Chapter 44 She Is My Woman
“Are you leaving or not?” When he realized that Abigail wasn’t following him, Greg stopped in his tracks and turned around with his head tilted. The look on his face that resembled that of a ruffian stunned her. Not only that, the unfamiliar feelings that rose within her made her frown.
“Of course. Can you at least be a gentleman and help support my weight, though?”
“What?” Greg became startled.
Abigail didn’t want to appear weak in front of this man, but as she listened to the noises outside, she uttered dispassionately, “I’ve lost a lot of blood, and I feel dizzy now.”
Greg was astonished, for he never expected that the arrogant Abigail would show her weakness to him. With his lips curving into a charming smile, he walked over and carried her up.
An astounded Abigail instinctively attempted to struggle, only to hear the man saying impassively, “Don’t blame it on me if you fall to the ground.”
Upon hearing that, she stopped struggling. They had even done the most intimate thing together, so it’d be awkward if she still refused to let him carry her up. At the thought of this, she became at ease and rested her head against the man’s chest. After getting into a comfortable position, she felt less dizzy.
Despite the fact that only her hair came into contact with Greg’s shirt, he still felt itchy, and there were some other feelings spreading in his heart. This woman… He looked down, and upon discovering that she seemed to be enjoying herself, he felt pleased for some reason. I love how obedient she appears now. At the thought of this, he kicked the door open and stepped out of the ancestral hall with the woman in his arms.
Stanley, Old Madam Mortimer, and the others had rushed over to this place, only to see Abigail resting in a man’s arms. In an instant, Old Madam Mortimer became infuriated. “B*stard! How dare you do such a shameless thing in the ancestral hall! You’re really Adeline’s daughter! What a sl*t!”
Abigail never intended to meet Old Madam Mortimer as she was worried that her bad temper would make her maternal grandmother feel displeased. However, it never crossed her mind that she would bump right into her. What was more, her maternal grandmother was a sharp-tongued person. She shot a glance at the old madam, who was trembling in fury, and uttered dispassionately, “You’re Old Madam Mortimer, right? Consider yourself lucky as I’m not going to sue you for illegal confinement. Do you still expect me to abide by the rules in this village? I’m not from this village, so what makes you think you can force me to obey your orders?”
Upon hearing that, Old Madam Mortimer was rendered speechless. Her chest was heaving as she was apparently incensed.
“Mr. Buckley, you…” Meanwhile, Stanley was frustrated upon seeing that. What should I do? Before he left, he had told Greg not to make any rash moves, but he had forgotten that Greg wouldn’t follow anyone’s arrangements.
“Do you know him, Stanley?” Old Madam Mortimer shot him a glare.
In an instant, Stanley stiffened. “Mom, he’s Mr. Buckley, the Fourth Young Master of Harrion.”
“I don’t care who he is. Since he is in Mortimer Village, he has to follow our rules. Abigail is that woman’s daughter. Your sister is still unmarried because of that woman, so her daughter has to be punished in her mother’s stead.”
“Why should I listen to you?” Abigail reckoned that Old Madam Mortiner had a false sense of authority due to her old age. Does she think she’s really on top of everything just because I’ve been putting up with her?
“This is Mortimer Village, and I’m the clan leader of this place. Is that a good enough reason?”
When he saw that the conflict between Old Madam Mortimer and Abigail was beginning to intensify, Greg frowned. “Just tell me what I have to do so that you’ll let her go.”
After he finished speaking, all of them fell silent.
“What’s wrong? Are you going to tell me that in this modern age, you still want to throw her into the river? In that case, I have many ways to make Mortimer Village disappear in this world. Do you believe me?” Greg uttered nonchalantly before he sported a meaningful smile.
On the other hand, Stanley was covered in cold sweat. Others didn’t know who Greg was, but he was fully aware of it. The fact that Greg was the Fourth Young Master of Harrion might not be intimidating enough. However, he was the overlord of the Dark Empire, so even if there were ten Mortimer Villages, they couldn’t go up against him.
Just as Old Madam Mortimer wanted to say something, Stanley quickly took her arm and whispered beside her ear. A myriad of expressions came over Old Madam Mortimer, then she gaped at Greg and said reluctantly, “I’ll show you some respect and give her a lighter punishment.”
“Spill it.”
“Fifty strokes of whip.”
Upon hearing that, Abigail was infuriated. “Do you think you’re the queen of this land? Fifty strokes? Why don’t you just beat me to death instead?”
“Do you think I don’t dare to do that?”
Seeing as the two of them were about to argue, Greg put down Abigail and took off his coat before placing it on her shoulders. Then, he uttered emotionlessly, “Take a seat somewhere and wait for me. I’ll get you out of this place later.”
“What are you trying to do?” Abigail had a bad feeling.
