The Scott family manor was brightly lit.
After more than three years, the Scott family once again activated the first level of defense. The black-clothed bodyguards, who were early at the Scott family manor, stood firmly on guard, while the Scott family servants gathered in the hall and garden, heads lowered, waiting strictly.
Vehicles neatly lined up and entered the gates of the Scott family, bypassing the open-air fountain and proceeding towards the main house.
Chris's face was vaguely pale; he had learned from a phone call with Diana on the way that their parents had returned. Emily and Derek were already aware of everything that had happened.
Judging by their current demeanor, one could see that Emily and Derek were genuinely angry. After all, they had kept the truth from Emily and Derek for so long, and now it was revealed after such a significant accident.
Beside them, Charlotte remained silent and withdrawn. Her once clear and bright eyes had lost their luster and become dull since Kingsley's crash.
"Charlotte, we have to get out of the car," Chris said, his voice trembling.
Charlotte didn't utter a word and followed him out of the car, walking into the main house together. Although the place was bustling with people originally, the crowd fell silent as they watched the two of them walk in with worried expressions.
In the main hall, Derek sat behind his desk, buried in his work, while Aaron knelt on the floor in front of the desk.
Upon hearing the movement of the two entering, he didn't even raise his head, only coldly saying, "Chris, kneel down."
Chris obediently walked up and knelt beside Aaron, bowing his head and admitting his mistake, "Father, I'm sorry, I know I'm wrong..."
"It seems you have forgotten my instructions," Derek interjected sternly.
At that moment, the butler stepped forward with an ancient box, placing a thick wolf tooth stick inside, ready to administer punishment that could break bones if not careful.
"Aaron, you disobeyed the rules by taking Charlotte back to the country privately and persuading Diana to hide her whereabouts with you, which led to her being entangled with the Livingston family and Kingsley, resulting in such great danger. Speak for yourself, should you be punished?" Derek's voice was filled with deep anger, growing colder by the end.
Aaron shuddered visibly, his face paling.
It was the first time he had ever seen his father so angry. Derek's questioning left Aaron powerless to retort. Even though fear was evident in his eyes, he gritted his teeth and said, "I accept the punishment."
"Thirty strokes," Derek snapped. "Begin!"
"Wait! Father!" Chris interjected, pleading for Aaron. "It's my fault for not realizing it before it was too late. It was all my negligence as a big brother. If you want to punish someone, punish me."
Thirty strokes; it would only take half of Aaron's life!
Derek's cold gaze immediately shifted to Chris. "You do deserve to be punished!"
A man stepped forward, grabbed a wolf-tooth stick, and ruthlessly swung it towards Chris's back.
Chris shuddered, closed his eyes, and clenched his teeth, bracing for the impact.
The rest of the crowd in the main mansion averted their eyes, unable to bear witnessing such a cruel scene.
However, the expected pain didn't come.
A slender but warm figure swooped in and shielded his back.
Chris opened his eyes in shock, his face paling.
Derek, behind the desk, rose abruptly, his expression changing dramatically. "CHARLOTTE!!!"
"AHHH!"
Charlotte's miserable scream, along with the muffled thud of the wolfsbane striking flesh, echoed in the hall.
The entire Scott family was in chaos.
Chris quickly turned back and caught Charlotte, seeing her eyes closed in pain and cold sweat pouring from her forehead.
Derek rushed from behind his desk and half-kneeled next to Charlotte. "Doctor! Get a doctor!"
Everyone panicked, while the butler sprinted around shouting, "Go! Fetch the doctor!"
The villa descended into disarray.
"Charlotte, why did you do that?" Chris said, his eyes red. "Where does it hurt? Did you injure yourself?"
Aaron was also filled with self-blame.
Charlotte inhaled painfully, glanced at her two brothers, then looked back at her father. "Don't... Punish them... It's all my fault..."
She struggled to speak, her lips moving but producing no sound.
The family doctor arrived promptly. Charlotte was taken to her room to have her wounds treated, and Chris's punishment was halted.
Everyone sat on the couch, awaiting news from the room. Emily stood beside Derek, her eyes full of worry for her daughter.
Derek rarely smoked. Then, at Emily's request, he had quit. But now, he relit his cigarette, holding it between his slender fingertips, the tip glowing red.
He took a drag, exhaling smoke before turning to Aaron and Chris.
The cigarette burned halfway before he finally spoke up. "How did Charlotte and Kingsley get together?"
His voice seemed to draw Aaron's attention back, and Aaron looked up, his eyes blank for a moment.
"They—" Aaron finally snapped back to reality and slowly began to explain everything.
"It was my fault, Father, and you were right to punish me. I was the one who didn't do things right, and that's what led to this." This was the first time Aaron had ever properly admitted his fault.
Derek remained silent for a long time, until the cigarette in his hand had almost burned his fingers before he snapped back to reality and extinguished it in the ashtray.
Soon after, the door to Charlotte's room opened from the inside. Everyone glanced over simultaneously, their expressions grave.
"How's Charlotte?" Emily asked eagerly.
"The wound on Charlotte's back has been taken care of, she needs bed rest for a few days, nothing serious. It's just..."
"Just what?"
"Charlotte's spirits seem to have been greatly affected, causing a stress reaction. It's better to try to keep her away from any further stimulation for a short period of time."
"What?"
Derek, Emily, and the others turned pale simultaneously, looking appalled.
Chris interjected, "If Kingsley's okay, does that mean she'll recover?"
"Yes, it's just..." the family doctor hesitated, "Apart from that, Charlotte's guilt over you guys and worrying about Kingsley has caused her a lot of stress, so..." The family doctor glanced carefully at Derek and Emily, then continued, "After this, Charlotte can't be exposed to such stimulation again, or else there will be a high risk of another attack, and the consequences will be even more serious."
Derek's expression turned gloomy.