The Queen's Back

Suddenly, everything went dark, and Teddy found himself lifted off the ground. The shock sobered him up considerably, and as he was being carried, he began to struggle. Just as he was about to shout for help, he was thrown heavily onto the ground. In that instant, he felt a sharp pain in every part of his body that touched the ground and let out a curse. Before he could react, someone stepped on his hand, and the pain was so intense that it felt like his heart was being squeezed. His mouth twisted in agony, and tears welled up in his eyes. With a bag still covering his head, he couldn't see a thing, and terror surged through him. Nigel, watching Teddy on the ground, remembered his boss's orders to "properly take care of him. He motioned to the surrounding men to make sure Teddy got the message. What followed was a brutal series of punches and kicks. Some landed on Teddy's face, others anywhere else they could reach. Teddy, overwhelmed by the pain, started begging for mercy. "Please, guys, let me go! I'll pay whatever you want," he pleaded Having never experienced such violence before, he could barely form words through his tears. He couldn't count how many times his hands and face had been stomped on The men looked to Nigel, who signaled them to keep going. After all, this was his chance to impress his boss, and he wasn't going to waste it. was beaten until he could barely scream anymore, his entire body trembling in pain, his limbs too weak to protect

Teddy

Once Nigel decided it was enough, he told the men to stop. He then planted his polished black shoe firmly on Teddy's already swollen hand, twisting it a few times. Squatting down, he grabbed Teddy's head and said coldly, "Don't ever appear in front of Mona again. If I see you near her, I'll make sure you regret it every time."

Teddy, writhing in pain, whimpered and quickly nodded. "Yes, I promise! I won't go near Mona, I swear!"

"Good. Remember your promise. Or you might just lose that hand, Nigel said.

Teddy nodded even more frantically, the alcohol long gone from his system. First, Matthew had forced him to get Mona's forgiveness, and now strangers were beating him, telling him to stay away from her. His life felt trapped between two impossible choices. "Go ahead and report us to the police if you want, Nigel sneered. "But I doubt you'll get the chance."

With that, Nigel stood up, dusted his hands off, and ordered the men to return Teddy's phone. Afterward, he casually texted Maxwell an "OK."

When Maxwell received the message, his phone screen lit up. He glanced at the person around him, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. Then he noticed a stranger had added him as a friend, with the note "Barbara" Knowing she was the person Mona disliked, he dismissed it and put his phone away. Maxwell figured Albert must have shared his WhatsApp details with Barbara.

Adjusting his posture, he pulled Mona closer to him and gently ran his fingers through her hair, finally closing his eyes in contentment. Now Teddy wouldn't be causing any more problems for Mona for a while. In the quiet early hours of the morning, the deserted alley was eerily silent. Teddy, with great difficulty, managed to pull the sack off his head. His arms ached, and his hands throbbed with pain. He gritted his teeth, dialing his secretary to come pick him up and take him to the hospital. The beating had been too severe. Reporting the incident to the police was out of the question. He feared he might lose more than just his pride if he tried. He resolved to investigate this matter privately instead. 08:22 Wed, Oct

08.24

As the sun rose, il cast a golden glow across the land, Mona woke before her alarm went off. Today was the day Artemis would wear her custom-designed dress to the awards ceremony and Maxwell, as the investor, would be attending with her. Maxwell had arranged for a stylist to come to their home, and the whole day was a whirlwind of hair, makeup, and outfit changes. Mona felt like she had put in one hundred percent effort to ensure she looked her absolute best for the evening. This night wasn't just about Artemis wearing her design at the awards. This was also the first time she and Maxwell would attend a public event together since their engagement. Every move they made would be under scrutiny.

In the grand, opulent hotel, the chandeliers glittered like stars, and a long red carpet stretched from the entrance to the interior. Men and women dressed to the nines strolled in and out, while camera flashes illuminated the scene outside. After parking the car, Nigel opened the door for Maxwell, who stepped out, adjusted his suit, and then turned to help Mona

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Her hand, slender and elegant, slipped into his.

