When Simon Lancaster heard what his department head said, his already dispirited expression turned even paler. He bowed his head low as if overwhelmed, looking like he wanted to bury it in his chest.

His mind was a battlefield of conflicting thoughts.

He wanted to tell the department head that the child in Sylvia Lancaster’s womb wasn’t his. Although he and Sylvia had been close, they had never crossed that line.

If he just said it, he might have a chance to stay at Rhodes.

But he was also afraid that if he really said it, Ethan Sutton’s family would go after Sylvia Lancaster again to find the "other man"...

After being discharged from the hospital, Sylvia Lancaster had called Simon Lancaster. On the phone, she told him that she had been kidnapped by thugs who had forced themselves on her, which was how she ended up pregnant.

Sylvia Lancaster had begged Simon Lancaster on the phone, pleading with him not to tell anyone about the horrible incident. She told him that if anyone found out she had been raped by those thugs, she wouldn’t be able to go on living.

Hearing this, Simon Lancaster’s heart had ached for her. He comforted Sylvia Lancaster, promising he would keep her secret and would claim the child was his if anyone asked.

’If I tell the department head about this now,’ Simon Lancaster thought, ’he’ll definitely tell the whole story to the Suttons, who came here to report me. I’m afraid that would just cause Sylvia a second round of trauma.’

So Simon Lancaster kept his head down, remaining silent. For a moment, the office was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Seeing this, the department head tried to persuade him again. "Lancaster, don’t be so stubborn. Firing you was a decision from the top; no one can change it. Besides, if this whole thing blows up, it won’t be good for you. You’re better off resigning on your own."

He wasn’t afraid Simon Lancaster would cause a scene. A company like Rhodes had plenty of ways to deal with troublesome employees.

But having worked with Simon Lancaster for some time, he knew the man was competent. He had originally planned to find an opportunity to promote him once the previous incident blew over, but he never expected something like this to happen.

It was only out of a desire not to waste talent that he offered the extra advice. He hoped Simon Lancaster would be sensible enough to leave with his dignity intact and not make things ugly.

Under the department head’s scrutinizing gaze, Simon Lancaster ultimately kept Sylvia Lancaster’s story to himself.

He just nodded silently and turned to leave the office.

After walking out of the office, Simon Lancaster returned to his desk and quietly began to pack his things.

His colleagues must have heard what happened. Not a single one came forward to comfort him; they all looked at him with contempt.

Frustrated and aggrieved, Simon Lancaster could only silently speed up his packing.

While carrying his things out of Rhodes, Simon Lancaster saw Holly Rhodes in the elevator, someone he hadn’t seen in a long time.

The moment their eyes met, the smile on Holly Rhodes’s face vanished.

Simon Lancaster looked away awkwardly. He didn’t want Holly Rhodes to see him in such a pathetic state.

But Holly Rhodes paid him no mind at all. When the elevator reached her floor, she picked up her handbag and walked straight out.

After breaking up with Simon Lancaster, Holly Rhodes had started dating a new boyfriend, introduced to her by the elders of the Rhodes Family.

Her current boyfriend came from an ordinary background. He didn’t have Simon Lancaster’s family connections or his good looks; he was just a recent graduate student.

But he was highly skilled in his field and a diligent worker, well-regarded by the upper management at Rhodes. He never asked Holly Rhodes to pull strings or introduce him to contacts, saying he wanted to rely on his own abilities and work his way up, step by step.

More importantly, he only had eyes for Holly Rhodes. When they started talking about marriage, he handed over his salary card and told her with a smile, "From now on, I’ll have to trouble my dear wife to manage our home!"

He remembered her likes and dislikes and learned to cook her favorite dishes. When Holly Rhodes was on her period and couldn’t sleep from the pain, he would hold her all night, dazedly rubbing her stomach.

The two of them had friction now and then, but he would always wait until after Holly Rhodes had vented her anger and calmed down before patiently talking things through with her...

Holly Rhodes knew that some people had privately told her boyfriend that he was being a "simp," that such a relationship was unhealthy.

But Holly Rhodes’s boyfriend would just say that she was very good to him too. She learned to cook for him, helped him improve his style, and put a lot of thought into picking out gifts for him.

He cherished every single thing Holly Rhodes did for him in their relationship.

After dating him, Holly Rhodes realized that the last thing she wanted was a man like Simon Lancaster, who thought so highly of himself.

A handsome face, a powerful family background, the air of a young master—none of that stuff was what you needed to build a good life together.

Holly Rhodes and her current boyfriend were already discussing marriage. Having rid herself of her unlucky ex-boyfriend, Simon Lancaster, she felt like her life was only getting better and better!

******

After Simon Lancaster left, his department head went to the reception room where Ethan Sutton’s mother was still waiting.

The department head put on a professional smile for Mrs. Sutton and said, "Ma’am, we have verified your complaint. The employee, Simon Lancaster, has been terminated. Our company promises you that we will never rehire him." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Mrs. Sutton nodded. Her eyes were cold and filled with hatred. Simply getting Simon Lancaster fired was nowhere near enough to quench her rage!

The night before last, Mr. and Mrs. Sutton were woken by a frantic pounding on their door. They rushed out to check and found their son, Ethan Sutton, unconscious on their doorstep.

At the time, Ethan Sutton’s eyes were tightly shut, his face was deathly pale, his lips were drained of all color, and his forehead was covered in a cold sweat. Terrified, Mr. and Mrs. Sutton immediately rushed him to the hospital.

At the hospital, the doctor delivered news that struck them like a bolt from the blue—Ethan Sutton’s genitals had been completely severed. Everything was gone, with nothing left behind.

Fortunately, the bleeding had been stopped in time, and his parents had gotten him to the hospital right away. Otherwise, Ethan Sutton might not have survived.

Upon hearing the news, Mr. Sutton had a heart attack. His eyes rolled back in his head, and he fainted, only to be rushed off by doctors for emergency treatment.

Mrs. Sutton, overwhelmed with shock and rage, wanted to faint too, but she couldn’t. She had to stay conscious. Mr. Sutton and Ethan Sutton still needed her to take care of them.

So she could only suppress her panic and fury and look after her unconscious husband and son.

Ethan Sutton remained unconscious for a day and a night, only slowly waking up this morning.

Mrs. Sutton rushed to his side, asking him what had happened.

Ethan Sutton seemed as if he hadn’t yet escaped the nightmare of that night, his face a mask of fear and confusion.

Then, trembling, he told his mother what he had endured.

Perhaps due to the emotional turmoil, or perhaps because he couldn’t accept the reality of his own castration now that he was awake, Ethan Sutton passed out again after finishing his story.

Once Mrs. Sutton learned the full story, she was filled with shock and rage. She immediately went to the police station to file a report. Although she had no evidence, it turned out that Raymond Hayes had already been arrested by the police for other matters, so this case could be tried along with the others.

After leaving the police station, Mrs. Sutton thought it over and decided she couldn’t let the Lancaster Family off the hook either.

She couldn’t find Sylvia Lancaster, so she went to Simon Lancaster’s workplace to expose what he and Sylvia had done.

Right now, the Lancaster Family was penniless and relied entirely on Simon Lancaster to get by. With his job gone, she refused to believe the Lancasters had any way of surviving.

Her goal accomplished, Mrs. Sutton had no intention of lingering. She picked up the handbag she had set aside and turned to leave.