12 Save your breath and talk to my attorney.

Henry couldn't stand Jean's insolence anymore. He raised his hand and slapped Jean across her face. The sound from the slap was so loud that it echoed through the quite halls of the villa and its surroundings.

Henry's action infuriated Zed. His eyes widened and his handsome face contorted with rage. Despite what Jean's father had done, Zed had to sit quietly in the car and watch.

Zed had parked in a space that was not clearly visible from the door of the villa. However,everything being said by Shirley, Henry, and Jean could be clearly heard. At this moment, Henry was abusing and cursing Jean.

"Jean, I am giving you one last opportunity to avoid embarrassing yourself. And this will be the last chance I give you to secure that land for me. We have come to admit our mistakes. And your sister, Shirley has already apologized to you. What else do you want? Just tell me what on earth you could possibly want in exchange. I will try to get it for you so long as you ask Zed to give me that piece of land." Obviously, Henry could no longer control himself.

Jean's face burned from the impact of the slap and from humiliation. She buried her face in her hands. She could feel thehot sting of tears as they trickled down her face.

Although Jean had already known that it would end like this, she was still expecting that her father would be a little kinder to her.

'Jean, how silly you are!' Jean thought to herself, 'How quickly you forgot the insults you received in your father's house last night. You should not have longed for your father's approval.'

Henry was so upset with Jean that he could barely breathe. He placed a hand on his chest to calm his breathing. It seemed as though he was undergoing untold suffering and pain.

Shirley seized the opportunity to sharply criticize Jean for being disobedient and making their father suffer.

"Sister, I know you hate us deeply. But our father is getting older and weaker. You should not treat him like this. If you want, vent your anger and hatred on me. You know that our father has tried so hard and made so many sacrifices to get that land. Even his health deteriorated in the process. How can you be so hardhearted? Why do you want to continue to hurt him and make him suffer?" Shirley pretended to be a considerate and caring daughter. She listed Jean's wrongdoings out of malice, while gently comforting Henry with back pats.

Jean tried to contain her emotions. She fought to stop her tears from running down her ace. After taking a deep breath, she placed a bitter smile on her face before looking at Shirley. Jean pitied herself for having such a family.

"Are you quite finished?" she asked Shirley. "If you came here just to show me this performance, then I am sorry to tell you, I am not interested in your excuses. Get out of here! Or I will call the police!" said Jean.

The only thing Jean wanted to do in this moment was to slam the door and separate herself from her disgusting father and half-sister. Only by doing so, could mean clam down

Since there was nothing left to say, Jean decided to shut the door. Henry stopped her. He offered a very expensive health-care food product that he had brought to please Zed. Jean had considered her father to be shameless. With this act, he had shown how far he would go. Jean was disappointed with his behavior.

Jean shook her head and refused to take her father's gifts. It was this move that completely angered Henry.

Henry quickly reached forward and violently pulled Jean out of the villa.

Jean did not expect this to happen. In an instant, pain exploded across all injuries covering her body. Along with the pain, Jean felt extremely distressed. Taken completely off-guard, she almost fell when Henry pulled her. She stumbled and tried to balance herself but the sudden movements left her feeling dizzy.

Just when Jean thought she would fall, strong arms held her steady.

Even without looking at her savior, Jean was sure that Zed had come to her rescue.

"I am going to beat you to death..."

Henry stopped midway when he saw Zed.

Enfolded in Zed's arms, Jean finally felt safe. She trembled as relief flooded her. Zed felt her body shake and a deep sense of protectiveness coursed through him. His heart melted.

Zed stayed silent. Consumed by worry for Jean, he took a moment to inspect his wife. He remembered thinking that she had changed. With the way that she had handled herself earlier, he thought she wouldn't let her family abuse her. Judging from the bruise on her face, he knew that she remained unchanged and was still pure enough to be hurt by her malicious family.

Jean's left cheek was red and swollen. And a hand print was clearly visible on her fair face. Zed furrowed his eyebrows as he thought of how much pain Jean must be feeling. It was almost as if he could feel her pain.

Jean did not remember how many times Zed had frowned since their marriage. Usually he frowned when she said or did something that troubled him. This time, however, she was happy and grateful that the frown was because he was worried about her. That consoled Jean.

"Zed, I think there must be some misunderstanding between us. I don't know what my daughter told you, which made you terminate the land transfer process."

Since Zed would determine whether or not the land would be transferred, Henry had to play nice. Even though he was extremely upset, Henry had to hold back his anger and show some respect to Zed.

However, Zed did not pay any attention to Henry. His focus was on Jean's cheek. Henry realized that he should not have slapped Jean. He had a presentiment that it would become far more difficult for him to regain that land.

"Let us go inside. I am going to ice your cheek." Zed said in a soft tone. Zed was surprised by his concern and the gentleness he was showing toward Jean. Although he knew he cared about her, the magnitude of his feelings toward Jean startled Zed.

After hearing what Zed said and seeing Zed's worried expression, Shirley, who was standing on the side, became resentful. She envied Jean for having such a considerate, handsome, and rich husband. So she scowled at Jean.

If the hatred in Shirley's eyes could kill, Jean would have died hundreds of thousands of times.

Jean was well aware of what Shirley was thinking simply by the look her half-sister was giving her.

However, she just ignored Shirley. She no longer wished to be involved.

Jean found that she couldn't bring herself to speak. She gave a curt nod to let Zed know that she was ready to leave.

Shirley watched this silent dialogue between Jean and Zed. Having understood her sister's intentions, she decided to speak up.

"Sister, you can't go. If you leave without settling this, how will father get the land?"

Shirley knew that talking about the land at a time like this might annoy Zed, but she just could not let such a good opportunity slip from her fingers. If Jean left now, and in this mood, it would be impossible for them to regain that piece of land.

More importantly, if she missed speaking up, Shirley was afraid that she would never find another chance to talk to Zed.

Shirley was of the opinion that Zed and Jean had gotten married only for commercial purposes. They did not love each other and would get divorced later.

Zed was so extraordinary and charming. He would never fall in love with Jean, who was absolutely no good.

Shirley had convinced herself that some benefit would come from speaking with Zed. She was absolutely certain that Zed and Jean's relationship was not real.

At this point, Zed wrapped a protective arm around Jean's shoulder before leading her into the villa.

Henry froze when he realized that he had lost all chances of getting that land. Zed was indifferent to everything the Wen family had to say.

Fortunately, after Shirley said Jean's name, Zed stopped.

Henry's hopes soared as he thought Zed's reaction might be an indicator that he would reconsider his previous decision.

"Zed, there are some misunderstandings between me and Jean." Henry was quick to offer an apologetic excuse for his actions. Perhaps a little humility would sway Zed completely.

Zed spoke with a cold tone, "Save your breath and talk to my attorney. We will determine whether or not this was a misunderstanding at a later date when we review the recording from the cameras placed outside my villa."

Zed continued into the villa after his statement. Even before Henry and Shirley could process what Zed had said, the door in front of them was slammed shut.