Christian’s lips twisted in fury, his eyes dark and merciless. His grip tightened, keeping Ryan’s head submerged as his frantic splashes slowed. Ryan’s arms flapped desperately, but soon, they began to slow... then stop.

Ryan’s mother shrieked in terror, her sobs piercing through the night.

At that moment, an old man burst into the backyard, panting heavily, a walking stick in his grip. His eyes widened in horror. “Evans! Let go of him! What the hell do you think you’re doing, barging into the Walker estate?!”

Christian didn’t even flinch. His gaze remained cold, unbothered by Marty Walker, Ryan’s grandfather’s furious rant.

Marty grew more agitated, his face twisting with panic as he rushed toward Christian. But before he could reach him, Christian’s men grabbed hold of him, restraining him.

"Christian, our families have worked together in this industry for generations! Do you really want to ruin this relationship by killing one of our own?!" Marty shouted, struggling against the grip of Christian’s men. "Let go of Ryan! How can you even think of killing him? Has your father not taught you what our relationship means? If anything happens to Ryan tonight, I swear I’ll ruin your family!"

"Mr. Walker." Before Christian could respond, Larry spoke up, his tone firm yet cautious, knowing that Marty’s words were only fueling Christian’s anger. "It was Ryan who pushed Christian’s wife into the pool tonight. She can’t swim. She almost lost her life because of him. How do you plan on explaining this to Christian’s father when he finds out that your grandson nearly murdered his daughter-in-law?"

Marty visibly shuddered. Christian’s wrath was terrifying—but his father’s? That was on another level. If he found out that Ryan had tried to kill his son’s wife, he wouldn’t care about any ties or relationships. The Evans family had never put business above blood. Their loyalty ran deep, but so did their fury. If someone hurt their own, there would be no mercy. And it wouldn’t just be Ryan who paid the price—the entire Walker family would be wiped out.

If Ryan had succeeded in killing Christian’s wife tonight, the Walker’s wouldn’t have seen the sun rise the next morning. Their name would have been wiped from existence without a trace.

Christian yanked Ryan’s head out of the water. He was now unconscious. Christian delivered a harsh slap across his face.Ryan coughed loudly, gasping as he regained consciousness. But just as Ryan gasped for air, Christian smirked and shoved his head back into the water.

"No! Wait!" Marty panicked, stepping forward immediately. He raised his hands in surrender, his previous arrogance completely gone. "Let him go!" His tone softened, pleading now. "I’ll send him out of the country tonight. He’ll never step foot in Manhattan again, I swear. I promise. Just let him live."

Christian’s gaze remained cold and blank.

Marty hesitated, then hurriedly held up the cane in his hand, offering it to Christian. "Here. Punish him with this. Beat him until your anger disappears. Just let him live, Christian—for the sake of our families. I’ll owe you a favor, and I’ll repay it.”

Christian’s eyes flickered to the thick cane. Then, he finally released Ryan, shoving his head back with force. Ryan collapsed into the water, gasping for air, his body trembling violently. A servant immediately rushed over, dragging Ryan out of the pool and laying him on the ground. He heaved, coughing uncontrollably, his eyes red and swollen from lack of oxygen.

Christian rose to his feet, his expression void of emotion, and marched over to Marty. He snatched the cane from the old man’s hands. Then, without hesitation, he turned back and he swung it, striking Ryan’s chest.

Ryan cried out in pain, collapsing to the ground. But Christian didn’t stop. The next strike came just as fast, landing on his side. Then another. And another. Each hit was brutal, sending waves of pain through Ryan’s already weakened body. His screams of agony echoed in the night as the cane landed over and over again.

Only after twenty blows did Christian finally toss the cane onto the ground, turning to Marty with an icy stare.

Ryan’s mother stood frozen, horror plastered across her face as she stared at her son in panic. Marty was equally ashen, his worry evident.

Christian didn’t spare them a glance. He stormed past Marty, his voice eerily calm as he declared, "Get him out of here by tomorrow if you want to keep him alive. If not, I’ll take care of him myself."

Then, he walked out, his men releasing their captives before leaving the Walker estate in eerie silence.

Chapter 33 A Lie

Christian drove home, the adrenaline still thrumming through his veins. But as he stepped inside, expecting silence and darkness, he found Ivy sitting on the couch, casually scrolling through her phone.

The moment she saw him, she set her phone aside and stood up. "You’re back?"

"Why are you still awake?" Christian frowned, worry flickering in his eyes as he approached her and sat down beside her on the couch.

Ivy’s gaze dropped to his hands. There were fresh scratches on his knuckles.

Her brows knitted in concern as she reached for his hand, gently holding it. "What did you do? How did you get hurt?"

Christian watched her delicate fingers as they carefully traced over his bruised knuckles. The concern in her eyes for him made him happy.

Smirking, he let out a dramatic groan and rolled up his sleeve. "Look, I’m hurt here too." He showed her the faint finger marks and scratches along his arm, remnants of Ryan’s desperate struggle to escape.

Ivy’s concern deepened. She quickly stood up and hurried to grab the first-aid kit, her heart pounding with urgency.Retrieving it from the cabinet, she rushed back, her grip tight around the box.

As she reached him, she moved to sit beside him, but before she could lower herself onto the couch, Christian’s strong hands gripped her waist and pulled her onto his lap, catching her off guard.