Chapter 2129


    The incident atst night''s g had spread like wildfire through the city.


    Directly confronting Paul in front of everyone, and twice whisking E away from Paul''s side was far from the behavior expected of an uncle toward his niece.


    By the end of the night, taking E away from the g without any attempt to conceal his actions was the tipping point. The whole party was buzzing with spection.


    Paul hade to the family estatest night, looking for E with a face that bore both embarrassment and shame as he apologized. Paul had taken her out, and now he hadn''t brought her back, for which he was sorry.


    Already concerned, Jon had pressed for answers, only to learn that it was Noah who had brazenly taken E from the event.


    Jon had immediately called Noah, who admitted without evasion that he was the one who took E.d2


    Noah told Jon he would handle it. Ande morning, the news of the broken engagement hit everyone like a bombshell. P City was in an uproar.


    If the g incident could have been brushed off with some stubborn exnation, the quick-following broken engagement was an undeniable confirmation of the scandal.


    Worse still, the Minton family had been kept entirely in the dark. They had bombarded Jon with calls that very morning inquiring about the situation. It had all been Noah''s unteral decision.


    Jon could never have imagined that his son, the pride of his life, who had never once disappointed him, would make such an unbelievable and reckless decision at such a mature and steady age. Noah took Jon''s cane blow without flinching, a dark purple mark instantly blooming on his neck. His lips pressed into a thin line, and he remained silent, epting Jon''s wrath without protest. Jon was livid, and Noah''s demeanor made it clear-no matter how much he was scolded or beaten, he wouldn''t change his mind.


    His father pointed a trembling finger at him, unable to articte his rage. "What are you thinking, breaking off the engagement unterally? How can you face the Minton family?! Reba, a fine young woman, wasted four years on you. How could you... How could youmit such a despicable act?!"


    Noah''s jaw clenched tighter, his hands balled into fists. "I will exin it to her."


    "You can''t exin this away!" Jon roared. "How can youpensate for four years of a woman''s life? I''ll say it again, Noah-the Tretton family''s daughter-inw can only be Reba!" Noah''s frown deepened. "The engagement is off. I won''t marry her."


    "Are you determined to be seen as the jerk? Have you no shame? Does E know of your foul deed? You may not care for your reputation, but does E not care for hers?"


    "I warn you, Noah, don''t push me. Remember what I told you years ago. You promised not to back out. If you ever do, I won''t touch you, but I''ll make E pay for it."


    Noah''s eyes shed with defiance. "This is my responsibility. She was coerced."


    Jon red at him, then shouted up the stairs, "Bring E down. I''m taking her away."


    "No way!" Noah didn''t pause a moment. His first words were harsh and unquestionable. "I''ve said, whatever happens, it has nothing to do with her."


    Jon tried hard to control his anger. He had to close his eyes forcefully, preparing himself for a long time to barely hold back his rage. "Do you think you can lock her up like this for the rest of your life? Does she know that you called off the wedding? Do you think that even if you cancel the wedding, she can still be with you?"


    Noah frowned, "She has no other choice."


    "She does!" Jon snorted, "Her choice is Paul. They are dating!"


    At this point, Jonn''s voice carried uncontroble anger again, and he unavoidably hit Noah with the cane. "Bastard! You have a fiancée, yet you want to snatch someone else''s girlfriend! And she''s even your own niece! You..."


    Jon really didn''t know what else to say to vent his anger, and again swung his cane down onto Noah''s shoulder. With the same force, the canended mercilessly on his shoulder. "Our Tretton family really made a huge joke in P City!"


    After he finished speaking almost furiously, he ordered the person who had been brought in, "Go and bring down that person from upstairs!"


    Four burly bodyguards stepped forward immediately.


    Noah''s expression darkened, his gaze chilling. "Not on my watch."


    With a loud thud, Noah stumbled as Jon''s cane struck his knee with brutal force. The sound of bone meeting wood was chilling, and Noah''s usuallyposed figure swayed rmingly. Tony, the butler, watched in horror. That blow could have shattered his knee. He hurried to Noah''s side, acting as a buffer between him and the bodyguards as they ascended the stairs. Noah straightened up, shrugging off Tony''s assistance, and started after the bodyguards, only to be stopped by another blow to his leg from Jon''s cane. Each strike was forceful and merciless. Noah grasped the stair railing for support, watching helplessly as the bodyguards went upstairs.


    Tony, sweating profusely, had no choice but to restrain Jon from wielding his cane again.


    Soon enough, E was brought down.


    Jon stood at the foot of the stairs with a thunderous expression, while Noah, pale and sweating, clung to the banister. The atmosphere was suffocatingly tense and oppressive.


    As she descended, passing by Noah, he suddenly gripped her wrist tightly. Startled, E flinched and instinctively turned to look at him, only to collide with his dark, pleading eyes. "Don''t go."


    His voice was shaky, hoarse as ifing from the depths of an abyss, as he struggled to control something profound.


    Her heart clenched at the sight of the sweat on his brow and his pallor. Her concern for him was overwhelming. "What happened?" she asked, her voice tinged with worry. E walked towards him, her other hand reaching out to touch his sweat-drenched forehead.


