Family on Their Knees Heart Turned to Ice novel Chapter 1109

"You misunderstood me. I honestly didn't know there was an issue with the whip. I just picked it up at random. If you aren't satisfied, I'll buy a much more expensive one next time, alright?"

Despite the throbbing pain tearing through him, Lucas didn't dare drop his guard. He was terrified of losing this massive opportunity with Bella.

He quickly scrambled up to soothe her.

Bella let out a dark laugh and didn't bother arguing. She turned around, grabbed her designer bag, and headed for the door.

"We'll talk next time."

With that, she walked out without tossing him a single dime or a parting glance.

Ignoring his screaming muscles and skipping the shower, Lucas frantically threw his clothes on and rushed downstairs, chasing the fading sound of Bella's footsteps.

He slid into a car that was already idling in the alleyway. The man in the driver's seat tossed him a cap. "Put this on. Don't get spotted."

Lucas jammed the cap onto his head, wincing as his bruised backside hit the leather seat.

Meanwhile, Bella remained completely oblivious to the vehicle trailing her.

As she drove, she spritzed herself heavily with perfume to mask the lingering scent of the hotel room.

Her car headed straight toward the Mercer family's Halfridge Villas.

Back in the trailing car, the driver cursed. "She's not staying at the hotel anymore? Didn't you say she basically lived there?"

"I have no idea," Lucas muttered. "It took everything I had just to get her to meet me today, and she beat the hell out of me for it. That woman is an absolute psycho..."

His eyes narrowed playfully. "Well, well, where have you been getting your kicks? Smelling like that... tsk, tsk. Don't tell me you've already found a new lapdog?"

At that, Brandon Mercer stood up, raking a critical gaze over her.

"You and Sebastian Blake aren't even divorced yet. Do us a favor and don't bring any more scandals to the Mercer Group."

Bella's expression instantly twisted into a furious scowl. "I don't know what you're talking about. Am I not even allowed the freedom to smoke a cigarette? Instead of sticking your noses in my business, you should figure out how to pull the Mercer Group out of the gutter. My project needs its second phase of funding to start production. I submitted the reports days ago. Where is my money?"

Brandon looked her up and down, mocking her. "What's wrong? Can't squeeze out your divorce settlement? I thought the deal was that you'd invest in the company once you got your payout from Sebastian."

Bella bristled defensively. "Who said I'm definitely getting a divorce? Oh, I know. You're all praying Sebastian and I split, aren't you? Hmph. You want me to clear the path for Lillian? Dream on. Instead of hounding me, why don't you focus on reeling Lillian back into the family so she can fund my project?"

As soon as she finished, Colin fired back confidently. "You don't need to worry about that. Lillian will be returning to us very soon."