Chapter 132: Chapter 132: The Grant Family’s Affairs Are No Business of Outsiders

"Vincent!" Seeing Vincent arrive with Joanna Sherman at a time like this, Miles Grant strode toward him in fury. "What is wrong with you! With something this serious going on, why aren’t you by Faye’s side!"

Vincent Grant paid Miles no mind, rushing past him to stand before Sophia Shaw. "Grandma—"

SLAP!

The words had barely left his lips when Sophia Shaw shot to her feet.

She slapped him across the face.

The force of the blow snapped Vincent Grant’s head to the side.

"Why are you hitting him?" Joanna Sherman cried out indignantly.

SLAP!

She switched hands and slapped him again.

It was even louder than the last, drowning out Joanna Sherman’s protest.

Sophia Shaw was like a soulless automaton, striking Vincent Grant’s face again and again, alternating hands.

’The only thing her grandmother had said to her echoed in her mind: "Grandma’s going to find Vincent. He can’t bully Faye. He promised he’d take a family portrait with Faye..."’

Sophia Shaw’s face was an emotionless mask, but her heart was in unbearable pain.

’It was all for her sake.’

’All for her!’

’If Vincent Grant didn’t want to, he could have just refused.’

’He could have spoken to her privately.’

’All this pain could have been avoided.’

’But he had promised.’

’He’d made a promise to Grandma, only to stand her up...’

’And for a date with Joanna Sherman, of all things!’

’How could he?’

’How could he!’

With each slap, Sophia Shaw struck harder and harder.

’She hadn’t even hated him this much when he’d abandoned her during her difficult childbirth!’

’What did her grandmother ever do to deserve this?’

’Why did he have to hurt her like this?!’

"Enough!" Joanna Sherman couldn’t bear to watch any longer.

She had expected Vincent Grant to stop her, but he remained completely still.

So she had to step in herself.

Miles Grant moved to block her way. "Miss Sherman, this is a private matter for the Grant family!"

Blocked and unable to move, Joanna Sherman could only turn to Eleanor Crawford, Julian Grant, and Old Mrs. Grant for help.

The other Grants remained perfectly still.

They let Sophia Shaw continue.

After more than a dozen slaps, Vincent Grant’s fair face was bright red.

Sophia Shaw had put all her strength into the blows, hurting him, but also hurting herself.

Her own hand was just as red and swollen, her palm numb.

Only then did Vincent Grant speak. "Sophia."

"Listen here, Julian Grant. Sophia can hit whoever she wants! If he dares to resist, you hold him down!" Old Mrs. Grant’s stern voice cut Vincent Grant off.

Joanna Sherman looked at Old Mrs. Grant in disbelief. "Grandma, it’s not right for Sophia to just start hitting someone without even asking what happened."

"Can’t you understand plain English, Miss Sherman? This is a Grant family matter. It’s not your place to interfere!"

"But—"

"And another thing, don’t call just anyone ’Grandma.’ You and I are not related!"

Old Mrs. Grant tossed her head. "Show Miss Sherman out!"

’Why keep such an unpleasant person around just to ruin the mood?’

"Wait a moment, Grandma," Sophia Shaw finally spoke up.

She stopped hitting Vincent Grant and turned to Joanna Sherman, her gaze icy. "Vincent Grant promised my grandmother he would celebrate her birthday with her. He also promised to take a family portrait. Instead of honoring that promise, he was out with you, Miss Sherman, appearing as a couple and filming videos to flaunt your affection for all to see."

"The shock of seeing your video caused my grandmother to get into a car accident."

"You were part of it. You know exactly what happened. And now you have the nerve to ask me to justify my actions?"

"Is there something wrong with your head, Miss Sherman, or do you just think I’m a pushover?"

"Vincent Grant, how could you do such a thing!" Old Mrs. Grant hadn’t known the full story, and hearing Sophia Shaw’s explanation, she was beside herself with rage.

She raised her cane and brought it down on Vincent Grant. "How could you be such a disappointment! You have a wife and child at home, yet you’re out parading around with some other woman! Vincent Grant, you’re shameless!"

Even Julian Grant couldn’t listen anymore. "Vincent, is this how the Grant family raised you to behave?"

