"Geez! Have the security guards at Judd Group always been slacking off like this? Why did they let just anyone in?"

I had lost all strength in my body, curling into a tight ball on the floor, but I held on to the file in my arms, as if my life depended on it.

After seven years at the top-secret research unit, the project was finally approaching its conclusion. Celeste was once Daniel's student. He made a point of stressing that I had to deliver the file into her hands intact.

However, it was precisely because of my action that Ethan immediately noticed the document envelope in my arms. He raised an eyebrow, a hint of curiosity amid his hostile gaze. Immediately, I read his mind and eagerly shook my head.

"Look at him, Ethan. After everything, he's still clinging to that stupid envelope. Who knows? Maybe there's a love letter to Ms. Judd in there. I heard all these newbies want to take the shady route nowadays.

"I even saw online how some interns tried to seduce their bosses, swapping out their résumés for racy photos…"

Those words were nothing short of a spark, igniting the full fury in Ethan's heart. He gritted his teeth, his gaze cold and murderous as he advanced step by step.

"You filthy, broke loser. Trying to seduce rich women, huh? I'll teach you a lesson you won't forget today. From now on, you'll think twice before you even look at a woman!"

Suddenly, an unnatural strength pulled me off the ground. They each grabbed an arm, hoisting me into midair. Amid the chaos, I saw Ethan rummaging through the drawer.

In the end, he walked toward me, his smile sinister, a blade in his hand.

"N-No!" I yelled. "This is all a misunderstanding! I didn't come here to seduce anyone!"

No sooner had the words left my mouth than Ethan lifted his leg and drove his pointed leather shoe into my stomach. I yelped, the pain so sudden that I felt my vision going black.

Cold sweat drenched my back as if I had been dipped into the pool. The next second, a rush of blood filled my throat, and my stomach rebelled. I threw up violently.

"Ew! That's disgusting!"

The two lackeys who had hoisted me immediately jumped away, while I collapsed to the floor like a beaten-up pillow. I was in so much pain that I couldn't utter a word.

Yet, this was far from Ethan's satisfaction. He crashed down on top of me, straddling me.

"You shameless sugar baby. You should've spent your youth doing something good instead of going after rich women! I'm going to be the son-in-law of the Judd family, while you? You're nothing to me!"

He leaned in, threading his fingers through my hair before tightening his grip and forcing my head up. Laughing softly, he casually drew the blade across my face.

"Your eyebrows will be the only casualty today. Try to make a fool of yourself again, and I'll shave off every last bit of hair on your head."

Of course, he wasn't going easy on me. The blade dragged across my skin, leaving behind plenty of cuts with fresh blood oozing out. By then, I had already been tortured to the point of losing consciousness, barely keeping track of what he was doing to me.

An employee guffawed. "Oh, my gosh—look at him without eyebrows! He looks like a freak!"

"Serves him right. We should strip him naked, take photos of him, and paste them on the walls of our lobby. That way, anyone who tries to hit on Ms. Judd will automatically back off!"

Soon, one of them righteously pulled out their phone and aimed the camera at me.

Ignoring my humble pleas, Ethan ripped open my shirt, borrowed a lipstick from a female colleague, and wrote plenty of profane words on my body.

The employees around me murmured in sympathy, and some even turned on their flashlights to capture my current state.

"Go to hell! I've had enough of shameless sugar babies like you!"

"As long as Ethan's here, no man can meet Ms. Judd in one piece."

Ethan unlocked my phone and opened my contacts. At the top were my parents' numbers, as well as Celeste's. Furious, he grabbed a fountain pen from the desk and stabbed it into the back of my hand.

The sharp nib of the fountain pen easily penetrated through my palm. Ruby-red blood gushed out from the puncture. I screamed in agony, my face twisting grotesquely. I could vividly feel the tendons in my hand being crushed and torn apart.

Ethan picked up the file and, without hesitation, tore it into pieces, hurling the shreds of paper into my face. "You imbecile. I'll teach you what your useless father failed to educate you—keep your hands and eyes off what's not yours!"

With that, his lackeys hoisted me into the air again.

The kick had left my body drenched in cold sweat. I hung my head, nearly dying, thinking Ethan would let it end here, only to hear him command that I be carried into the company's lobby.

…

The front desk staff and passersby outside gawked at the scene. A few curious onlookers, clueless about what was happening, asked what had occurred.

Ethan merely snorted, his cold gaze sweeping over me from head to toe. "Just a new assistant who doesn't know his place. He tried to hit on his boss on his first day, so I'm just giving him a lesson."

Some of the bystanders couldn't just watch. They criticized me for my underhanded methods but, at the same time, tried to reason with Ethan kindly.

"That's enough! People might think you're beating up your wife's lover! You guys are all coworkers, and look at what you've done! This is way over the line!"

To their surprise, Ethan merely laughed, as if the others were blind.

"Do you even know who I am?" he questioned. "My dad's an executive in this company, and I'm the only man worthy of Ms. Judd! Me marrying her is basically a done deal, so yeah, I am punishing him for my future wife!"