Even though Maxwell had already seen Mona in her gown earlier, the sight of her up close still stunned him.

Under the dim lights, she wore a black gauzy dress that revealed her delicate shoulder blades. Her fair skin, framed by the dark fabric, seemed to glow. Her eyes sparkled brightly, twinkling more brilliantly than the stars above, especially when she locked her gaze onto Maxwell as if drawing him in with an irresistible charm.

Maxwell stared at her for a moment longer before reluctantly pulling his gaze away. Without a word, he draped his jacket over her shoulders, covering her exposed skin."

This was the first time he'd seen her dressed like this, and it made him uncomfortable. She was showing too much. The thought of asking her to change crossed his mind, but he swallowed it, not wanting to disrupt the intimacy they had finally reached. "It's a bit cold. This will help keep you warm," Maxwell said seriously as he covered her up.

From his vantage point, all he could now see was her delicate, glowing face.

Mona smiled and nodded, touched by his thoughtfulness

arm tucked into Maxwell's, the two of them walked toward the entrance of the awards ceremony.

With her a

As soon as they stepped onto the red carpet, a flurry of cameras turned toward them, snapping away at the couple.

Since Mona had replaced her fiancé with Maxwell, the two had not made any public appearances together, so the media had been eager for this moment. Now that it had finally arrived, they weren't going to miss it.

As Mona handed Maxwell his jacket, the simple gesture caused a small commotion, and the cameras captured the entire

scene.

Maxwell slipped his jacket back on, his cool gaze following Mona's retreating figure, radiating a possessiveness that could not be missed.

0

As the sun rose, it cast golden glow across the land, Mona woke before her alarm went off. Today was the day Artemis would wear her custom-designed dress to the awards ceremony, and Maxwell, as the investor, would be attending with her Maxwell had arranged for a stylist to come to their home, and the whole day was a whirlwind of hair, makeup, and outfit changes. Mona felt like she had put in one hundred percent effort to ensure she looked her absolute best for the evening This night wasn't just about Artemis wearing her design at the awards. This was also the first time she and Maxwell would attend a public event together since their engagement. Every move they made would be under scrutiny.

In the grand, opulent hotel, the chandeliers glittered like stars, and a long red carpet stretched from the entrance to the interior. Men and women dressed to the nines strolled in and out, while camera flashes illuminated the scene outside. After parking the car, Nigel opened the door for Maxwell, who stepped out, adjusted his suit, and then turned to help Mona

out.

Her hand, slender and elegant, slipped into his.

Even though Maxwell had already seen Mona in her gown earlier, the sight of her up close still stunned him.

Under the dim lights, she wore a black gauzy dress that revealed her delicate shoulder blades. Her fair skin, framed by the dark fabric, seemed to glow. Her eyes sparkled brightly, twinkling more brilliantly than the stars above, especially when she locked her gaze onto Maxwell as if drawing him in with an irresistible charm.

Maxwell stared at ther for a moment longer before reluctantly pulling his gaze away. Without a word, he draped his jacket over her shoulders, covering her exposed skin.

This was the first time he'd seen her dressed like this, and it made him uncomfortable. She was showing too much. The thought of asking her to change crossed his mind, but he swallowed it, not wanting to disrupt the intimacy they had finally reached. "It's a bit cold. This will help keep you warm, Maxwell said seriously as he covered her up.

From his vantage point, all he could now see was her delicate, glowing face.

Mona smiled and nodded, touched by his thoughtfulness.

her arm tucked into Maxwell's, the two of them walked toward the entrance of the awards ceremony.

As soon as they stepped onto the red carpet, a flurry of cameras turned toward them, snapping away at the couple.

Since Mona had replaced her fiancé with Maxwell, the two had not made any public appearances together, so the media had been eager for this moment. Now that it had finally arrived, they weren't going to miss it.

J

As Mona handed Maxwell his jacket, the simple gesture caused a small commotion, and the cameras captured the entire scene.

Maxwell slipped his jacket back on, his cool gaze following Mona's retreating figure, radiating a possessiveness that could not