?Chapter 986:


    “That’s enough,” she said, her voice suddenly cold,ced with steel.


    The chatter around them stopped dead.


    Her eyes swept across the gathering like a de. “What kind of father shames his own child in front of strangers? You call him a thief, yet look at him. Clothes are falling apart. No jacket. And those bruises—want to exin those?”


    The man faltered, shrinking beneath the weight of Elena’s gaze. “H-he had iting,” he muttered.


    Elena took a slow, deliberate step forward, locking eyes with him. “He didn’t steal a thing, so you beat him for it? What’d you use—this stick?” Stooping down, she picked up the chunk of wood lying nearby. The man’s eyes darted toward it, unease shing in their depths.


    “I’m his father!” the man shouted, puffing up in defense. “I’ve got every right to teach him a lesson. Who the hell are you to interfere?”


    A coldugh escaped Elena’s lips—t, humorless. “So there it is. You just admitted it. Forced that kid to steal. Punished him when he didn’t steal a thing.”


    For a split second, the color drained from the man’s face. The trap had snapped shut, and only now did he realize she’d lured him into it.


    But Elena wasn’t finished. “You use him like a tool. You beat him into obedience. And you still dare call that parenting? That’s child abuse. Coercion. That’s enough to put you away for years.”


    Panic red in the man’s eyes. It finally hit him—he’d tangled with the wrong crowd. Without warning, he spun around and made a break for it.


    But the man didn’t get far. A swift kick from behind swept him off bnce, sending him sprawling to the ground.


    Charlette emerged from the crowd, her heelnding directly in the center of the man’s chest. Violence wasn’t usually her answer, but right now, she didn’t hesitate. Her voice cut through the air like ss. “Scum like you shouldn’t be breathing.”


    Staggering backward, the man looked up—just in time to spot a familiar face. “Dr. Vance!” he cried out, desperation cracking his voice. “You’ve got to help me!”


    A sh of hope sparked in the man’s eyes as he lunged toward N like a drowning man grasping for rescue. “Dr. Vance, you know me—I’m with Wyatt—”


    “Shut it! I have no idea who you are!” The instant the man mentioned Wyatt, N’s entire demeanor shifted, her voice slicing through his words. She was slightly caught off guard. The man shouldn’t have recognized her—she always kept her face covered in the operating room of that discreet location. Secret ties to illegal organ deals didn’t just vite Base Medical Center’s policies; discovery would destroy herpletely.


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    With practiced indifference, N’s mask never slipped. “Lucinda, contact the authorities. Get this man away.”


    Shock flickered across the man’s face as he stared at N, unable to ept her cold denial. He started to plead again, but her cold re shut him down.


    A single look from N was all it took. Lucinda wasted no time, punching in the police number. Uniformed officers soon appeared and escorted the man away.


    Relief only came to Tucker once the supposed father was gone—he finally looked up.


    Elena pressed some bills into his hand. “Next time, don’t turn to theft, not even if forced.”


    Charlette watched in silence, her darkened expression and red-rimmed eyes partly hidden behind loweredshes, as if she could conceal every feeling she held.


    As soon as the police led the man away, Charlette spun on her heel and disappeared into the street.


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