?Chapter 254:


    The sound of the p echoed, forcing Thea’s head to the side and leaving blood trickling down her lip. That blow had real weight behind it.


    No protest left Thea’s lips. Her thoughts spun in silent panic, finally realizing everything had unraveled. Messing with the Hubbard family hadn’t just doomed her—she might have sealed the fate of the entire Reed family.


    Grant’s voice thundered through the hall. “Down on your knees! Apologize to Mr. Hubbard and Miss Hubbard right now!”


    Forced by the situation, Thea sank to the floor, her gaze glued to Elliott’s shoes as she pleaded, her voice raw with desperation. “I really messed up, Mr. Hubbard. Please—give me one more chance.” Tears streamed down her face, turning her apology into a barely controlled sob.


    Desperate to salvage what little dignity remained, Grant stepped in. “Mr. Hubbard, I’m begging you. Spare us, just this once. I’ll take my daughter home and set her straight, I swear it.”


    Elliott stood there, unmoved, his gaze steely and his face unreadable.


    Silence met Grant’s appeal, so he shifted tactics, turning to Eloise and dropping to his knees before her. “I failed as a father, Miss Hubbard. Please forgive us. Don’t let this mistake destroy us. Our family would be finished without the Hubbard family’s support. I know you have a kind heart—you don’t want that on your conscience, do you?”


    Grant poured on the humility, pleading repeatedly, hoping Eloise’spassion might tip the scales. His earlier glimpse of Eloise’s gentle nature gave him hope. Now, pride fell away in the scramble to save his family from ruin.


    While all this unfolded, Thea’s humiliation grew. Watching her father humble himself before someone younger, her insides twisted with shame and fury. This was the misfortune that came from not having a position of importance. For as long as they remained at the lowest rung, others took every opportunity to trample on them.


    Thea promised herself she would fight her way upward, determined to reach the very top no matter how difficult it became. She vowed that when she finally achieved great sess, she would make the Hubbard family pay back a hundredfold for every moment they had shamed her.


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    With her jaw tightly set, Thea’s anger simmered beneath the surface as she forced herself to kneel before Eloise, though every movement revealed her unwillingness.


    The desperate voices of Thea and Grant as they pleaded for forgiveness echoed through the room, sending Eloise’s heart pounding in her chest. She started to worry they might hurt themselves if their groveling didn’t stop soon.


    Unable to stomach another moment of the spectacle, Eloise made a quick gesture and slipped her phone into Elliott’s hand. She had typed a brief message on the screen: “Why don’t we just drop it?”


    From Eloise’s perspective, everything had spiraled after that idental run-in with Thea, who then shoved her aside. She and Thea were even now. And honestly, Thea and her father had groveled enough; their apologies had been over the top. Eloise saw no point in making things any messier.


    Turning to Christina, Elliott asked, “How about you? You’re cool with letting that woman off after she trashed you?”


    “Since Miss Hubbard’s fine with dropping it, I am good. Thea got what wasing to her.” Christina shrugged. Sometimes, going too hard on someone killed the vibe. It was better to keep things chill.


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