Chapter 420 - 423: He Will Not Spare Anyone Who Bullies Her

In the lounge, Wren Sutton slept for over an hour before waking up naturally.

Her head no longer spun, the nausea in her stomach had subsided, and her vision was clear again. She finally felt normal, no longer in the agonizing discomfort she’d felt before.

"Wren, you’re finally awake. How are you feeling? Does anything still hurt?" Claire Sterling had been keeping watch by the sofa, observing Wren’s condition.

Wren Sutton turned her head to meet her mother-in-law’s worried gaze and called out, "Mom."

"I feel much better now. I’m just a little thirsty."

Hearing this, Claire Sterling immediately got up to pour some water.

Then, she gently helped Wren Sutton sit up and brought the glass to her lips.

"Here, drink slowly. Don’t rush."

Wren Sutton tilted her head back and downed the glass of water in one go, soothing her throat.

"Want some more? I’ll get you another glass."

"I’m okay."

Claire Sterling sat on the edge of the sofa, carefully studying Wren Sutton’s complexion, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"After the IV drip and some rest, you look to be in much better shape. It’s just that..."

Claire Sterling trailed off, not knowing how to explain things to Wren Sutton.

After the incident, she had sworn she would get justice for her daughter-in-law...

Seeing the frustration and gloom in her mother-in-law’s eyes, Wren Sutton had a good idea of what the outcome was.

"Mom, they didn’t find any hard evidence that Claire Bennett drugged my drink, did they?"

Claire Sterling froze. Guilt surged within her, and her tone was laced with unconcealable self-reproach.

"It’s my fault. I’m useless. I clearly saw her slip up, but she had already cleaned the residue from under her fingernails completely."

"Without concrete evidence, the police had to follow procedure and release her. I... I could only stand by and watch her leave. I couldn’t get justice for you on the spot. I’m so sorry you had to suffer like this."

She had lived for more than half a century and had never felt so utterly powerless.

Knowing full well who the culprit was, yet being forced to watch them get away scot-free.

Wren Sutton wasn’t surprised to hear this, nor did she show the slightest hint of resentment or grievance. Instead, she took her mother-in-law’s hand and began to comfort her.

"Mom, this isn’t your fault. I know you did your best. Claire Bennett is just that kind of cunning, insidious person. She seems gentle and humble, frail and harmless, but in reality, she’s meticulous to the extreme."

"Take today, for example. She calculated the perfect time to drug me, predicted that her nails would be checked, and planned ahead to clean them so she’d leave no evidence. Even if everyone suspects her, there’s nothing anyone can do."

"We can’t just detain her by force."

"So, this isn’t on you. Claire Bennett is just too good at faking it and destroying evidence. This time, she got lucky and slipped through our fingers again."

Claire Sterling looked at her daughter-in-law, who was so sensible it made her heart ache. She was the one who had been harmed and plotted against, yet she wasn’t complaining. Instead, she was calmly comforting her mother-in-law and trying to ease her mind.

She felt both relieved and vaguely unsettled.

"Claire Bennett getting away scot-free this time was a stroke of luck. I refuse to believe she’ll be that lucky every time."

"Revenge is a dish best served cold. We’re in no rush. We’ll investigate slowly, and we’ll be sure to dig up all her dirt."

Wren Sutton nodded. Just as she was about to say something, the door to the lounge was pushed open, and a tall, imposing figure strode in.

It was Adrian Lancaster.

His steps were frantic and rushed, his expression etched with unconcealable anxiety.

He had been at home, having estimated when the banquet would end, waiting for Wren Sutton to return. But he waited and waited with no sign of her, and no word by phone.

The later it got, the more his anxiety grew, feeling like a heavy stone pressing on his chest. Unable to sit still any longer, he decided to come to the Zenith Hotel to pick her up himself.

Adrian Lancaster had just entered the banquet hall when he happened to run into Mrs. Flynn.

He had amnesia and didn’t remember who Mrs. Flynn was, but she recognized him.

Mrs. Flynn knew what happened today couldn’t be kept secret, so she took the initiative to tell Adrian Lancaster everything.

After hearing the story, Adrian Lancaster’s face instantly darkened, and he began to radiate fury and a menacing aura.

Forgoing any pleasantries, he asked for the location of the lounge and hurried straight there.

"Adrian?! What are you doing here?" Claire Sterling stood up in surprise.

"You weren’t back yet, so I came over."

Adrian Lancaster spoke as he walked, stopping in front of the sofa to lean down and pull Wren Sutton into a hug.

"Wren, are you all right? Are you still in pain? Tell me." His voice was low and hoarse, filled with self-reproach and guilt.

If he had accompanied Wren Sutton to the hundred-day banquet today, no one would have dared to approach her or harm her.

"I’m sorry."

It was his fault. He hadn’t fulfilled his duties as a husband, hadn’t protected his own wife.

