“Is it true you abandoned your boyfriend?”
“Did you really send your ex-boyfriend to prison?”
“How could you be so heartless?”
“Answer the question!”
The reporters pushed closer, forcing Linsey to step back.
“Stop taking pictures!” Linsey shouted, her voice trembling with rage.
In the chaos, someone deliberately stuck their foot out, tripping Linsey. She stumbled, losing her balance. The reporters in front of her parted like the Red Sea, as if they had planned the whole thing.
Linsey gasped, bracing herself for the fall.
Suddenly, a strong arm wrapped around her waist, preventing her from falling.
Linsey’s heart pounded as she was pulled into a warm, comforting embrace.
“Don’t worry,” a deep voice murmured in her ear. “You’re safe now.”
Linsey’s eyes fluttered open, her vision swimming as she slowly regained her bearings.
The sight of the man mere inches away sent her mind reeling in confusion. In a voice barely above a whisper, she asked, “Why are you here?”
Collin’s response was a gentle smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth, his eyes locked on hers with a calm, reassuring intensity. He extended a hand, helping Linsey find her balance as she realized she had been unwittingly resting in his lap.
A wave of embarrassment washed over her, heating her cheeks to a rosy flush.
Hastily, she stepped away, creating a buffer of space between them.
The onlookers seemed to have paused in time, their expressions frozen as they processed Collin’s silent entrance.
Despite his confinement to a wheelchair, Collin exuded an undeniable presence that commanded respect, his aura of authority silencing the murmurs in an instant.
Flanking him was a group of tall, stern-faced bodyguards, their formidable appearance underscoring his importance.
Joanna’s eyes narrowed, her gaze flicking between Linsey and Collin with a simmering blend of irritation and incredulity.
She had craftily orchestrated Linsey’s fall earlier, aiming to disgrace her publicly.
Her phone was already poised to capture the humiliation, the footage guaranteed to make waves in online ridicule.
Yet, Joanna hadn’t anticipated an intervention, especially not from a strikingly handsome man bound to a wheelchair.
Who indeed was this man who had so effortlessly derailed her plans? When Joanna first caught sight of Collin, his striking features momentarily captivated her.
Yet, as her eyes drifted down to the wheelchair beneath him, her initial admiration soured.
Good looks wouldn’t change the fact that he was a worthless cripple. What was the point of a handsome face if he couldn’t even stand on his own damn legs?
Her frustration boiling over, Joanna’s voice cracked with venom as she confronted him. “Who are you? What right do you have to meddle in this?”
Collin responded with a chilling, low chuckle, his tone laced with menace as he retorted, “And who might you be to question me? What gives you the right to treat Linsey like this?”
His presence, though seated, seemed to expand, filling the space with an unsettling authority that made the others shift uncomfortably. Joanna, taken aback by the assertive undertone in Collin’s voice, paused, her confidence faltering. She gathered herself quickly, her voice sharp as she declared, “Oh, Linsey knows exactly what she’s guilty of! She put an innocent person in jail, and all we want is justice for the one who truly deserves it!”
Meanwhile, Marisol, who had been observing the exchange from a distance, felt a shiver of apprehension. Something about Collin hinted at depths unexplored and intentions masked.
Despite this, the Wells family was not known for backing down without a fight.
With a flick of her head, Marisol’s gaze turned icy, her tone laced with barely concealed disdain. “I’d advise you to leave while you can. I’m from the Wells family. Cross us, and you’ll face consequences far beyond your reckoning.”
At her warning, a sly grin crept across Collin’s lips. He stood unflustered, his response smooth as silk. “Ah, the Wells family. It seems Felix’s lessons fell short. His family still wields their power so carelessly.”
Marisol’s complexion drained at his retort. Her voice trembled slightly, betraying her shock. “Who… who exactly are you?”
Marisol’s eyes stretched wide, a mix of shock and realization dawning on her. “You… you’re Collin Riley?”
The disabled son of the esteemed Riley family-Collin himself! So it turned out Linsey’s husband was none other than him! He was the mastermind behind everything!
Beside her, Joanna’s expression mirrored Marisol’s astonishment. Joanna hardly believed that the man before her eyes was part of the Riley family.
The Riley family were known for their formidable influence, well beyond their wildest reach.
But wasn’t Collin just the family’s discarded trash, a name with no weight and no power?
Absolutely pathetic! Linsey actually married a useless, broken cripple!
Collin’s gaze hardened, a frosty edge slicing through his words. “Walk away while you still can, or I’ll make you regret it.”
Joanna scoffed, her voice laced with derision. “So, you’re the renowned eldest son of the Riley family. I’ve heard tales about you. But what makes you think you can talk to me like that? It’s clear you’re barely tolerated within your own family. How dare you meddle in Linsey’s affairs?”
Joanna then addressed the reporters clustered nearby, her voice ringing with authority. “Don’t let him intimidate you! Yes, he’s part of the Riley family, but everyone in town knows he’s in a wheelchair and ostracized by his own family. Did you see the wheelchair he’s sitting in? Don’t hesitate-take all the pictures you can. Believe me, everyone craves juicy gossip about the Rileys!”
Joanna offered a chilling smile before delivering her final blow. “Let’s reveal the truly shameful faces of this contemptible duo!”
The reporters, recognizing a potentially explosive story, visibly buzzed with excitement.
Information about the Riley family’s eldest son was a rare and prized piece of news.
Hearing Joanna’s taunts against Collin, Linsey instantly retaliated, her voice rising in anger. “Joanna! Shut your foul mouth! Who’s the real shameless one here? I was with Felix for five years, and for three of those years, you shamelessly chased after him. Felix isn’t a saint either! You’re naive if you think he’s a good person. He exploited you, all while refusing to end things with me. You and he are the truly shameless ones!”
“You!” Joanna’s face flushed with a mixture of embarrassment and fury as she pointed a finger at Linsey, her teeth clenched. “You’re the one who clung to Felix, and you even betrayed him! You went and married another man on your wedding day to Felix! Are you too ashamed to admit it?”
Linsey retorted sharply, “Felix’s betrayal came first! You were the one who schemed to lure him away from our wedding, leaving me humiliated in front of everyone. Given that public abandonment, why shouldn’t I have moved on and married someone else?”
Linsey’s grip on Collin’s hand tightened, her voice firm and unwavering. “My husband is far superior to Felix in every way. Felix is a despicable cheat, and mark my words, Joanna, he’ll eventually betray you just as he betrayed me. Consider this a fair warning.”
While the two women traded angry words, Collin maintained an air of composure, his face giving nothing away. He discreetly gestured to one of his men positioned behind him.
The man acknowledged the signal with a silent nod and moved away to place a call.
Joanna, incensed by Linsey’s words, was consumed by fury, her face burning crimson.
Marisol, who had been observing the scene, was taken aback. She had never witnessed the normally mild-mannered Joanna engage in such a heated argument.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.