Midnight Bride The CEO’s Temptation

Did Greta still deserve to be his heir?

"Anyway, Brent knew nothing about this," Greta gritted her teeth. "Please let him go and give him treatment!"

"Let him go? Then you will take his punishment," Barzini said with barely repressed anger.

Brent, half-conscious, raised himself on elbows when he heard it, stretching out his arm to pull Greta's pants.

"No, Greta... Don't…"

Greta looked at Barzini firmly. "Dad, send him to the doctor, please. I'll stay here and receive your punishment."

Her fearless remark made the look on Barzini's face cooler.

"Good!" He gestured to his men behind him.

Two bodyguards immediately helped Brent to his feet.

As Brent was taken away, he struggled weakly to stop and whispered, "Greta... I don't deserve you…"

Greta looked at the young man who was bathed in blood and dirt.

"You're my people, and I must protect you," she said as she lifted her slim fingers to wipe the blood away from the corner of his mouth.

Barzini waved his hand.

Brent was taken out of the basement.

After watching him leave, Greta took a sigh of relief and turned to Barzini again.

"I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have gone to LA without your permission. Punish me as you like."

"Kneel here and think about it," Barzini ordered coldly.

Greta, without any complaint, bent her knees and kneeled on the wet, cold ground.

Barzini shot a sharp look at her and made Beato watch her, and then he turned and left.

***

The basement was rough and littered with broken glass.

Greta was not sure what time it was. All she knew was that her leg had gone numb, and she felt pricking pain in her knee.

Without looking down, she knew her lower legs were bloody.

She didn't expect to have a punishment after spending 14 hours on a plane. Now she was exhausted and dizzy, close to fainting.

But she gritted her teeth, kneeling silently on the cold, wet ground.

It was not until the second half of the night that she finally lost consciousness and fainted on the ground.

Beato at the door hurried, went in, lifted her, and carried her out of the basement.

After carrying Greta to her bedroom, he told the maid to take good care of her and then went to the study. He knocked on the door and went in.

"Lord Barzini," Beato reported respectfully, "Young master has fainted. She's suffered a great deal, and I believe she won't dare to disobey you again. I just sent her back to her room,"

Behind the desk, Barzini, who was reading a book, raised his eyes and pondered for a long time. Finally, he said to himself, "Next time, she won't dare to disobey me again? Really?"

"You mean…" Beato looked at his master, confused.

Barzini closed his book and narrowed his eyes.

"Greta's changed ever since she knew that the Sterlings were not her enemies. She was now kind and soft hearted like a woman! She's not what I want before."

Beato frowned and said nothing. As Barzini pointed out, Greta was too kind to take the punishment for her bodyguard today.

This was not what a qualified heir should do.

Then he noticed a murderous look in Barzini's eyes.

"What do you want to do, my lord?" Beato asked.

A malign expression came to Barzini's face.

* * *

It was already the next morning when Greta woke up.

Her clothes had been changed by the maid, and her wound on the knees had been dressed. With her calves still twitching, she got out of bed and took a few painful steps. Her knees ached dully.

"Young master, don't get out of bed! You aren't well yet. Just lie there and rest. I'm at your service." The maid hurriedly came in.

Greta rubbed her head and remembered Brent. She tore her arms away and put on her clothes, and then staggered out of the bedroom.

Brent always got up an hour earlier than she did, and she used to see him at her door every day when she walked out of her bedroom.

But nobody was seen at her door today.

Was he so badly injured that he couldn't get up?

She walked quickly to his bedroom and pushed open the door, only to find his room empty.

Brent was gone.

Had he been taken to the hospital yesterday after he was taken out of the basement?

Just then, a servant passed by.

Greta lunged toward him and grabbed his collar.

"Where's Brent?"

The servant stammered, "Brent... He..."

"Tell me, did he go to the hospital?" Greta's uneasiness grew stronger.

"He… He didn't go to the hospital."

"Where is him?"

The servant hesitated as if not daring to tell her the truth.

Greta shook slightly with terror. She raised her fist to the servant and ordered in a threatening tone, "Tell me, or I'll kill you!"

The servant opened his mouth with a woeful face, "Early in the morning, Brent was taken out by Barzini's men. They seemed to go to the wharf nearby..."

What did Barzini's men take Brent to the wharf for?

Brent was still seriously injured!

Suddenly Greta was filled with foreboding. She scrambled to her feet and ran out of the house.

The pain shot through her legs from her injured knees. After she ran a short way, the white gauze bandage on her knees was stained with blood. The wound burst open after the strenuous movement.

She didn't stop but ran faster.

As soon as she arrived at the nearby dock, she saw Barzini's men walking in her direction, away from the shore, as if they had just finished a task.

They stopped in surprise when they saw Greta coming.

Greta's face went pale. With clenched hands, she stared at them.

"Where's Brent?" Her voice was icy.

The men looked at each other in embarrassment.

Greta darted forward, pointing a pistol at a man's forehead.

"Where's Brent?"

The man froze, breaking into a cold sweat.

"Barzini told us to tie Brent up and throw him into the sea..." he stammered out.

Greta reeled with shock, and her face went pale.

She stared blankly at the quiet sea.

"It's been executed," whispered the man.

Ten minutes before Greta arrived, Brent was thrown into the sea.

Greta woke up, dropped the pistol, and ran to the bank.

Barzini's men reacted and ran after her, afraid that she wanted to jump to rescue Brent.

"Young master! No --"