"I see he hasn’t spent enough time in confinement!"

Miles Grant sighed. "Vincent, you’ve really gone too far this time."

’Why do the men of the Grant family always make such a mess of their own households?’

’He himself was one of them.’

’And so was Vincent.’

Eleanor Crawford pressed her lips together, her gaze fixed on Sophia Shaw. She knew all too well what Sophia was going through!

Old Mrs. Grant’s cane struck Vincent Grant’s back with a series of loud THWACKS, each blow landing solidly.

He made no move to dodge. Even with his face covered in red handprints, he did not lose his innate, noble bearing.

He spoke calmly, "Grandma, we weren’t out as a couple. We went out because..."

"Shut your mouth!"

Old Mrs. Grant didn’t want to hear him speak right now.

The moment he opened his mouth, all she could think of was Sophia’s suffering and her poor grandmother.

"Sophia’s grandmother must be nearly eighty, and you bully even an elderly woman like her? Vincent Grant, you are not worthy of being a member of the Grant family!"

"Grandma just turned eighty. And today... we were supposed to be holding her eightieth birthday banquet at home," Sophia Shaw said quietly, her hands hanging limp at her sides.

With her anger spent, she felt so weak that her body swayed.

Sorrow enveloped her.

"Hmph—" Old Mrs. Grant was both vexed and ashamed.

She jabbed Vincent Grant forcefully with her cane. "Are you even human? To do something like this on the poor woman’s eightieth birthday!"

The Shaws were a business family, and with the Grant family’s sensitive position, they tried to avoid public entanglements whenever possible.

This was not only to avoid giving people cause for gossip but also to protect the Shaw family.

It was for this very reason that Sophia Shaw had not told Old Mrs. Grant about her grandmother’s eightieth birthday, and Old Mrs. Grant, in turn, had never asked.

But she had repeatedly admonished Vincent Grant to be conscientious and dutiful toward the Shaw family relatives.

And in the end, Vincent Grant had let her words go in one ear and out the other!

An indescribable disappointment filled Old Mrs. Grant’s heart. She ordered harshly, "Kneel! Get on your knees!"

Julian Grant stepped forward and kicked the back of his knee.

Julian Grant put his full force into the kick.

Despite being in his fifties, years of training had kept his legs solid and powerful.

The blow forced Vincent Grant’s tall, straight frame to buckle at the knees.

His knees hit the ground with the sickening thud of bone on concrete.

The sound alone made Joanna Sherman’s heart pound in terror, and she ached for Vincent Grant.

Vincent Grant, however, bore it without making a sound.

Eleanor Crawford’s gaze never left Sophia Shaw’s face.

Sophia Shaw remained expressionless, as if the man kneeling before her had nothing to do with her. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

’She remembered the first time Old Master Grant had punished Vincent after the wedding. Sophia, knowing full well the whip would tear flesh, had still thrown herself in front of him to shield him.’

’She had clung to him, begging Old Master Grant to spare him.’

’Back then, she had just married into the Grant family, and her eyes were filled with light whenever she looked at Vincent Grant.’

’If Old Master Grant hadn’t pulled back the whip in time, she would have been left with a deep scar.’

’After that, she was always so careful to protect Vincent’s reputation, never uttering a single bad word about him in front of the other Grants.’

’But now, all traces of love were gone from her face.’

’She simply looked on, indifferent, as Vincent was being beaten so severely.’

’As a fellow woman who had also been tormented by her own heartbreaking troubles, Eleanor Crawford understood better than anyone just how much pain and disappointment Sophia must have endured to become the person she was today.’

"A promise is worth its weight in gold! You honor your commitments, come what may! Has the Grant family upbringing been completely wasted on you?" Julian Grant rebuked him.

Vincent Grant was his son, and Julian Grant was equally disappointed that his son would do such a thing.

’Today, Sophia wasn’t letting anyone off the hook.’

’For the past five or six years, she had endured loneliness, injustice, misunderstandings, and the loathing stares from the people in Vincent Grant’s circle. She had lived a suffocating life.’

’This was the path she had chosen, and she blamed no one for it.’

’But her grandmother... her grandmother was innocent.’