<h4>Chapter 346: A Frenzy of Face-pping</h4>


    A flicker of surprise crossed Leah’s eyes, but she stood firm, denying everything. "What nonsense are you spouting? I’ve done nothing of the sort! E, don’t nder me just because you despise me!"


    She hade today to check on Henry’s condition firsthand; after all, the media hadn’t managed to get any updates, and she had to see for herself. Leah had hoped to witness E tormented by guilt. Although the oue wasn’t quite as satisfying as she’d imagined, Henry’s injury was still enough to unsettle her rival.


    But she hadn’t anticipated walking right into her own humiliation.


    "nder you? Are you that pristine? Do you think I need to ’dirty’ you by ndering you?" E sneered. "Leah, there’s no one more shameless than you. ndering others is what Carter Group does best, but I won’t stoop to your level. I have real evidence, and I’ll have that girle and tell the whole story in person."


    E’s cold smile deepened as Lauren’s eyes widened in understanding.


    "You... you’re lying! I didn’t do any of that, and you have no right to nder me!" Leah protested, a hint of fear creeping into her voice.


    "nder? You think you’re worthy of it?"


    Unable to hold back, E raised her hand and delivered a sharp p to Leah’s face. "I’m not one to resort to violence, but someone like you... really has iting! Last time, I pped Max; this time, it’s your turn!"


    p, p, p!


    In her fury, E pped Leah repeatedly, leaving her dizzy and disoriented.


    Lauren didn’t intervene; instead, she looked at Leah with a mocking smile. "So you were the one behind it all, Leah. You’re vile and despicable."


    Leah snapped out of her daze, her cheeks stinging with a painful heat, surely swollen by now. Enraged, she red at E. "You... how dare you hit me?!"


    "Who’s going to stop me? You’ve made me indebted to Henry, you’re the reason he might be a vegetable! He was a healthy person until you ruined him!" E’s chest heaved with anger. Henry had been set to leave that very afternoon, and then this tragedy happened.


    Leah smirked coldly. "Oh really? Isn’t it your fault? If you hadn’t led him on, he wouldn’t have risked his life for you twice. If he didn’t love you—"


    Before she could finish, Leah was pped again, tasting the sharp tang of blood in her mouth.


    She looked up in fear, seeing E’s eyes zing with fury, her entire demeanor radiating a chilling menace that silenced Leah instantly.


    "Leah, the depth of your shamelessness is truly a Carter Group specialty! Say one more word, and I’ll p you ten more times!"


    E’s hand stung from the blows, but she had reached the limit of her patience with Leah. Normally, she wouldn’t waste her energy on her.


    At that moment, Eric strode over. He’d been aware of Leah’s arrival but allowed E to vent her frustrations, knowing she needed the release. Now that things had escted, he felt a pang of concern for E’s hand.


    Eric’s cold gaze was deadly, his handsome featuresced with an icy edge. He took E’s hand in his and fixed Leah with a withering stare.


    "Get out. Now."


    Shaking with fear, Leah lowered her head and rushed out, fleeing as fast as she could.


    "Mr. Nelson, are you really letting her go just like that? That woman is vicious enough to manipte others into hurting E. What if something had happened?" Lauren fumed at Eric, her anger barely contained.


    Yes, Leah had been scheming against E repeatedly. What reason did he have to show her any mercy? Last time, if it hadn’t been for his friend Connor, E might have fallen into that trap, her reputation ruined.


    E was breathing heavily, her anger at Leah’s appearance leaving her on the verge of exploding.


    "Enough. Don’t waste your energy on someone like that; she’s not worth it. Rest assured, I won’t let her off so easily. She won’t make it out of the hospital. The police will be escorting her to spend the night at the station," Eric reassured E softly.


    E leaned against him, feeling drained, her hand still stinging painfully.


    An overwhelming fatigue washed over her. Even though she’d gotten her revenge, why did she still feel so hollow?


    When would all these despicable people finally be out of her life?


    And with Hannah likely to return soon, E knew she couldn’t confront her as freely as she had with Leah. Backed by noble connections, Hannah wouldn’t be as easily dealt with. Her methods would be sophisticated, unlike Leah’s crude tactics.


    With an opponent wielding such calcted and justified tactics, what could E use to fight back?


    "E, you’re exhausted. Go home and rest. There are two private nurses here, and I’ll be here too," Lauren said gently, noticing the weariness in E’s vacant gaze.


    E nodded, mustering her strength. She couldn’t afford any rxation.


    Returning home, she resolved to rest up, continue her studies, and expand herwork for her future.


    ...


    When Leah reached the hospital entrance, two police officers stepped forward, blocking her path.


    "Are you Miss Leah?"


    Leah took a step back, warily eyeing them. "I am..."


    Her face was swollen and red from E’s ps, her heart racing wildly. "What do you want with me?"


    "Miss Leah, you are a suspect in a case of hired assault. Pleasee with us," one of the officers stated coldly.


    Leah scoffed. "Show me the evidence! You can’t just arrest people without a reason!"


    Her inherent sense of entitlement resurfaced. "Just because some people have status doesn’t mean you can just arrest someone like me, a heiress with no family to back her up anymore!"


    Putting on a wounded expression, Leah looked indignant, but the two men only sneered.


    "We only arrest with evidence," one officer replied, grabbing her wrist and snapping handcuffs around it. Leah’s eyes widened, her face burning with humiliation as she sensed the scornful gazes around her.


    Once a privileged heiress, she had never imagined this day woulde.


    "This is unfair! You can’t arrest me, I didn’t do anything wrong!" Leah shrieked, but the officers ignored her protests and forced her into the police car.


    At the station, Leah continued to protest, but the evidence the police presented left her with no choice but to confess. E’s people had intercepted the girl Leah had hired, forcing her to reveal the entire n.


    The Carter Group’s reputation was in ruins. Max, Frank, and now Leah all found themselves entangled in legal troubles, leading to Sean’s stroke that night, leaving him permanently debilitated.


    Three weeks passed.


    Henry remained unconscious, dered a vegetable by the hospital.


    The news devastated E. She sat at the dining table, staring at the spread of food, yet feeling no appetite at all.