Chapter 2 The Scandal

Edward's heart pounded loudly in his chest. He frantically waved his hands. “No, no, no, we must be mistaken. How could you possibly be involved with a thief? We must have disturbed you, Mr. Finch. Please forgive us!” “Absolutely, we were mistaken. She actually ran into the room next door. It was entirely my fault for not noticing properly!” someone said hastily, even slapping himself in frustration. With an awkward smile, Edward said, “We'll continue our search for the thief then. We wouldn't want to disturb your rest, Mr. Finch.” After saying that, he was ready to lead his men away. “Hold on.” Arthur suddenly spoke up. The crowd, originally intending to leave, suddenly halted in their tracks, their hearts filled with unease as they turned to look at Arthur. Arthur cast a cold glance over the crowd and demanded, “Who was it that just pounded on the door?” Upon hearing those words, everyone couldn't help but turn their gaze toward one of the foreigners. At that moment, the foreigner was drenched in sweat, with his back completely soaked. Arthur looked at him and asked, “Which hand did you use?” The foreigner glanced left and right, seemingly seeking assistance from his companions. However, all of his companions deliberately avoided his gaze. He had no choice but to raise his left hand shakily. In reality, he had used his right hand, but Arthur didn't seem to care. Amid the horrified gazes of the crowd, Arthur fired a shot at the foreigner's wrist. The gunshot, though muffled by a silencer, was still sharp, but it was nothing compared to the foreigner's chilling screams of agony. “Get out,” the man said indifferently before he turned around and shut the door. Everyone let out a sigh of relief, quickly helped the foreigner to his feet, and hurriedly left the scene. They had totally forgotten about Luna. After sending those people away, Arthur returned to the room. He saw that one of the straps of Luna's dress had slipped off, revealing her fair shoulder and a portion of her chest. She had a dazed look in her eyes. Her hands were randomly rubbing over her body, and from her lips escaped a series of enticing moans. The effects of the aphrodisiac had completely taken hold of her. Her complexion had become even more rosy than before. In her daze, she felt the man's presence and clung to him like a koala. Arthur didn't refuse, regardless of whether she was a call girl or a thief. Under the influence of alcohol and the sting of his wounds, he desperately needed to distract himself in some other way. By the time Luna awoke after one passionate night, the man had already left. She was completely bare, her body adorned with a myriad of blue and purple marks. These were all stark reminders of the events that truly transpired the previous night. On the bedside table, there was a set of workout clothes. Beside it was a check worth five million. It was brutally straightforward and precisely the kind of thing that man from last night would do. She picked up a discarded cell phone from the side. The headlines were all pushing the latest news. Headline 1: Smith Family Heiress in Turmoil: Allegedly Dating Multiple Notorious Young Men Simultaneously. Headline 2: Smith Family Heiress Luna Smith Hits Father Edward Smith in Defense of Young Boyfriend. Headline 3: Edward Smith Hopes Daughter Luna Smith Will See Her Mistakes, Didn't Report Incident to Police. Headline 4: Smith Family Heiress Luna Smith at the Center of Scandal. There was also video evidence. Although Luna managed to escape in time last night, preventing Edward's plan from succeeding, they were still able to obtain useful footage from the hotel's surveillance cameras. The footage showed Luna smashing a wine bottle over Edward's head. Those few brief seconds of edited video firmly cemented Luna's reputation as a rebellious daughter. Her reputation had been completely tarnished. Luna clenched her fists, fully aware that Edward was cornered and desperate. He was using this as his last-ditch effort to force her into giving up her mother's company shares. This was his trump card. Considering Edward's reckless actions yesterday, it was clear that he had completely severed ties with her. Given his nature, staying in the country would only lead to relentless pursuit. Since she couldn't stay, she resolved to grow significantly stronger before returning to settle the score.