The security guard who had attacked me immediately nodded. "That's right, Ms. Bennett. This man assaulted Mr. Sterling. We only restrained him to protect Mr. Sterling."

It was only then that Josephine turned to look at me. Her expression hardened, and her gaze was icy.

Without warning, she raised her hand and struck me across the face. "Frederick Sterling! How dare you lay a hand on my man!"

The blow left my head spinning. I stared at Josephine in disbelief. How could she do this?

Andrew sneered as he lifted his foot and brought it down hard. His thick leather shoe crushed into my chest like a boulder.

Pain tore through me. I reached up instinctively to grab his ankle, but Josephine kicked me hard, sending me rolling aside.

Her brows drew together as she leaned into Andrew's arms. She looked at me with contempt, then said, "Don't bother. You'll only dirty your shoes."

At that moment, something inside me died. How could Josephine cheat so openly?

I grabbed a torn scrap of cloth from the ground, barely managing to cover myself. A beat later, I staggered to my feet to demand answers.

Josephine gave me a look of disgust before slapping me again. A metallic tang filled my mouth as blood slowly dripped from my nostrils.

She yanked my hair, raising her hand to strike me again.

Just then, Derek Miller, the research institute's secretary, walked over. "Josie, aren't you hosting a celebration? What's going on here?"

I struggled to my feet and called out, "Mr. Miller! It's me, Frederick Sterling. Josephine cheated on me! While I was away on a business trip, she had a child with another man. When I confronted them, they beat me up and humiliated me!"

I was a key researcher at the institute, so Derek knew about my relationship with Josephine.

Seeing the state I was in, his expression darkened. He quickly took off his jacket and gave it to me to cover my exposed body.

My eyes were red-rimmed. I lifted my chin and glared at Josephine and the others. But to my surprise, she wasn't the least bit flustered.

Smiling, she slipped a card into Derek's hand. "Mr. Miller, we divorced a long time ago. He's delusional and keeps harassing me. We're celebrating my newborn son today, but he barged into my home and assaulted my husband."

As she spoke, Josephine leaned in close to his ear, whispered something, and then gave him a knowing look.

Derek's expression changed instantly. He turned to me and said sharply, "I never imagined you were this kind of person. You've brought shame to the institute. You're fired!"

With that, he turned and walked away.

I stood frozen, unable to believe it.

Just as I was about to go after Derek, Andrew's hand clamped around my throat. He slammed me hard onto the ground, a cruel grin spreading across his face.

"Frederick, I hear you love research. If I cripple your hands, what do you think will happen?"

Fear and shock surged through me as I struggled with all my strength to get up.

Andrew laughed disdainfully before turning to the security guards nearby. "Break his hands and drag him away! Don't let him ruin my party."

The guards moved in instantly. They worked together, pinning my arms and legs before lifting me toward a secluded corner.

I fought with everything I had, but it was useless. Rage consumed me, threatening to reduce me to ashes.

All around, people were enjoying the spectacle.

At that moment, my last shred of hope shattered.

As I was sinking into despair, the roar of dozens of luxury cars echoed outside the villa.

A convoy of limousines sped toward us before screeching to a halt. The car doors swung open, and black-clad bodyguards filed out in organized squads.

The moment everyone saw who had arrived, their faces went pale.