Ileana’s resistance was useless; Dawson, the butler, had clearly <be </b>prepared
He crouched down, took Ileana’s hand without hesitation, and, ignoring her protests, signaled for the bodyguard to pick her up and carry her out of the gymnasium.
Meanwhile, Alessia–shielded by Ethan and Liam–made her way outside, only <b>to </b>run straight into Ste and Justin, who were hurrying toward them.
“Lessie! Are you okay?” Ste grabbed Alessia’s hand, turning it over anxiously. The ugly bruises stood out starkly against her pale skin, making the injury look even
worse.
“Damn it, Ileana! If I don’t beat her senseless, myst name isn’t Laine!” Ste was shaking with anger and was about to storm back into the gym when Alessia, well aware of her temperament, caught her just in time.
“Ste, calm down–wait. What are you doing here?”
She should have been with Dave at this hour. Alessia also couldn’t help noticing how coincidental Ethan and Liam’s appearance was.
“It was Lucy who told us,” Ste replied, her voice still tinged with frustration. <b>With </b>Alessia holding her back, she didn’t dare break free and just stood there fuming.
“Lucy?” Alessia asked, frowning.
“Yeah, she couldn’t reach you, so she called Ste,” Justin exined.
Alessia nced at her phone. She’d been on a call with Cole the whole time, which exined why Lucy couldn’t get through.
“What did she say?”
“She told you not to go to the gym. Ileana didn’t know you were hurt, so Lucy went to find your brothers and brought them to the gym. Basically, Ileana not only wanted to keep you out of the next round, she also wanted you to experience what it feels like when everyone turns against you,” Justin said, ncing at the two men behind Alessia. At least they’d had the sense not to make a scene.
Ethan and Liam’s faces darkened. Relief mingled with guilt–they hadn’t done anything to let Alessia down, but it was shocking to realize the ‘e sister they’d cherished for seventeen years had turned out to be not just ungrateful, but downright vicious.
<b>11:30 </b>
“I can’t believe it–it was me who led <b>your </b>brothers right to her, Stelle fentan growing angrier by the second. “Where is she? What did she <b>do </b><b>to </b><b>you</b><b>? </b>How did your arm end up like this?”
Alessia didn’t hide anything and quickly recounted what had happened <b>in </b><b>the </b><b>gym</b><b>. </b>
By the time she finished, Ste looked ready to explode. Justin <b>quickly </b><b>wrapped </b><b>an </b>arm around her shoulders, whispering, “Calm down, deep breaths, Ste,” until <b>she </b>managed to settle down a bit.
Both Ste and Justin had fiery tempers, but it was almostical–whenever <b>one </b>lost control, the other somehow managed to keep a cool head and rein them in. Of course, most of the time, they chose to be reckless together, but only over harmless things.
“Don’t worry. Cole’s inside now,” Alessia said.
At the mention of Cole, both Liam and Ethan instinctively turned to nce at the gym entrance, which was now quiet and deserted.
They exchanged uneasy nces, realizing they hadn’t seen anyone when they’d rushed in earlier.
Ste, however, wasn’t surprised in the least. Hearing Cole was inside, she immediately rxed.
“Serves her right,” she spat. “The Tates are supposed to be clever, but all Ileana’s inherited is their selfishness!”
Ethan and Liam stayed silent. After all, Ileana had been raised in their home for seventeen years. They couldn’t deny their role in how she’d turned out.
“Let’s go back–don’t you have more events today?” Alessia suggested.
“Why are you even thinking about that? You need to get to the hospital for an X–ray! What if you fractured something?” Ste shot back.
“She’s right, <b>Lessie</b>. You should listen to Ste for once…” Ethan added, seizing the
opportunity.
“Fine, fine, I’ll go,” Alessia relented, her ears ringing with their fussing. With
everyone talking over each other, she gave in–just to finally get some peace and quiet.
<b>Chapter </b><b>216 </b>