Chapter 277

Carl turned his head, his gaze colliding with Verena's.

In that instant, he saw it-hatred so fierce it could freeze the marrow, eyes colder than the dead of winter,merciless and sharp as ice.

The reality cut deeper than any blade, yet he could not bring himself to accept it. Tears streamed from his bloodshot eyes, etching desperate tracks across cheeks already smeared with blood.

"Evelyn, you can't do this to me!" he cried out, his voice breaking, every word laced with sobs.

Verena regarded him quietly, her expression as firm and unyielding as stone. "Why can't l? Carl, from the moment you laid hands on those I love, you should have known this day would come."

Carl stiffened.His mind went blank. Only her words-chilling,final-echoed again and again in his ears.

It was then he understood: nothing could be undone; the road ahead was sealed.

Verena turned her eyes away, as though even another glance at him would stain her vision.

Rising to her feet, she shifted to Luis. Her voice was calm, crisp, cutting clear through the air."I'll hand every shred of evidence of Carl's murder of Simon Moss to the Clokron police. I know you hold some ties there,Mr.Sampson. I wonder if you'd do me a favor."

Luis' heart leapt at the chance to assist his sister.

Stepping forward, leaning closer, he asked softly, "What is it you need?"

Verena's words came slow, deliberate, each syllable heavy with intent. "Send a crippled man into the most chaotic,tangled prison in Clokron. That shouldn't be difficult for you, should it, Mr. Sampson?"

The phrase crippled man struck like a hammer, emphasizing Carl's pitiful state.

The Sampson family's reach was wide overseas, its influence like a kingdom abroad. For Luis, her request was no mountain at all.

A faint smile tugged at his lips. "Not a problem. Just a matter of words."

Verena inclined her head in gratitude. "Good. Then I thank you in advance."

Her gaze slid once more to the broken figure on the floor. With lips pressed tight, her voice calm,she added, "My debts are settled. Mr. Sampson, I'll leave the rest in your hands."

With that,she turned and left, her bodyguards following at her heels.

The moment she disappeared, Luis' eyes sharpened. At the wave of his hand, the men stationed outside poured in.

More than a dozen hulking figures lined up before him, silent, awaiting orders.

Luis' tone was low, but carried the weight of thunder. "Until I say stop, no one stops."

"Yes, sir!" came the unified reply, and the men surged toward Carl cowering in the corner.

He tried to crawl back, but his legs were dead weights, refusing to move.

Blows fell on him like a mefciless storm. Instinct drove his arms to shield his head and chest, but such defense was no more than paper before the flood.

Luis, untouched by the violence, slipped a cigar from his pocket, fitting it with grace between his lips. The lighter sparked, its flame dancing briefly against his stern features.

He inhaled, and then exhaled, thick smoke spiraling into ghostly rings.

Through them, he stared coldly at the figure writhing on the floor, as though the scene were a play staged for someone else's amusement.

Were it not for his sister's insistence that Carl be handed to the Clokron police, Luis would have silenced him the moment she stepped away.

With a final drag, he crushed the glowing cigar into the ashtray, sparks fading to nothing. Lifting his head, his narrowed eyes glinted with frost. "Stop."

The word cracked like a whip. Instantly, the beating ceased.

Carl lay gasping, clutching his chest, coughing so violently it seemed his very organs might burst forth.Blood spilled past his lips, a gruesome tide.

Luis read his condition at a glance-the earlier storm of fists had likely shattered him inside.

Carl's face was a grotesque mask, bruised and swollen, mottled with colors of pain.

The golden-rimmed glasses, once his badge of pride, were now broken shards embedded in his cheek,streaks of blood flowing down.

Hands in his pockets, Luis walked toward him, every step measured, cold.

The disguise stripped away, Carl lay exposed,pitiful, wretched.

His bloodied hand trembled as he reached out, clutching at Luis' flawless suit pants like a drowning man grasping driftwood.

"Spare me... spare me..." he whispered hoarsely.

A

Luis' brows knitted, disgust flickering in his eyes. Without hesitation, he kicked the hand away.

Like a kite with a snapped string, Carl's arm flung aside, his body slamming into the cabinet behind him,wringing a tortured groan from his throat.

Luis' voice cut down like steel. "The fact that you're still breathing is the greatest mercy."

He bent slightly, pressing the tip of hisshoe onto Carl's shattered leg bone, leaning down slowly,deliberately, each ounce of pressure a fresh torment.

Carl's features twisted in agony, veins swelling, sweat pouring like rain as his scream split the air.

Luis was unmoved, deaf to the sound, his eyes as merciless as winter night.

"Do not worry. I'll protect the one you love because.." He leaned closer, his voice deep, chilling. "She is my Verena stepped from the restaurant, a shadow of weariness veiling her face.

Carl's