?Chapter 496:


    Resolute, Cole stared him down. “Because you’re an elder, I’ll spare you any physical punishment. But from this moment forward, you’re banned from the family council. You will have no say in any matters concerning the whole family from now on. Try anything else, and you’ll be cast out for good.”


    A lifetime spent chasing power came crashing down. For Carter, losing his influence was nothing short of devastation. No sooner had Cole finished than he erupted. “How could you, Cole? I’m your grandfather’s brother! How can you treat me this way?”


    Without a hint of sympathy, Cole turned his icy re on rence.


    “C-Cole?” rence’s voice barely held together as he looked to Cole for mercy.


    Unmoved, Cole delivered his verdict. “Break rence’s legs. Remove him from every position he holds in the Evans Group. He’s finished here. He’ll never set foot in our business again.”


    rence’s face drained of all color. “NO! You can’t do that! You can’t break my legs! You don’t have the right!”


    Beside him, Carter’s panic red. “Cole, this is madness! Must you really go this far?”


    A chill cut through Cole’s words. “When you gave the order to have Elliana’s legs broken, did you ever stop to reflect on your own cruelty? Funny how now, when fate has turned on you, you call me the heartless one.”


    Not a single moment was wasted on further arguments. Cole’s nce found Toby, and that was all it took.


    On cue, Toby and his men seized rence, forcing him to the floor. The sickening crack of bone filled the hall.


    “Ahhh!” A raw scream tore from rence’s throat, echoing off the marble and shattering any hope of mercy. The sound dwarfed even Derek’s earlier cries beneath thesh.


    Full updat3z on g??l??ovels.??o??


    Faces in the room turned ghostly white. They’d heard whispers about Cole’s ruthless methods, but none had ever witnessed his mercilessness firsthand.


    In the aftermath of his agony, rence’s body finally gave out, and he lost consciousness.


    Rage and grief collided in Carter’s chest. He’d watched both grandsons fall, and as his vision blurred, his body slumped to the floor, overtaken by darkness.


    No pity flickered across Cole’s face. Ice-cold, he instructed, “Take them home. Let them recover on their own time.”


    Without dy, Toby assembled his men to haul Carter and rence out, leaving a hush in their wake.


    Left behind, the bodyguards Carter and rence had brought looked at one another, uncertain and afraid.


    Cole’s cold stare moved from one face to the next before he gave a sharp order. “These men clearly don’t understand who they’re meant to serve. They’ve proven themselves unfit to continue their service here. Dismiss everyst one of them!”


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