No one dared to say another word. After all, the Judd family was practically untouchable in the entire city. Meanwhile, Celeste was now the one in charge of the family.

Unbeknownst to many, the Judds also had a son who never appeared in public. Back then, Dad had intended to pass the Judd Group inheritance to me, but I didn't want it.

Instead, I threw myself into research, serving the country. That was why, for seven whole years, no media ever revealed that the Judd family had more than one child.

Ethan obviously had no idea. Seeing the increasing number of onlookers surrounding us, he only looked more smug. "I'm just saying, I'm not the only one who despises people like you—Ms. Judd does, too. Try hitting on my fiancee, and you're done for!"

In the middle of the commotion, Ethan's father, Simon Irwin, caught wind of the situation and hurried down to the lobby. Seeing me kneeling outside the company entrance, my clothes torn and disheveled, he didn't get angry.

Instead, he smiled and praised, "Not bad, Ethan. You're already clearing the way for yourself before even becoming part of the Judd family! Once you marry Ms. Judd, I'll finally get to share in the glory, too!"

I glared at this father-and-son pair, a cold smile twitching at the corner of my lips. Summoning every ounce of strength, I managed to pipe up, "In your dreams! After everything you've done to me today, don't even think about having anything to do with the Judds!"

Hearing that, Simon was so enraged that he kicked me to the ground. The fat, bloated hands kept punching my face again and again. I was beaten until my eardrum burst, and the corners of my mouth split open.

By the time their voices faded, all that remained in my ears was a sharp, ringing buzz.

"How dare you speak to me with that tone! Now, you're just asking for death!"

Simon lifted his arm, ready to continue his bashing, but a few men in workwear emerged from the crowd and stopped him. "Ozzy!"

With great effort, I forced my eyelids open and glanced around, only to see Daniel approaching with several colleagues in tow.

Seeing the state I was in, Daniel and the others sucked in a sharp breath, terrified.

"Oh, my God… How did they do this to you?"

"This is insane! Don't you know this is illegal?"

At that, Ethan let out a short, amused laugh. He strolled over to me like he didn't have a care in the world. "Who are you guys even? How dare you interfere in my business?"

He scoffed. "And don't you know? In this city, the Judd family is the law! And I… I'm the fiance of the head of that family. Speak another word in his favor, and I'll make sure you and your lowlife family go down with him!"

His words sent chills down the spines of everyone else, but not Daniel's. He had watched Celeste grow up, so naturally, he wouldn't believe that she would ever marry a man like this.

So, he dialed her number. "Cece, Ozzy is being tortured here. You have to come to the office now!"

Seeing that, Simon snatched his phone and tossed it to the ground. Within a split second, the device was shattered into pieces.

He opened his mouth with a face full of mockery. "Who are you trying to fool? Just look at you, all poor and shabby! Which factory did you crawl out of? And you still dare pretend you're close with Ms. Judd."

Simon snorted, then bellowed, "Security, teach these broke punks a proper lesson! If you don't, starting tomorrow, every last one of you can pack up and get out of here!"

Once Simon, the revered executive, had spoken, the security guards didn't dare hesitate. Gripping their electric batons, they advanced toward us with hostile stares.

"Are you crazy? You'll spend the rest of your life behind bars if you lay that thing on us!"

My colleagues shielded me fearlessly, their eyes cold as they stared down at the security guards.

However, the guards assumed we were nothing more than powerless, ordinary folks, so the lead guard wielded the baton and swung it across the face of one of our colleagues.

An eerie scream tore through the air, and he collapsed to the ground, his face battered and bloody. The corner of his mouth was mangled, and his whole body twitched uncontrollably.

Despite that, the other colleagues stood their ground and protected me.

"Once I'm done teaching you useless trash a lesson, I'll report to Ms. Judd and tell her there are people out there pretending to know her, using her name to intimidate me! By then, just wait—your entire family will be driven out of this city!"

A few guards lunged toward us at once, seizing the colleagues who were shielding me. Daniel rushed forward to stop them, but a blow from the electric baton sent him crashing to the ground.

The foul smell of charred flesh wafted through the lobby. Those murderous bastards had actually cranked the electricity to the highest level!

I forced myself up while my consciousness fought to slip away, only to be grabbed by the neck from behind. Ethan stood before me with a wicked smile.

"Are you seeing this, broke ass? You, your father, and your loser colleagues are nothing against me. I can crush them as easily as I crush you."

I ground my teeth, glaring at him with utter reluctance and defiance. My vision swam with blood. I fought to break free but ultimately suffered a strike from the electric baton.

Immediately, I collapsed to the ground like a deflated balloon. Due to the immense blood loss, I had long been deprived of any strength. I could see my vision blurring, my breath weakening.

All of a sudden, a wave of commotion broke out in the crowd. Celeste forced her way through the people, her face dark with anger and anxiety.

Ethan followed the direction of everyone's gaze. In an instant, the vicious look on his face vanished, replaced by a bright, ingratiating smile.

"Ms. Judd, you're finally back! This shameless man was trying to hit on you. I've already taught him a good lesson for you."