The Ex-Wife's Redemption: A Love Reborn Chapter 232

The already cramped room felt even more confined with the addition of four burly men, an overwhelming sense of intimidation loomed before me.

"Who are you—"

I had barely begun to speak when a rough hand immediately covered my mouth, cutting off my question.

Strong arms yanked me away from the sleeping Billy.

I struggled desperately but couldn't break free as they dragged me out of the room. I didn't even get a chance to see their faces clearly before being hauled into a completely empty room—no furniture, no windows, just bare walls.

The four men surrounded me like sentinels. Their size was terrifying—each towered over me by at least a foot, with shoulders twice the width of mine.

Remembering the wealthy woman's warning from earlier today, I mustered the courage to speak.

"What do you think you're doing?" I demanded sharply, trying to mask my fear with anger. "This is a police station! What you're doing is illegal!"

When they had dragged me here, their strength was frightening—I was completely outmatched. If they wanted to kill me, it would be effortless.

One of them bent down, roughly lifting my chin with his fingers. His smile never reached his eyes, which remained cold—like a snake sizing up its prey.

"Refusing to apologize, are we?" he said softly, his dirty, hot breath hitting my face.

"Then we'll have some fun with you. Don't worry, we won't hit you or yell at you. We just want to take some... pictures. After all, everyone wants to see what Henry Harding's wife looks like, don't they?"

As they exchanged jokes, their hands reached for my clothing.

Panic surged through me. I felt like a trapped animal, fighting with every ounce of strength I had left.

At Maple Grove across town, Henry suddenly clutched his chest, a sharp pain interrupting his work, feeling as if someone was stabbing his heart with a knife.

Henry collapsed back into his chair, gasping for air. With trembling fingers, he fumbled for the medication his doctor had prescribed, dumping several pills into his mouth and swallowing them dry.

Twenty minutes passed before the pain finally began to subside.

Now, Henry's mind was filled with images of Sophia's face. That stubborn, foolish woman—what was happening to her now?

To be honest, he didn't want to see her. This woman who claimed to love him but had only been using him as a replacement. Whenever he thought about being nothing more than a substitute, disgust and anger bubbled up inside him.

He wanted to get revenge, to make her suffer as he was suffering. Yet he couldn't stop thinking about her. This torturous back-and-forth of love and hate had been going on for a week.

He was like a walking contradiction, swinging from one extreme to another, never finding peace.

After the pain subsided, his throbbing head finally cleared enough for rational thought. Sophia had been in the police station for over twenty-four hours now—surely she'd learned her lesson.

He called James. "How is she?" His voice was hoarse with fatigue.

James had already been asleep, his response confused: "Who are you asking about?"

Henry's eyebrows furrowed. "Who else would I be asking about?"

James quickly came to his senses: "Oh, you mean Mrs. Harding. She's still at the police station, with young Billy. The other party's demands are outrageous—they want her to kneel and apologize publicly in front of the media, plus pay them a million dollars in compensation. Knowing Mrs. Harding, she'll never agree to such unreasonable terms."

Henry's frown deepened. "Who exactly is behind this? They're quite bold!"

Did they think the Harding family was powerless? How dare they make such demands! He needed to know who had such audacity!

Hearing his boss's anger, James quickly responded: "It's the Smith family. They own the second-largest business conglomerate in the city. They've always opposed the Harding family. The recent drop in our stock prices was partly their doing."

"I've also discovered that their targeting of Mrs. Harding isn't an accident, it seems more premeditated—they actually appear to be aiming at you—"

Henry abruptly cut him off: "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

James felt a surge of frustration. Sir, you specifically told me not to mention her! Before he could express this, Henry's cold voice came through again.

"James, listen carefully: Be at Maple Grove in ten minutes, have the car ready. I'm going to the police station."

After hanging up, Henry slapped himself with his uninjured left hand.

"Useless Henry! Didn't you decide to stay out of that woman's business? Why are you still crawling back like a pathetic fool?"

He took a deep breath and pinched his palm hard.

"Sophia, this is the last time I'll help you."

New York had two powerful families: the Harding family and the Smith family.

The Harding family, led by William and Richard, was known for their unity. All branches of the family stuck together, and those allied with the Hardings prospered, never wanting for money or connections.

In contrast, the Smith family operated independently. Their patriarch, Oliver Smith, in his fifties, had a notorious past—he'd been involved with organized crime, had killed someone, and had served prison time.

No one knew exactly why he had committed murder, only that he'd served seven years and emerged with a sudden windfall. He used that money to build a business empire, gradually becoming the second most powerful family in the city.

Oliver seemed obsessed with targeting the Harding family, constantly undermining them both publicly and privately, the reasons unclear, sparking much speculation.

Fortunately, the Harding family had always conducted legitimate business, leaving no vulnerabilities to exploit.

For fifteen years, the Smith family had tried to bring them down, but this recent series of actions was the most brazen yet.

In the police station's interrogation room, a one-way mirror separated me from those despicable observers.

As the four men attempted to remove my clothing, a woman on the other side of the glass laughed with delight.

"Oliver, this bitch has some backbone. The more fiercely she resists, the more entertaining it will be for us!" Mia Young purred, leaning against the man beside her.

Oliver sat on a leather sofa, a cigar pinched between his fingers. He reached out to caress Mia's face. "Anyone who dares hurt our son will pay the price." He took another drag from his cigar. "Since she's connected to the Harding family, she deserves this treatment."

"Mia, anyone else can suffer, but never our son."

The woman called Mia snuggled closer, planting a kiss on Oliver's cheek. "I absolutely adore you, darling." She gave him a coy smile. "But you should thank me. If I hadn't come up with this plan for our son, could you have gotten someone from the Harding family here?"

Despite the presence of Oliver's bodyguards and police officers, Mia showed no restraint, draping herself seductively over him.

Oliver laughed heartily, boldly groping her chest. "Yes! I should thank you properly. Tonight in bed, I'll make sure you thoroughly enjoy yourself."

Oliver had an intimidating quality about him that clashed with his boisterous laughter. Combined with his provocative language, it made everyone else in the room too uncomfortable to look at him directly.

Mia playfully smacked his chest, feigning embarrassment. "Oliver! People are watching!"

He spread his arms wide, surveying everyone in the room. "Can any of you see anything?" Everyone kept their heads down, saying nothing.

Oliver smiled with satisfaction: "See? No one saw a thing."

On the other side of the mirror, I was completely helpless, clutching desperately at my clothing, determined not to let these men succeed.

But I was just one person with two hands against four men with eight.

Soon, they ruthlessly stripped away my down jacket.