Wren Sutton trembled lightly in Adrian Lancaster’s arms and asked softly, "You know everything?"

Adrian Lancaster nodded. "I ran into Mrs. Flynn in the banquet hall. She told me everything."

He lowered his gaze, nuzzling the top of Wren Sutton’s head with aching tenderness, and hugged her even tighter.

"It’s all my fault. I wasn’t here in time to protect you, and you had to suffer so much."

Wren Sutton looked up and reached out to smooth Adrian Lancaster’s furrowed brow. She could see the worry and self-reproach in his eyes as clear as day.

"I don’t blame you. How could I? You didn’t know someone was trying to harm me."

Claire Sterling, who was standing to the side, couldn’t help but add, "The culprit is Claire Bennett. I’m not sure who called the police, but once they got involved, they had to release her due to a lack of hard evidence."

Adrian Lancaster’s eyes darkened, filled with a glacial chill as sharp as a blade.

"Her again."

He bit out the two words, his voice thick with long-suppressed fury.

To think that woman would dare to make a move on Wren Sutton so brazenly, at a public event like the Flynn family’s hundred-day banquet.

It seems the warning I gave her at the hospital was too lenient.

"Since Claire Bennett is doubling down and shows no remorse, I won’t go easy on her this time."

"I can’t do anything to her without concrete evidence. But as for dealing with the Bennett Family, I have my ways."

Claire Sterling nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly. "You’re right, Adrian. Do what you have to do. I’ll support you with everything I have. We absolutely cannot let the Bennett Family off easily."

"Claire Bennett is only so brazen because she has the Bennett Family backing her, which makes her feel untouchable. Since the Bennett family condones her evil, they will pay the price." With that, Adrian Lancaster took out his phone and dialed his assistant, Kevin Dawson.

"President Lancaster, what are your instructions?"

"Immediately begin a full-scale assault on the Bennett Group."

His voice was utterly devoid of warmth—cold, ruthless, and resolute.

The Lancaster and Bennett families had no direct business dealings or partnerships.

"Unite all our allied consortiums to completely block the Bennett Family’s investment and financing channels. Sever their capital supply chain."

"Dig deep into the Bennett Group’s internal weaknesses, accounting problems, and any non-compliant projects. Use our connections to pressure all their major partners, banks, and cooperative channels to tighten their policies across the board."

"I want the Bennett Family’s capital to collapse, their projects to stall, and their business to be completely paralyzed. Within seven days, force them into bankruptcy and liquidation, with no chance of ever getting back on their feet."

But dealing with the Bennett Family wasn’t the end of it.

Adrian Lancaster had no intention of letting the people who had gathered in the hallway to mock, ridicule, and slander Wren Sutton go, either.

The thought of his beloved being so viciously slandered by that pack of women, made into a public laughingstock, caused a furious fire to surge in Adrian Lancaster’s chest. His gaze became even more sinister and cold.

Without a moment’s hesitation, he contacted the manager of the Zenith Hotel.

He had them pull the surveillance footage from the hallway to identify every single person in that crowd.

With the help of Mrs. Flynn and his mother, Claire Sterling, he compiled a complete list of their names and their respective family businesses.

Adrian Lancaster immediately issued an order to his subordinates.

"Call each of them and relay my words exactly. They have thirty minutes to return to the VIP lounge at the Zenith Hotel and apologize to my wife in person. Anyone who makes an excuse and doesn’t show up will face the consequences."

"Also, simultaneously review the family businesses of everyone on that list. Any of them that have commercial partnerships, project dealings, or resource affiliations with the Lancaster family—terminate all cooperation immediately. They are to be permanently blacklisted. We will never work with them again."

There was no room for negotiation, not an ounce of mercy. Every sentence was a thunderous command.

Once he had given his orders, Adrian Lancaster put his phone away and turned to look at Wren Sutton, still holding her tightly.

The menacing aura surrounding him vanished in an instant, and his gaze softened.

"Wren, I won’t let a single person who dared to bully you get away with it. That’s a promise, and I will keep it."

Wren Sutton nodded. She was no naive saint, so she didn’t argue with or try to stop Adrian Lancaster’s decision.

「Meanwhile.」

The various ladies and socialites who received the calls were thrown into a panic, their hearts filled with terror.

They knew better than anyone the power and methods of the Lancaster family. Offending the Lancasters and losing a partnership was a minor issue. But if they were completely blacklisted, their entire family’s business would suffer a devastating blow and face bankruptcy.

Then, they would fall from the clouds into the mud, stripped of their identity and status. They would be reduced to outcasts at the mercy of others, becoming the laughingstock of all of Aston—a fate worse than death.

Not one of them dared to test their luck or try to get out of it. They all frantically ordered their drivers to turn around and race back to the Zenith Hotel.