Instead of replying to her, Greg went on to take off his shirt. He revealed his lean upper body and uttered calmly, “Just whip me now. She is my woman, so I’ll get punished in her stead. Hurry up, for we still have other things to do.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he turned around and shuffled into the ancestral hall.
Abigail was dumbfounded. What is this man doing? What does he mean that I’m her woman? “Greg, come back here! What are you doing? Who allowed you to do that?”
She got up and tried to stop him, but she was pulled back by Stanley. “Let go of me!”
Her eyes were cold, and her fury seemed to have transformed into an invisible sword as it shot toward Stanley, who was evidently surprised. It seems that my niece is really something. However, he didn’t release her as he said in a small voice, “You don’t get it. The whip is covered in barbs. You’ll be doomed if you get struck by it fifty times.”
“What?!” Abigail widened her eyes in disbelief. If Greg was struck by a barbed whip, he would be covered in blood. “No! You can’t do that to him! We’re not related in any way!”
She was about to continue shouting when Stanley directly covered her mouth. “Trust me. Mr. Buckley can endure it, but you definitely can’t. Listen to me and close your eyes. It’ll be over quickly. This is the only way Mr. Buckley can take you away from here safely, and this is also the only way to resolve the feud between your mother and her family members. Do you want the feud to go on forever?” he uttered in a hushed voice.
Abigail acknowledged that she didn’t want her mother to be rootless, but she couldn’t let Greg get punished in her stead. This was her matter, and she didn’t want to owe that man anything. Just when she wanted to do something, her wrist was clenched by Stanley, whereupon a sense of numbness came over her. In an instant, she lost all her energy.
“You…” She was flabbergasted.
Stanley stared fixedly at Greg without looking at the woman. When she saw Greg standing up for Abigail, Old Madam Mortimer couldn’t help but ask, “How do we know that she’s really your woman? How can you prove it?”
“Old Madam, you’re pretty interesting. The fact that I’ve come all the way here to fetch her is the best proof. No other woman in Harrion can make me do that. If you still don’t believe me, our daughter is four years old now. Do you want to meet her?”
When she heard him mention their daughter at this point, Abigail was frustrated. “Greg, don’t drag my daughter into this.”
“Stanley, help me cover her mouth. This woman is timid. I’m worried that I’ll feel annoyed when she starts crying later,” Greg said to Stanley without gazing at Abigail.
Understanding what he meant, Stanley directly pressed his palm against her mouth.
“Mmm! Mmm…” Abigail wanted to kill these two men, but she was unable to do that. It never crossed her mind that she would be defeated in this place.
Seeing that she had fallen silent, Greg turned to look at Old Madam Mortimer and uttered, “Are you going to punish me? If not, I’ll leave this place with her now.”
“Get ready!” Over the years, Old Madam Mortimer had been so vexed because her youngest daughter remained unmarried after what her eldest daughter did. Thus, she had to get revenge for her youngest daughter.
Upon receiving the order, someone came over with a whip.
When Abigail saw the whip, she started struggling violently. Unfortunately, she was unable to struggle out of Stanley’s grip no matter how hard she tried. She could only watch as the barbed whip struck Greg’s back. As the sound of the whip breaking through the air was heard, Greg grunted. Instantly, a blood mark appeared on his back, and the flesh around his wound rolled up.
Abigail shuddered, and as she looked at Greg, she realized that the man was gritting his teeth without showing any emotions on his face. However, her eyes became bloodshot when she saw the wounds on his back, for the executor spared no effort in lashing the man’s body. At that instant, a metallic tang permeated the entire ancestral hall.
Tears started moistening Abigail’s eyes as she felt heartbroken for the man. Ever since she was a young kid, no one had ever stood up for her or gotten punished in her stead. Was this man out of his mind? They were not related in any way. On that night five years ago, she was the one who had forced herself upon him, so he owed her nothing.
Abigail suppressed her tears, watching as the whip repeatedly struck the man’s blood-soaked back. It was as if the whip had actually struck her heart instead as the pain seeped into her bones. At the same time, she felt touched and some other unfamiliar feelings rose within her for no reason.
Even after the executor was done with all fifty strokes, Greg was still standing in the ancestral hall with a straight back. All of their gazes changed as they looked at him in disbelief. Greg took a deep breath and uttered calmly, “Come support my weight. I can’t carry you up and leave this place anymore.”
Stanley immediately released Abigail upon hearing that, whereas the woman shot toward Greg and felt his pulse. He was panting heavily, so it was apparent that he was trying his hardest to suppress his pain.
“I’ll bring you out of here!” With bloodshot eyes, Abigail turned her head and shot a glare at Old Madam Mortimer and Amelia. “Are you happy now? Whatever my mother has done or owes you, we’re even now!”
Old Madam Mortimer was shocked by Abigail’s appearance. The young woman’s eyes were as dead as a pool of stagnant water, allowing no one to see through her. However, her gaze was able to make anyone looking at her feel apprehensive.
