The Flower That Grew from Ashes novel Chapter 111

Just as Lizzie Zucker raised the family's disciplinary whip high for a fifth strike, preparing to bring it down viciously once more.

A strong, calloused hand suddenly shot out from the side. Like a steel vise, it clamped down hard on her violently trembling wrist.

The sheer force was astounding.

Lizzie's wrist went numb. Unable to maintain her grip, the slender leather whip slipped from her fingers, hitting the polished floor with a pathetic smack.

Every eye in the room snapped toward the man who had intervened.

It was Elias Lehman.

He had materialized beside Lizzie without anyone noticing.

He snatched the fallen whip off the ground and, without a second glance, hurled it into the far corner of the banquet hall.

Then, he turned to his completely unhinged mother. His voice was low, carrying an oppressive authority that left no room for argument.

"Mom, you've got the wrong person."

With that, he ignored Lizzie's dumbfounded expression and crouched down.

He looked at the woman collapsed on the floor—covered in blood, utterly battered, yet with eyes that were frighteningly lucid.

This was their first official, face-to-face meeting.

His gaze lingered on Annelise Sargent's pale, stubborn face for a second before he extended his hand.

"Are you alright?"

His voice had that cold, hardened edge typical of a military man, entirely stripped of any excess emotion.

But that hand, offered to her in this very moment, gave her the exact sliver of strength she so desperately needed.

Annelise's back and shoulders felt like they were splitting open in sheer agony.

But she gritted her teeth, refusing to make a sound.

Reaching out with her uninjured arm, she grasped his hand.

His palm was broad and rough, coated with thick calluses from years of handling firearms.

But it was incredibly steady.

Using his leverage, she pulled herself up from the freezing floor.

Elias's decisive intervention had thrown Lizzie into even deeper turmoil.

She looked at her empty hand, then up at her "resurrected" eldest son—the boy she loved and resented in equal measure.

Her mind was being violently torn between the overwhelming joy of his return and the sheer fury of having been played for a fool by everyone.

"Elias... you're back..."

She began to sob, mumbling like a lost child.

"She lied to me... Clarissa lied to me..."

She abruptly jerked her head up, screaming as she pointed at the terrified woman frozen on the stage.

Finally, her overstretched nerves snapped.

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