�Miss Everheart,� Briar said sorrowfully, �you can attack and mock me however you like, but please don�t insult my baby!�

�I�m not insulting anyone�s baby,� argued Renee exasperatedly. �I�m merely stating the facts. If a baby is born to a mistress isn�t illegitimate, then what is it? A prince?�

�I��.� Briar was stunned speechless, and all she could think of was to keep up her act as the innocent victim.

�Stefan and I love each other,� she said tremulously. �And since that is the case, it is the one who is not loved who should be called the mistress!�

�Don�t waste your time with her, Bri! The only way to deal with shameless people like her is with violence!� Charlotte snarled, lifting her hand to slap Renee�s face.

However, right before the slap landed, someone grabbed her hand.

�Damn it, who has the nerve to get in my way-�

Charlotte immediately shut her mouth when she recognized who was behind her, and the blood drained from her face. �Mr� Mr. Osborne.�

Liam was clad in a white suit. He looked as elegant as a prince from a fairy tale, and was so enchanting that it was difficult to look away from him.

�Did you take the wrong pills today, Miss Milford? Why are you in such a rotten mood?� Although Liam looked at Charlotte with a faint smile on his face, his sharp gaze clearly warned her how dangerous she was.

Don�t you know the consequences of stepping out of line when you are in the Osborne family�s territory?� He asked again.

�What� What consequences?� Charlotte had long harbored unrequited feelings for Liam. At that moment, she was so embroiled in shame and fear that she did not even dare to meet Liam�s eyes.

�Those who talk nonsense will have their tongues cut off, and those who wrongfully hurt others will have their hands chopped off!� Liam sald cheerfully.

�Wh-What?!� Charlotte�s face turned deathly pale as soon as she heard those words. Her knees buckled and she fell straight to the ground.

�Don�t forget that you�re from a good family of high standing, Miss Milford. You should take care to behave appropriately in public, otherwise you�ll only bring shame to the Milford family.�

As soon as he finished speaking. Liam dropped Charlotte�s hand.

Charlotte, now humiliated and enraged, hastily tried to explain herself, �But you don�t understand, Mr. Osborne! It was all because of this woman�s filthy mouth! She�s sly and wicked. She knows full well that my cousin doesn�t want her around anymore, but she still clings to him and won�t let him go! She clearly. wants to keep draining the Hunt family�s fortune!�

�What�s even more disgusting.� Charlotte continued, �is that she even has the nerve to call the baby in Briar�s belly, my cousin�s baby, illegitimate! I was only trying to teach this worthless woman a lesson! What�s wrong with that?�

Liam�s gaze turned colder and colder, until at last he sternly warned her, �Did you think that I was joking. when I said people who talk nonsense will have their tongues cut off, Miss Milford?�

Charlotte quickly took two steps back, away from Liam. She was so frightened that she dared not even utter another word. The Osborne family was considered the least powerful of the eight prominent families in Beach City, but nonetheless, their power and influence were not something to be trifled with. The Osborne family was renowned for their connections and involvement in the black market, so Charlotte understood perfectly that Liam�s talk of cutting people�s tongues and hands off was not just a joke. JrNovels.com