Chapter 06: Who Will Kneel?
1495 Words
Katie closed her eyes without flinching.
For the sake of her job, for her child, for obtaining Matilda's forgiveness...
Boom!
Suddenly, a loud noise erupted, and the anticipated slap never landed.
Katie abruptly opened her eyes to witness Peter being thrown backward, crashing into Matilda along with the wheelchair. The tremendous force sent both of them sprawling on the ground.
The two of them were instantly lying on the ground!
Adam stood in front of Katie, his broad shoulders shielding her from any harm.
"I said, from today onwards, whoever dares to lay a finger on her, I'll take their life!"
Full of killing intent, his momentum was unmatched.
"Adam—"
Matilda screamed as she crawled up from the ground, disheveled and foul-mouthed, "You're seeking death. Why are you idiots just standing there? Beat them, beat them to death, and I'll take responsibility."
The surrounding security guards rushed in.
Adam retaliated fiercely!
Bang! Bang! Bang...
Muffled sounds reverberated as the first few guards charging at him were sent flying.
One by one, anyone within a meter of Adam was thrown away, without exception.
Like a fierce tiger descending a mountain, Adam plunged into the group. The air around him exuded a chilling aura.
"Record... quickly open your phones and record, preserve the evidence for the security personnel, so they can't escape." Matilda urgently shouted.
The guards responsible for recording finally realized what was happening and hastily fumbled with their phones.
At that moment, another dozen guards were kicked away.
"What are you all doing? Stop!"
Suddenly, a thunderous roar echoed through the scene, startling everyone.
Boom!
Adam kicked another person, paying no attention to the command. Regardless of who was issuing orders, he didn't care, and he wasn't qualified to command him.
"Stop it!" Another angry shout resounded.
Boom!
Adam continued kicking people.
The surrounding guards quickly retreated; Adam didn't care, and they didn't dare to defy his orders.
"Grandpa, why are you here?" Matilda's face changed, hastily removing her sunglasses and shouting.
Outside the crowd, Dave walked in, dressed in Tang-style clothing and leaning on a dragon-headed cane. His expression was unprecedentedly furious.
Besides Dave, several people followed him, both male and female.
"Mr. Dave, what's happening in your company... having team-building activities? Even sitting in a wheelchair, you insist on participating. Your company truly has team spirit." A man in his forties spoke up.
Dave had a stern face and didn't know how to respond. He could hear the mockery in the man's words, but he couldn't refute it.
Security guards were sprawled all over the ground, curses, cries of pain, and Matilda's sharp soprano voice—all kinds of sounds mixed, creating a chaotic scene worse than a marketplace.
How could he explain this?
"What are you doing?" Dave angrily questioned through gritted teeth.
"Grandpa, your timing is perfect. It's all because of these two useless people. They came to the company early in the morning, causing trouble. They insisted on making us compensate for the medical expenses of her illegitimate daughter. They demanded one million, saying she's also part of the Hartley family, entitled to a share in the company. My Sir and I advised them politely, but not only did they not listen, this lunatic even resorted to violence, and he even dared to hit my Sir." Matilda immediately played the victim, laying the blame on them.
At this moment, Matilda recognized who was accompanying Dave, realizing she had created a big problem. It was Robert Byron, the chairman of Byron Group.
Robert, the head of the top-notch wealthy Byron family in Lisle, ran a large business with a broad influence, said to have a finger in every pie.
Recently, Byron Group planned to develop a resort in the western suburbs with a project budget of 250 million dollars.
For this project, Hartley had spared no effort for the past two months, using connections, networking, and even leveraging resources from the Smiths to stand out among numerous competing companies. Now, it was time to discuss the specifics of the project cooperation.
However, Matilda never expected Robert to personally visit the Hartley Group, especially today, witnessing such a scene. If their cooperation with Byron Group was ruined due to this incident, her grandfather would probably kill her!
For the sake of this project, even Dave had personally negotiated. At this moment, Matilda was terrified, hating Katie and her lunatic husband. She had to quickly shift the blame onto them.
