?Chapter 210:


    “This one’s for your shamelessness andck of remorse.”


    Smack! “This one’s for your vile lies and twisted mindset.”


    Smack! “And this one’s for your arrogance and utter stupidity.” Three ps in a row echoed through the now-silent hall.


    Haley staggered back, clutching her face. Her lip was bleeding, and her ears were ringing.


    “You—” she hissed, raising her hand to strike back. “Ste, how dare you—”


    “I dare because someone has to put you in your ce,” Ste snapped, cutting her off. “You think you can just open your mouth and spit lies without consequences? Keep this up, and I’ll make sure you’re sitting in prison for the rest of your life.”


    Haley stood there, stunned, her cheek zing red from the p. She stared at Ste in disbelief. “How dare you hit me? I’ll make you pay for this!”


    Ste justughed, unbothered. “Oh? Go ahead—show me what kind of price you think you can make me pay. You stood up there in front of all those reporters, spouting lies, ndering me, and dragging William’s name through the mud. You think the Briggs family will let you off that easy?”


    Haley’s face went ghost white as her eyes darted to William, who was standing silently behind Ste. The coldness in his eyes sent a chill through her entire body.


    She wanted to strike back, but she didn’t dare. Not when she knew exactly who William was.


    Even back in Achury, she’d heard her father mention the Briggs family name more than once, always with respect. And now she had the nerve to make a public scene in front of him? If her father found out she’d gone head-to-head with William Briggs, she’d be finished. The fury in her eyes hadn’t faded, but the arrogance sure had. She bit back every word she had wanted to fire at Ste.


    William stared at her like she was something rotten stuck to the bottom of his shoe.


    Haley’s scalp tingled. She was frozen in ce, unsure of what to do—until someone suddenly pushed through the dispersing crowd. Marc had seen the press conference stream online. He rushed over in a panic, fighting through the wave of people.


    He arrived just in time to see Haley clutching her face, standing opposite Ste and William.


    His chest tightened. He hurried up and grabbed Haley by the wrist. “What are you doing?”


    The moment she heard his voice, Haley’s tears came pouring out. “Marc, I—”


    Before she could say anything, his face darkened. “Have you not embarrassed yourself enough?” he snapped. “You’ve already been to the police station twice. And now you pull this stunt with a bunch of reporters? What the hell is wrong with you?” Then he turned toward William and Ste.


    Seeing them standing side by side hit Marc harder than he wanted to admit, but he shoved the feeling down and forced himself to stayposed. “Mr. Briggs, this was a misunderstanding. I apologize on Haley’s behalf.”


    William didn’t even flinch. His voice was icy. “Mr. Walsh, if you can’t control your people, don’t worry—I’ll do it for you next time.” The warning was clear.


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