to help her. Why would she go to them?"


    "Did you ask her directly?" Ste pressed. "Did she tell you herself that Stewart agreed?"


    Cedric hesitated.


    No. She hadn''t.


    "If she didn''t say so, how can you be sure? If Stewart had promised, she would''ve told me right away!"


    The uneasy feeling in Ste''s chest only grew. "Bryn isn''t reckless. If she had to choose between pleading with the Kensingtons or Stewart, she''d go to Stewart every time. If she went to the Kensingtons...it means things with Stewart fell apart."


    Cedric''s heart skipped a beat. Only now did he realize how badly he might have misjudged the situation.


    "Don''t worry. I''ll call Stewart right now."


    He pulled out his phone and dialed Stewart''s number.