Chapter 366
After the dressing was complete, the door was suddenly kicked open with force. Michael stormed in, his voice laden with irritation as he saw the wound on Joseph's arm. "Joseph, are you out of your mind, ending up like this over a girl?"
"This is personal," Joseph stated coolly.
"I've always treated you like a brother," Michael said, his voice tinged with annoyance. "Take a good look at the mess Liam's created. He's the one stirring things up online, turning the whole town of Madison against you. Those prominent families that once either feared or admired you now avoid you like the plague. Everyone's busy singing Liam's praises—does that sit well with you?"
Lucas chuckled. "Michael, you're jumping the gun. Does Joseph strike you as someone who's easily knocked down?"
"But still..."
"Bringing down the Hernandez group isn't going to be a walk in the park for Liam," Lucas said, turning to Joseph.
Joseph gave a half-smile. "You get me."
Michael was visibly frustrated. "Fine, I'm the one who always meddles too much, like that time on the yacht when you hit me."
"You had it coming," Joseph said flatly.
Michael was speechless with irritation.
"Come on, let's not dwell on the unpleasant stuff," Lucas interrupted. "Noah Collins heard about your troubles and flew in from Madison. Let's all get together tonight."
Joseph's face remained impassive. "What's he going to do? Help me?"
Lucas grinned, showing off his white teeth. "He can join you for a drink. There's nothing that a good drink can't fix."
-----
At the Chapman family estate, Vera was fuming. When she learned that Joseph had bought Cassie jewelry worth fifty million, her anger knew no bounds, leading her to smash the vases in the living room.
"Joseph is out of his mind! We have such a lovely daughter, and he still wants to marry that bastard child! Cassie and her mother can go to hell!" she raged.
"That's enough; your words are too vicious," Leo Chapman said, unable to tolerate it any longer.
"Oh, Leo, you spineless good-for-nothing!" Vera jabbed a finger at him. "Your daughter is being bullied under your nose, and you can't even lift a finger to help her. Now she's locked up in jail with Clark, and you can't even get her out. Are you even a man?"
"Vera, watch your mouth." Leo Chapman snapped back, furious. The current state of his wife, wild and nonsensical, made him sick even to glance at her.
"Am I wrong? It's because of your weakness that Luna is made a fool of. If you don't save her, I'll find a way."
Vera drove straight to the Hernandez estate. Walter felt he owed the Chapmans and worked on pulling strings to get Luna out of jail.
The day she was released, Luna collapsed into Vera's arms, crying uncontrollably. "Mom, Joseph's gone too far. He never bought me a single piece of jewelry, but he spent so much on Cassie. I want to kill her!"
Vera's anger was palpable. "You don't need to tell me. I'll take care of her soon. But right now, we need to find you someone better."
"Mom, I can't help it. I love Joseph," Luna sobbed.
"Shut your mouth." Vera snapped angrily. "After the way he's embarrassed us, do you still pine for him? Be smart! But make no mistake, I won't let this slide."
"Mom, what are you going to do? He's Joseph; we can't take him on."
Vera's voice was icy. "You're thinking about the past. Joseph's prestige is history. Soon, he'll be blackballed by all of New York's elite families. His future is ruined."
Dazed, Luna asked, "Mom, I don't understand what you're saying. Why would the elite families blackball him?"
"You'll find out soon enough. The Hernandez family feels indebted to us and has agreed to secure a marriage for you with Ethan Bennett from the Bennett family."
Clark chimed in with excitement, "Now that Liam has taken over as CEO of Hernandez Group, and with Ethan being Liam's cousin and Aunt Mabel being a Bennett by birth, Ethan's future is extremely promising. Not to mention, the Bennett family's influence rivals even that of the Leos."
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