?Chapter 349:


    That was it. Hadley’sposure, already hanging by a thread, snapped. She had been forcing herself to endure his touch, to stay silent, to y along.


    But this—this was something no woman should ever be expected to tolerate.


    Before anyone could react, she hurled the drink straight into Wayne’s face without a second thought.


    “You little—I”


    Wine streamed down Wayne’s cheeks, dripping from his chin. His face twisted with rage as he shot to his feet, cursing furiously.


    With a sharp swipe, he dragged the back of his hand across his face, and then lunged for Hadley.


    “You bitch!”


    The room rang with the sharp crack of ss breaking.


    Hadley had mmed the ss against the table’s edge.


    Shards scattered to the floor, leaving her with nothing but the jagged stem clutched tightly in her fist.


    Her eyes burned with fury as she raised it, the sharp tip pointed directly at Wayne.


    “Stay back! Don’t you daree near me!”


    “Hadley!”


    Elvin sprang forward, rm shing across his face as he reached for her.


    “Don’t touch me! Stay away, all of you!”


    Hadley was beyond reason now, her entire body wound tight with raw defiance.


    She kept the broken ss raised, ready to strike at anyone who dared approach.


    Wayne threw his head back with augh, his amusement edged with malice.


    “Look at this crazy bitch! You think that’s gonna stop me?”


    “Don’te any closer…”


    Hadley frantically shook her head, her grip tightening around the broken stem until the jagged edges dug into her fingers. Crimson streaks welled up, stark against her skin.


    “I’m on my way over!”


    Wayne’s voice dripped with arrogance as he stormed forward, closing the distance in two long strides. He grabbed Hadley’s wrist with a rough jerk.


    “What now, sweetheart?”


    Hadley’s vision blurred. Her breath came in uneven gasps, and her grip on the broken ss wavered. She looked as if she might copse at any second.


    “Well, this is interesting.”


    A slow, amused chuckle rippled through the silence.


    Every head turned sharply toward the voice.


    Eric, who had been lounging on a row of couches in the corner, rose at an unhurried pace.


    “Mr. Flynn?”


    The shift in atmosphere was immediate. In an instant, Wayne and the others wiped away their prior expressions, recing them with carefully measured, fawning smiles.


    “Mr. Flynn, apologies for themotion,” one of them quickly offered.


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