    "E." Grandpa''s voice cut through the silence, icy and sharp. He couldn''t bear to see any more closeness between these two, no more emotional exchanges.


    E''s movement halted abruptly, and slowly, she withdrew her hand. "Grandpa."


    Grandpa''s expression was stern. "Come home with me."


    The grip on her wrist tightened. "E."


    "Uncle Noah." E tried to pull away, but his hold was unyielding. "I need to go back and be with Grandpa."


    Noah''s lips pressed into a thin line, his stubbornness clear in his refusal to let go.


    Jon watched them, took a deep breath, and surprisingly turned to sit down on the living room couch. "E." Jon called her name heavily, and everyone in the living room turned to look at him.


    E could only stand there, softly calling out, "Grandpa."


    "If he''s not willing to let you go now, then we''ll talk right here. You listen to your grandpa, don''t you?"


    E''s body stiffened; she had a bad feeling about this. She looked at Grandpa quietly, trying to read something from his face, but all she felt was more panic. After a long moment, she could only nod slightly.


    Jon''s gaze slid coldly over Noah''s


    face and settled on E, the hint ofpassion in his eyes reced by ruthless determination. "Then, I give you two choices. One, stay in PCCity and get engaged to Paul


    ov


    immediately."


    Noah slowly turned around, his eyes frosty and unyielding. "I won''t allow it."


    Grandpa ignored him, continuing, "Two, leave P City, leave the Tretton family, and nevere back."


    Noah''s face was so cold it was almost unbearable to look at, every feature sharp as a de, his words deliberate and heavy, "I. Do. Not. Allow. It."


    Jon''s expression was unchanging, his weathered face cold and detached. "E, you choose."


    E''s face turned ghostly pale. For her, this was an impossible choice.


    She didn''t understand what had happened today, why the atmosphere between father and son was so tense, and why they were forcing her to make such a decision now. What happened?


    "Grandpa, I''ve only just started dating Paul."


    "Is it a rtionship that''s headed for marriage?"


    E nodded, "Yes."


    Her wrist suddenly hurt. It felt like her bones were being crushed. She could not look into Noah''s eyes. His behavior from the night before scared her.


    She was Paul''s girlfriend now; she couldn''t imagine what Paul must have faced alone therest night. No matter what, she couldn''t let Paul be embarrassed at this moment. Grandpa grunted, turned to Noah with a scoff, and got up with the support of his cane. "If that''s the case, then announce your engagement now. No problem, right?" E didn''t speak for a moment.


    "E, if you''re nning to marry Paul, why hesitate now? We need a reasonable exnation forst night''s incident, and announcing your engagement at this time is the right choice." E''s eyes flickered, clearly swayed. Grandpa was right. Announcing the engagement now would solve everything fromst night.


    She and Noah were innocent, and it


    was just her uncle taking her away from the party. At most, Uncle Noah was dissatisfied with Paul as a nephew-inw and had


    embarrassed him. Although it was a stretch, announcing the engagement really was the best solution.


    "Okay."


    "E!"


    As soon as she spoke, Noah''s furious voice exploded in her ear. E flinched, her eyes swept to his red, furious eyes, and she couldn''t help the tears that welled up.


    She had never seen him so out of control. In her eyes, he was always aposed and aloof man, confident and resolute.


    He could be arrogant, indifferent, or stern, but never this uncontrolled and furious due to panic. Was she really that important to him now?


    How much better it would have been if it were four years ago. Everything would have been much simpler than now.


    She couldn''t disrupt the current bnce, or it would be chaos. The Tretton family, the Reeves family, the Minton family-it would benefit no one.


    Now, the path back was thorn-covered.


    With a heart tearing pain, E choked up, "Uncle Noah, it''s better this way for everyone."


    "But not for me, and it''s not the oue you want. E, you can''t announce your engagement to him!"


    "Uncle Noah, please, don''t do this."


    Noah shook his head, gripping her tightly and shielding her behind him as he faced Jon with almost savage fury. "She won''t have the chance to choose an engagement." Jon''s knuckles turned white on his cane as he tried to control his temper, his voice low, "She doesn''t have to announce it personally."


    "And what if she does? I won''t let her show up at the engagement party, and it will be just another joke."


    "You gave her two choices, didn''t you?" Noah nodded, his expression fierce, "If R City can''t tolerate her being with me, then I will take her away from P City, away from the Tretton family, and we will nevere back."


    Everyone in the room, including the usually expressionless bodyguards, showed a look of astonishment.


    Take E away from P City forever?! For this niece, he would give up the Tretton family? Thepany? Even his own father?


    Giving up all this meant he would be relinquishing everything.


    Jon felt a darkness before his eyes, his body swayed violently, and he copsed onto the couch. "You are threatening me like this?!" Noah''s lips were a tight line, "You should know, I''m not just talking."


    "You''re mad..."Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    Noah didn''t deny it, "Maybe as long as I don''t want to let her go, she''ll never think of leaving."


    "Have you asked her?!"


    "I don''t need to. I don''t need anyone''s agreement."