Chapter 454
Heinrich’s face was red as a boil. “You hit me, bitch-” He spat the word like a
curse.
“What in God’s name do you think you’re doing, bitch!” Dietrich hollered.
“How dare you strike Mister Heinrich inside Eden Group! Security robot – fetch her, give her twenty lashes, then throw her out p>
Dietrich hustled Heinrich upright, supporting him with a hand at the small of his back.
“Don’t worry, Mister Heinrich. I’ve called security. Twenty lashes. She won’t be standing after that her flesh will tell the tale p>
“Do it,” Heinrich said, every syllable a command. “Give her what she deserves p>
Alex stepped forward until he stood toe-to-toe with Dietrich. “You’d better cancel that order,” he said. “Someone’s going to get hurt if you don’t p>
Dietrich sneered. “The one who’ll get hurt is you p>
He jabbed his communication bracelet. “Security — attend. Punish this woman p>
Alex tilted his head. “I warned you p>
The crowd began to close in.
“How dare she hit Heinrich,” someone muttered.
“Don’t you know Heinrich’s the man everyone watches p>
“Punish her!” another voice cried.
The Eden Group security unit glided forward and ran its routine: ID scan, threat assessment, authorization check. Its lenses swept over Sofina, cold and mechanical.
The moment the system flagged a threat to her, an alert raced through the building’s network.
It pinged a node nobody in the room expected-Eve, the household robot Sofina had left at home, came online.
Eve wasn’t just a home machine. Alex had wired her into his network bridge so she could talk to every Eden device.
She monitored Alex’s accounts and every linked node. Any device that touched Sofina reported to Eve first-she was Sofina’s guardian in the cloud.
Eve snapped into the network. “Override the previous command. Secure Dietrich and give him twenty lashes p>
The security robot optical sensors swung toward Dietrich.
Then it produced a taser and slammed it into Dietrich’s chest. The shock hit him like a thrown rope; he folded and screamed.
Before anyone could process it, security robot drew an electric whip from a holster and began lashing Dietrich.
Each stroke cracked and seared; the skin opened, and dark lines of blood followed. Dietrich’s shout cut the air. “Stop! Not me – her! You’re whipping the wrong person p>
The crowd recoiled, noise tilting from triumph to alarm. “Is the Eden security unit malfunctioning?” someone asked.
“No way. Eden Group tech is already the most advanced,” someone muttered, half in awe, half in disbelief.
A ripple of confusion moved through the crowd.
The robot didn’t stop until Dietrich had taken twenty lashes.
When it finished, it hauled him to his feet and kicked him out, shoving him past the main entrance like trash.
Sofina stood frozen, her mind struggling to catch up with the chaos unraveling around her.
Heinrich staggered upright, one hand clutching his bleeding nose. He wiped the blood away with the back of his wrist, his face twisting with rage.
“You bitch,” he hissed, voice low and venomous. “I’ll teach you a lesson p>
He lunged toward her, his hand swinging through the air.
It wasn’t the first time. Heinrich had struck Sofina before-over and over again.
She had endured it, not because she was weak, but because she’d once mistaken her submission for love.
Alex closed on Heinrich and seized his arm. “Find someone your own size,” he said, low and hard.
“You slave — let go of me!” Heinrich howled.
Alex kept his temper under a hard lid. The government cameras watched from every corner.
He tightened his grip until Heinrich screamed like an animal, pain folding him in on himself.
Heinrich dropped to his knees, clutching at a hand that felt as if bone and pride were breaking.
“Let me go! How dare you let me go!” Heinrich gasped, tears wet on his cheeks as the pressure crushed him.
Katarina stepped out of the Eden Group meeting room like a storm breaking loose. Her heels struck the marble floor with sharp precision, aides trailing behind her in nervous silence.
The Rosenheim family had just finished presenting their offer – a bid to replace the Krugers, who’d been kicked out of Eden’s inner
to win Eden’s favor, to become the next family tied to its vast empire.
circle they were desperater net
In the same breath she’d promised Eden that Heinrich would cooperate if the contract went to Rosenheim.
But the moment Katarina emerged into the main hall, the polished calm of her diplomacy shattered. What she saw made her blood boil.
Alex was holding Heinrich down, and Heinrich bled and howled.
Katarina’s face went white with fury. She stormed over and slapped Alex hard. “You half-slave!” she snapped.
“What do you think you’re doing to my Heinrich? Let him go this instant. How dare you strike him until he bleeds-I’ll call the police and have you deported, you filthy immigrant p>
Alex met her eyes and released Heinrich’s arm. “Calling the police won’t help you,” he said coolly. “I didn’t hit him p>
“Is that true?” Katarina asked Heinrich.
“It was Sofina. She hit my nose.” Heinrich replied.
Sofina crossed her arms and held herself steady. “So what? You’re not a noble. You’re a coward wearing someone else’s name. Sue a noble if you want-try to prove you’re better. Go on. I won’t beg p>
In Prussia, nobles still carried real power. The law bent for them.
If an immigrant struck a noble, the punishment could be death. If a commoner hit
a noble, the penalties were severe and swift. More often than not, the blame settled on the weaker party.
The law protected rank, not justice.
When a noble struck a commoner, most people just accepted it. That was the way
of the Prussia — power didn’t need to explain itself.
Katarina turned her sharp eyes to Alex.
“You, Alex. I know why you married Sofina — to make me jealous, to get my attention. Well, you’ve got it. I think that’s enough. Divorce her. I’ll marry you later after I marry Heinrich p>
Alex frowned. “No. I won’t divorce her. Go ahead and marry Heinrich p>
“You don’t have to be jealous p>
Katarina said, her tone soft. “I’m doing at this for you and for your Sant Claire family. When im done with Heinrich, if you behave yourself, I’ll let you marry me too p>
Alex stared at her, disbelief hardening his face. “Do you really think the world
belongs to you? That everyone just spins around your whims p>
“Don’t you dare talk to me like that, Alex!” Katarina snapped. “It’s already a blessing that I’m even willing to marry you. How dare you disobey me! I command you divorce that woman and come back to me. You’ve caused enough trouble p>
“Whatever,” Alex muttered. His patience with her was long gone. Just the sound of her voice gave him a headache. He took Sofina’s hand and turned to leave.
“Don’t you walk away from me!” Katarina shouted. “Kneel! Now!” Katarina’s voice cracked with fury and desperation. She had lost him once, and in
that emptiness she’d discovered something she wouldn’t admit — she missed
him.
Even though she despised him now, the memories still haunted her – the nights Alex cooked for her, the way he shielded her from the world, how he cared for her without needing a reason.
With Heinrich, everything was cold and transactional. Every word was a deal, every touch a performance. He was arrogant, restless, and never satisfied.
Alex had been different. Quiet. Loyal. Predictable in the best way – a man who didn’t need to be asked to care.
With him, life had warmth. And losing that warmth felt like standing in an endless winter.
Any fool can face a crisis, she thought bitterly. It’s the ordinary days that break
you — the empty mornings, the silence at dinner, the ache of realizing you’ve built
a life out of pride instead of love.
Her voice cracked as she screamed, desperate and trembling, “Alex, I’m warning you! Kneel — and come back to me p>