Chapter 129: It Serves Her Right, She Brought It Upon Herself

Chapter 129: Chapter 129: It Serves Her Right, She Brought It Upon Herself

Caleb Collins swallowed hard, his body trembling slightly as he shuffled sideways, exposing Joy Woods, whom he had been shielding behind him.

Joy still wore her high and mighty expression as she glared at Ruby Forrest and Rian Sinclair. But the moment her eyes met Ulysses Shepherd’s cold gaze, she flinched and quickly looked away, not daring to hold eye contact with him or the other men.

Noel Sutton and the others narrowed their eyes at the couple’s antics. This guy really was an idiot.

Of all the people to mess with, he just had to pick the absolute worst ones. Ruby was fiercely protected by Rian and Wyatt Winslow, not to mention the Forrest Family backing her. If she wasn’t the worst person to cross, who was? This guy really knew how to make the wrong choices.

Caleb didn’t say a word, but his violent trembling betrayed his panic.

Seeing Caleb’s reaction, Joy knew it was over. Everything she had done was nothing more than a monkey show in everyone else’s eyes—it didn’t evoke a shred of sympathy.

Suddenly, Caleb grabbed a bottle of liquor from the table and poured it directly over Joy’s head. "You stupid bitch," he spat viciously.

Joy’s face turned deathly pale. Covered in alcohol, her pristine white dress was now a stained, filthy mess. With her wet hair plastered to her cheeks, she looked utterly pathetic. But there were no other fools in the club willing to stick their necks out for her. The onlookers simply sat in their booths, quietly watching the spectacle.

Noticing Ruby staring intently at the scene, Rian softly asked, "What’s wrong? Do you feel sorry for her?"

Ruby shook her head. "No, I don’t. I guess she kind of... she kind of..."

She paused, struggling to find the right words. Having been raised with strict etiquette and traditional values for so long, her thinking was a bit rigid. For a moment, she wasn’t sure if it was appropriate to say what was on her mind.

"She got what she deserved. She brought this upon herself," Rian finished for her.

Hearing Rian’s words, Ruby pursed her lips and nodded. If Joy hadn’t caused so much trouble earlier, she wouldn’t be in this situation now. They could have just finished their drinks and gone home without all this unnecessary drama.

Wyatt cleared his throat and muttered, "Rian, be careful about what you’re teaching Ruby."

Ruby turned her head just in time to catch his comment. She stared at him. Sensing her gaze, Wyatt looked up and locked eyes with her.

Her cheeks were slightly puffed out, her angry little expression looking exactly the same as it used to. "Wyatt, I think Rian is teaching me just fine," the girl said.

Seeing this, Wyatt immediately backpedaled. "She’s teaching you perfectly!"

Though he said that, his heart was bleeding. He swore he saw Rian mouth something at him. He had a long road ahead if he wanted to win Ruby back.

Joy and Caleb remained frozen in the middle of the room. No one dared to make a sound, waiting for Wyatt and his group to speak first.

Noel glanced over at them. "As expected of Young Master Collins. So this is how you insult people. What an eye-opener."

Caleb forced an awkward smile. He could clearly hear the blatant sarcasm in Noel’s words, but did he dare say anything back? He didn’t.

"The Collins Family? Which Collins Family?" Rian asked, her posture lazy as she sipped the champagne Ruby had handed her.

Jason Rivers immediately explained, "The Collins Family in Kyoro. They made their fortune in construction, but they’re several tiers below Winslow the Second. They’re nobodies. If you want to beat him up, Rian, go right ahead. I’ll take the fall for you."

Ulysses nodded as well, leaning in closer. "Ria, you can teach this guy a lesson right now. There’s nothing to worry about."

Rian listened to their words, touched by how fiercely they all defended her. But she wasn’t that weak.

She looked at Caleb. "The Collins Family of Kyoro? Perfect." The corners of her mouth curled up slightly as her thin lips parted. "I’ll use you for target practice."

