Chapter 743: 384 Except for him, no one else is allowed to bully her

Joshua Hughes’s handsome face was suffused with a daunting gloom.

It was as if he was suppressing an extremely complex emotion within. His obsidian eyes watched Avery Jane’s tearful appearance, growing even more sinister. His icy gaze threatened the woman struggling in his arms.

Joshua looked at her coldly and spoke with indifference, "It’s just a house. I’ll give you however many you want."

Avery Jane trembled with rage and pushed him away, "You’re a man who doesn’t keep promises. You’re utterly useless. You once promised me that as long as I stayed peacefully, you’d do anything for me. But after this, I won’t believe you anymore. Please don’t make promises you can’t keep; it’s disgraceful..."

His strong arms encircled her slender frame and pulled her into his embrace.

The cold voice resonated above her head, "You better stay put. Starting today, you’re grounded. You’re not allowed to go anywhere as a punishment for your disobedience."

She said she wanted to leave; those words almost made his emotions explode.

So in such unstable moments, he could only keep her confined until her mood settled down.

Avery Jane’s thoughts were distorted and chaotic because of his words, her face flushed, "What right do you have to do this? I’m going out. I want to go back to the Yates Family."

Her body was frail; it couldn’t possibly push away this man, could it? But she wanted to return; she wanted to see, even if it was ruins, she wanted to see.

"You like my body, don’t you? Take it all. Just let me go when you’re done..." Avery Jane frantically began to undress, her gaze like black and white crystals devoid of heat, as lifeless as a corpse.

Yet, her movements were unusually passionate, standing on tiptoe, her slender, lotus-like arms wrapped around his neck, and her soft, cool lips pressed against his.

"You’ve gone mad, Avery Jane..." Her initiative made one’s heart ache unbearably.

Joshua pulled away her arms. If it was her willing desire, then he would give her however much she wanted. But for her to initiate because of this!

Joshua’s proud male ego was severely hurt, making his eyes grow even colder.

"Must you provoke me like this? Must you debase yourself like this?" His large hand slightly increased its strength, forcing her head to face him directly: "If this is truly what you want, I can agree, but are you sure you’ll have the strength to leave once I’m satisfied?"

His eyes mocked, yet hidden beneath was a deep-seated pain.

"You..." Avery Jane felt drained of all strength by his words, the flicker of hope in her eyes slowly fading away, like a weak flame mercilessly extinguished.

Her whole body slowly went limp, like a small animal drained of its bones, sliding down his strong body and sitting on the floor.

Joshua watched her, his gaze already shrouded with storm clouds. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

"Better that it’s demolished. Even if the Yates Family doesn’t, I would have torn it down eventually. Avery Jane, you need to be responsible for your disobedience." Joshua looked at her like she was about to die, his eyes crimson, and his dark, hoarse voice akin to Lord Satan from the Inferno, instilling fear.

"I’ll ask one last time, are you going to leave? Think carefully before answering." Joshua’s sinister eyes carried intense rage, "If you stop thinking about leaving, I’ll have my fun, starting with everyone around you—your friends, those enthusiastic assistants, your cherished laboratory, even Mrs. Yates. Let them all enjoy the consequences of your whimsy. You can try. Let’s see if I keep my word."

He didn’t truly intend to frighten her this way; he only desperately wanted to hear her promise that she would never leave, that she’d stay.

Sour tears pooled in her eyes: "You’re a devil."

She choked up, looking at the gate not far away, so close yet so far away.

Avery Jane felt a chilling emptiness; even as she restrained herself and used all her strength to control it, she still trembled uncontrollably.

The scenery in front of her was picturesque, yet the small building at the Yates Family had already turned into a pile of rubble, seemingly burying her poor and humble hope alongside her heart, which felt as if it were gouged out, dulled by unbearable pain.

"You’d best erase everything from your past out of your mind, forget those memories, and quietly stay by my side, or you’ll suffer a hundred times more than today."

Joshua ended his sentence with a hoarse voice, his gaze sinister, before bending down to pick her up and moving towards the second-floor bedroom.