But Katie was well aware of the seriousness of the matter. She immediately retorted, "Matilda, you're slandering people. It was you who wanted to dismiss me. You even had the security block me from entering the company. You—"
"Enough, shut up!" Dave roared, forcibly interrupting Katie, and turned to glare at her. "Do you find it not shameful enough? Get out, from now on, you're not allowed to step into Hartley's house!"
Hearing these words, Matilda finally breathed a sigh of relief. Her grandfather was ultimately more biased towards her.
"Grandpa, how can you do this? It was her—"
"Shut up, throw them out," Dave angrily interrupted, not giving Katie a chance to explain.
"Shit." Adam laughed sarcastically, his body exuding killing intent.
Matilda Hartley!
Dave Hartley!
All the Hartley... Just you wait!
"You better not regret it later. Let's go, Katie!" Adam grabbed her hand and prepared to leave.
"Wait a moment." Robert suddenly spoke, "Are you Miss Katie?"
Katie was stunned, asking in surprise, "Yes, I am. Mr. Byron, do you know me?"
Robert shook his head, saying, "Although we haven't met, I've heard your name resounding. Your previous proposal for the resort perfectly aligns with all my ideas. That's why I entrusted this project to your Hartley Group."
Pausing, Robert turned to Dave and said, "Mr. Hartley, I'm here to make it clear today. Miss Katie must be in charge of the resort project."
Dave widened his eyes in disbelief.
Matilda and Peter were even more incredulous.
Let Katie take charge. How was that possible?
"Mr. Byron, is there some misunderstanding here? Our Hartley Group has plenty of talented individuals who can guarantee the success of this project. Why must it be her?" Dave couldn't believe what he was hearing.
Matilda quickly added, "Yeah, she is just an ordinary employee in our company, not even a manager. Mr. Byron, you must be mistaken."
"Moreover, she has already been fired from our company. She is no longer an employee of Hartley Group." Matilda emphasized.
Robert frowned, "Fired? So, Miss Katie, which company are you planning to join? I'll arrange for the project to be transferred to the new company."
What?
This... how was this possible?
Robert wanted to break the contract? Not sign the agreement with them?
The Hartley family members were all shocked.
Katie was also filled with confusion, feeling like she was in a dream. What was happening?
"Mr. Byron, please don't be hasty. Let me find out the details first, in case—"
Robert waved his hand, interrupting sharply, "No 'in case,' wherever Miss Hartley goes, the project goes."
Dave trembled all over. He hadn't expected Robert's attitude to be so decisive.
Although he couldn't understand why Robert insisted on supporting Katie, now was not the time to dwell on this. Obtaining the contract was the key.
Dave's eyes flickered, and he forced a smile, "Mr. Byron, there's a misunderstanding. Miss Katie has always been part of our Hartley family and an employee of Hartley Group. She won't go anywhere."
"Really? That's not what I heard. Someone said Miss Katie has already been fired."
Dave's face turned cold, and he suddenly turned around, shouting, "Who the hell dismissed Katie? Kneel!"
Matilda and Peter simultaneously trembled and knelt in front of Katie.
In front of everyone in the company, Matilda and Peter knelt in front of Katie.
Matilda tearfully said, "Grandfather, I didn't know about Katie... I didn't do it on purpose."
Dave coldly snorted, "Bastards, why are you apologizing to me? Apologize to Katie."
Matilda, full of reluctance, found it more unbearable to apologize to Katie than to be killed.
But thinking about the consequences of not apologizing, she couldn't bear it.
"Katie, I was wrong. I apologize to you." Matilda stammered.
Dave snorted again and turned to Robert, "Mr. Byron, is this acceptable now?"
Robert looked around but remained silent.
Dave sighed inwardly. Even though he couldn't understand why Robert supported Katie, now was not the time to dwell on it. Securing the contract was crucial.
Dave's gaze flickered, and he forced a smile, "Mr. Byron, there's a misunderstanding. Miss Katie has always been part of our Hartley family and an employee of Hartley Group. She won't go anywhere."
"Really? That's not what I heard. Someone said Miss Katie has already been fired."
Dave's face turned cold, and he suddenly turned around, shouting, "Who the hell dismissed Katie? Kneel!"
Matilda and Peter simultaneously trembled and knelt in front of Katie.
- Writer
