509 Chapter 509


    509.Chapter 509


    "G-got it." Matthew felt a chill run down his spine and immediately mped his mouth shut, not daring to utter another


    word.


    Anthony, who had been about to speak up for Sophie, nced at the whip mark and silently thanked his lucky stars. If he''d been quicker to open his mouth, that whip would havended on him instead, and there was no way he could have dodged


    1. it.


    Still, Anthony couldn''t shake his confusion. ''What could Sophie have done to make Father this furious? he wondered.


    Gabriel''s icy gaze shifted back to Sophie Stonor. The whip in his hand dangled ominously in front of her, making her tremble even more.


    "Still keeping your mouth shut?" His voice was as cold and sharp as the whip itself.


    Sophie felt like she was suffocating inside. It wasn''t that she didn''t want to speak; it was that she couldn''t.


    She had no clue what poison Eliza had used on her. Every time she tried to tell Gabriel that Eliza had poisoned and threatened her, her mouth felt as if invisible needles had stitched her lips shut. She simply couldn''t open it.


    Eliza had clearly learned from the Obedience Potion Anthony had been subjected to earlier. Bybining it with a toxin, she had concocted a poison that couldpletely control someone''s words and actions. But Gabriel and the others had no way of knowing this.


    To Gabriel, Sophie''s silence was nothing short of defiance, a direct challenge to his authority as her father.


    The next second, he didn''t hesitate to strike Sophie again. "Fine," he snapped. "If you won''t talk, I''ll beat it out of you."


    Without hesitation, the whip cracked through the air andnded on Sophie again, each strike heavier and more merciless than thest.


    Gabriel was beyond furious. In his eyes, Sophie had crossed a line, and he showed no trace of fatherly affection as he struck her. This time, he unleashed all his pent-up anger and disappointment, venting it on her without restraint. Eachsh burned like fire, ripping through her skin and leaving trails of blood.


    The blows sent her sprawling across the floor, her anguished cries echoing endlessly. "Ah!"


    "Father, I was wrong. I know I was wrong. Please, stop hitting me. I beg you, stop. If you keep going, I''ll die. Father, please," Sophie cried out desperately, her voice hoarse and trembling.


    Sophiey on the ground, her body shaking uncontrobly from the pain. Tears and snot streaked her face as she sobbed pitifully.


    "So you admit your mistake? Then hand it over right now." Gabriel''s voice was sharp and unrelenting, his anger still burning.


    Gabriel thought this punishment should have been enough to make her submit. But to his surprise, Sophie responded with a mix of nodding and shaking her head, her conflicting gestures only fueling his frustration.


    "What is the meaning of this? Are you still refusing to return what you stole from my study?" Gabriel''s brows furrowed deeply, his tone cold and usatory.


    ''What did she take?'' they wondered. Matthew and Anthony exchanged confused nces. They looked at Sophie, then at Gabriel, and finally pieced it together. ''Could it be that Sophie really snuck into Father''s study and stole something? Is that why he''s so furious?'' they thought.


    "N-no, Father. I-I can''t." Sophie gritted her teeth slightly, forcibly suppressing the urge to cry out the truth, and carefully spoke a single sentence.


    Gabriel''s gaze turned icy, his tone cutting like a de. "You can''t give it back? Then what do you n to do with it? You''ve seen the contents of the ledger,


    haven''t you? You should understand how important it is to me. If you don''t want to suffer more, you''d better hand it over now."


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