To appease Charlie, Trevor set aside any sympathy he might have felt for Sam.


    With a stern look, he said coldly, “Sam, we’re all adults here, so you need to be prepared to take a gamble and ept the consequences. I trust you won’t haggle any further. Just swallow this jade!”


    Instantly, Sam’s face twisted into a pained grimace.


    Trevor continued, “Look on the bright side. Last time you swallowed a ne; this time it’s just a pendant. Luckily for you, it’s not attached to a chain, or you’d have ended up swallowing both!”


    With tears in his eyes, Sam turned to his cousin Loreen, pleading desperately, “Loreen, my dear sister, please, you have to intercede with Mr. Wade! Ask him to spare me this time. I realize I was wrong, and I promise I won’t cross him again. I’ll be like his loyal dog, doing whatever he asks—even if that means biting—just please ask him to forgive me…”<h3 style="background-color:DodgerBlue">


    Loreen felt torn at that moment.


    Just earlier, her cousin had beenining about Charlie.


    Women often find themselves in such dilemmas. Although Sam is Loreen’s cousin and they shared a close bond during their childhood, Charlie had long been Loreen’s love. In this situation, her heart would naturally lean toward Charlie.


    Now, as Sam begged her to plead with Charlie, Loreen found herself at a loss.


    Seeing the scene unfold, Lydia rushed over to Loreen, kneeling and sobbing, “Loreen, please, for Auntie’s sake, ask Mr. Wade to be lenient and spare your cousin. I’ve knelt down for you before!”


    Loreen wanted to help but was caught in a stalemate as Lydia insisted on kneeling.


    Unable to watch her aunt kneel before her, Loreen quickly turned to Charlie, apologizing and pleading, “Charlie, please, for my sake, just forgive my brother this once…”


    Charlie hesitated, then suggested, “Let’s step aside for a moment.”


    Loreen nodded eagerly and followed Charlie to the side, her heart racing with anxiety over whether he would be angry with her.


    Charlie looked at her and asked, “When you were in Aurous Hill, a couple of brothers tried to harm you. Was Sam involved?”


    Loreen quickly shook her head, “No, it wasn’t Sam. It was another cousin…”


    “Another cousin?” Charlie furrowed his brow. “Is he here?”


    Loreen replied, “After that incident, someone with influence warned the Thomas family. My other cousin felt guilty and has been hiding abroad ever since. He wouldn’t return even for my grandmother’s birthday.”


    Charlie nodded slightly, then asked, “So you and Sam don’t have any issues with each other?”


    “Exactly,” Loreen said quickly. “Sam can be a bit misguided, and he doesn’t always act wisely, but he hasn’t done anything malicious—just likes to show off…”


    As she spoke, Loreen earnestly pleaded, “So, Charlie… please don’t hold this against him today. Just give me a break, okay?”<fn896f> Updates are released by fι?dnοvel</fn896f>


    With that, she grasped Charlie’s arm with both hands, gently shaking it like a child, her face filled with hope and shyness.


    Charlie felt a sense of helplessness. Knowing that Loreen had asked him for a favor, he couldn’t continue to make things difficult for her cousin, especially out of respect for his friend.


    However, he felt that Sam’s behavior had been rather excessive, and letting him off easily would seem unjust.


    After contemting, he finally said to Loreen, “Alright, since he’s your cousin, I’ll consider your request.”<h3 ss="has-text-align-center" id="chapter-list"><strong></strong>