She had been planning to break into Kyoro’s elite circle anyway. Since a perfect stepping stone had just presented itself, she figured the weather was turning cold, and it was about time the Collins Group went bankrupt.

Aside from Wyatt and his friends, no one else in the room believed Rian’s words. They all thought she was just bluffing. If she moved against the Collins Family, the people backing them would surely come after her. Besides, they simply didn’t believe Rian had the power to shake the Collins Group. While the Collins Family wasn’t on the same level as Wyatt’s circle, they were still wealthy and influential. How could some unknown woman take them down?

Wyatt and the others didn’t bother to argue. Given Rian’s current power, she had already surpassed them. Crushing the Collins Family would be as easy as stepping on a bug. As for the people backing the Collins Family? Who knew if they would even dare to cross her.

Hearing her threat, Caleb wasn’t afraid. He didn’t believe for a second that Rian was that capable. Still, he didn’t dare lose his temper at her right now. After all, standing behind her were the Winslow, Sutton, Shepherd, and Rivers families.

Caleb glanced at Joy. Snatching a wine glass from a nearby table, he smashed it viciously against her face. Joy shrieked and collapsed to the floor, clutching her bleeding cheek. He immediately followed up with a brutal kick. Sprawled on the ground, the woman trembled violently. Blood oozed from her face, making her look absolutely terrifying.

Caleb then crouched down and grabbed a handful of Joy’s long hair, yanking it upward. The searing pain in her scalp forced her to tilt her head back, exposing her bruised, filthy face to the crowd. She looked like a completely different person from the arrogant, untouchable innocent little flower she had been just moments ago.

Everyone had been watching them closely, so they witnessed the brutal assault in crystal clarity. Whispers erupted throughout the club.

"Damn, Caleb is ruthless!"

"Holy shit. The guy treated Joy so well before, but now he’s beating the crap out of her? I never would’ve guessed he had it in him!"

"He’s brutal as hell. He’s so terrified of Wyatt and his crew getting revenge that he’s beating her up right in front of them to save his own skin."

"And here I thought he was some devoted lover when he stood up for her. Now look at how badly he’s thrashing her."

"Men like him can only beat women to feel superior."

Across the room, Rachel Young watched the entire scene unfold. Beside her, her friends clicked their tongues in disgust.

"Damn, Rachel, if that guy ever tries to hit on you, don’t even think about saying yes. He’s definitely abusive."

"He’s terrifying. Beating her like that... if you didn’t know better, you’d think they had some deep-seated blood feud."

"But Joy had it coming. We were just trying to have a nice drink, and she had to go and stir up all this drama."

"Exactly. Did she really think she could play those rich heirs? They might humor you for a bit when it’s convenient, but the second it affects their bottom line, they’ll crush you," the man with the Kyoro accent scoffed sarcastically.

He was also a Kyoro native from a reasonably wealthy family, so he knew exactly how filthy and chaotic the elite circles could be. Wyatt and his friends sat at the very pinnacle of that circle, and from the looks of it, Rian had entered it as well. He wasn’t on the same level as Wyatt’s group, but he understood their rules perfectly. He never tried to fit in with them, content to just live his own free and unbothered life.

Having vented his frustration, Caleb tossed Joy aside like a ragdoll. Shrinking back in terror, she scrambled away from him the moment she was free and cowered in a corner.

Rachel frowned at the sight. Pursing her lips, she took off her jacket and walked over to drape it over the trembling girl. Joy was pitiful, but she was also detestable. Rachel hadn’t forgiven her for what she had done earlier, but as a fellow woman, she couldn’t help but feel sorry for her.

The moment Rachel draped the jacket over her, Joy reacted like a startled deer. She violently yanked the coat off and threw it back at Rachel.

"Get lost!" she shrieked hysterically. "All of you, get lost! You stupid bitches! If it weren’t for you!"