"Sleep a while and call me when you wake up. Maybe I’ll be merciful enough to let you take a look. But for now, you must listen to me and sleep, hmm?"

His voice deep, laced with threat, Avery Jane gave him a dull look before slowly pulling up the quilt, burying herself inside it like a turtle withdrawing into its shell to escape external threats.

Joshua looked at the heap of fluffy white bedding silently; she was so petite that when she hid inside it, it seemed as though she disappeared.

Joshua Hughes went downstairs and picked up the phone to dial out.

Arthur Yates was in the study; he had already contacted several higher-ranking relatives from the Hughes Family’s collateral branches and was ready to continue applying pressure on Joshua Hughes.

He didn’t want to wait another ten months.

The time was too long; who could guarantee that his daughter’s child would be born safely? Even a single inadvertent misstep might lead to an accident, so only by holding the wedding first would it be the safest, allowing him to let go of his worries.

The phone’s incoming call alert excited him.

It was Joshua Hughes calling. Could it be that he was already coming to propose marriage?

Previously, he heard that Joshua Hughes’ father gave Madam Hughes five percent of the Hughes Clan’s shares as a betrothal gift, so Joshua should only give more rather than less?

Five percent of the Hughes Clan, transformed into cash, was an astronomical sum, his greedy eyes glowing green. He answered the call.

"Joshua, what’s the matter?"

Arthur Yates no longer called him Mr. Hughes and directly called him Joshua. This person was about to become his son-in-law, and calling him Mr. Hughes seemed distant.

"Who let you tear down Avery Jane’s house?" The voice on the other end was cold as if it came from the Rakshasa Domain in Inferno.

"Joshua, we just wanted to build a nursery here for the child. Evelyn will always return to her parental home in the future."

Arthur Yates, a crafty fox, clearly sensed Joshua Hughes’ displeasure, the oppressive chill rushing through the phone, making people shiver.

"Since she likes the Yates Family so much, let her stay at the Yates Family home."

Joshua Hughes recalled how the woman was acting crazy and hysterical this morning. She was his woman, exclusively his, and no one else could bully her; anyone who defied would pay dearly.

"Joshua, Evelyn is already carrying your child. You should indulge her more. She’s just being a little headstrong without any malice. Besides, since Avery Jane is with you, can she return to the Yates Family? That building indeed was useless."

Arthur Yates realized Joshua Hughes was not joking. Sweat beads slowly emerged from his forehead in this freezing cold winter.

"Reconstruct it to the original state within a month, exactly the same, using the same materials, not one thing less. Or, you can build a new house there for your daughter to live in. It’s your choice."

Joshua Hughes laughed coldly, and this crafty fox was truly pushing it to the limit, creating trouble for himself. If Avery Jane’s house was to be torn down, it had to be by him, and no one else could interfere.

Arthur Yates fell back into his chair in the study, looking out the window at the backyard garden. It was halfway demolished, and workers were organizing and transporting things out. He abruptly stood up and rushed out quickly.

Joshua Hughes said not one thing could be missing, and he wasn’t joking.

"Stop it, stop it now!" Arthur Yates stood in front of the workers, loudly reprimanding.

"None of the items can be lost, not a single brick can be lost; rebuild it exactly as before, not a bit changed."

Arthur Yates frantically ordered, leaving the workers baffled, unsure of what exactly to do.

This family was truly strange. Yesterday, they asked people to demolish the house, and today they’re asking to rebuild it exactly as before. What’s this, flaunting wealth?

Harper Johnson cautiously supported Evelyn Yates, leading her inside while proudly saying, "I hired the best designer to design it, and this nursery will definitely be the most beautiful."

Evelyn Yates smiled, with the little life growing inside her; it didn’t matter what she did now.

She had long wanted to take down this building. It was so unsightly.

Now she’s here just to see this building reduced to rubble, truly satisfying.

It’s said that a good mood is crucial for the baby’s growth; henceforth, she wanted to do whatever she pleased, and no one could stop her, as she was now pregnant with Joshua Hughes’ child.

"Why haven’t you torn it down?" As she walked into the courtyard, Evelyn Yates saw from a distance that the workers had stopped, asking coldly.