The Wife He Dumped, The Queen She Returned As novel Chapter 176

"Begging him won't change a thing. I am not backing down. The people who committed the crime will pay the price!"

Penelope exploded immediately. "Who do you think you are? You're a married woman running around seducing other men to fight your battles, and you're proud of it?"

"Mr. Hayes, do you have any idea what she's been doing? You're a man—how can you tolerate this? How can you help her?"

Mrs. Rowan chimed in venomously. "If anything, our Penelope did everyone a favor. Women like her need to be put in their place, or they'll never learn to behave!"

Mr. Rowan made no move to stop them. He studied Preston's face while chuckling nervously.

"I apologize, Mr. Hayes. Please excuse them. My wife and daughter speak their minds, but they don't mean any harm."

Preston suddenly stood up, his face devoid of emotion.

"You have the audacity to insult my wife right in front of me."

"I can only imagine how you treat her when I'm not around."

His eyes were freezing cold. His towering frame exuded a suffocating pressure as he took a slow step forward.

Sensing the imminent danger, Penelope shrank behind her mother, trembling under his lethal gaze.

"M-Mr. Hayes... what are you doing?"

"I don't hit women," Preston stated flatly.

Mr. Rowan hurriedly stepped in front of them. "Mr. Hayes, please, let's just calm down—"

A heavy fist smashed directly into his face.

His heavy body flew backward, violently crashing into the decorative display in the living room.

The priceless Medieval Vase shattered into a million pieces.

Mr. Rowan collapsed onto the jagged shards, his back instantly slick with blood. He thrashed and howled in agony, the scene horrifyingly brutal.

Mrs. Rowan's face went completely white. She shrieked and threw herself to the floor. "Honey!"

She pulled him up, glaring at Preston with a mixture of terror and unhinged fury.

"Are you insane?! Rowan Industries is backing half of Vantage's newest project! We'll pull our funding, and you'll get absolutely nothing!"

While she screamed in blind rage, Preston's lips curled into a chilling smile.

"You... you..."

Had they completely misjudged his feelings for Chloe?

Nothing else could possibly explain this...

Just then, the front door clicked open.

Jenna walked in after punching in the passcode.

The moment Penelope saw her, it was like spotting a lifeboat in the middle of a storm. She sprinted over and clung to Jenna's arm.

"Jenna! You're finally here!"

Her face pale with terror, she immediately began to wail. "Jenna, you said he didn't care about..."

"Penelope!" Jenna's heart skipped a beat. "Why are you crying? Are you okay?"

Penelope gripped her tighter. "Jenna, Mr. Hayes is being so scary! Please, you have to talk to him!"