Marianne's lips trembled, her face entirely devoid of color.
That astronomical figure was something the Wynn family and her family's savings combined could never hope to pay.
"So, we only have one option, and that's to beg Serena for mercy," Benedict said.
Patrick gritted his teeth. "No matter what, we have to wait for Serena! We'll beg and plead until she listens, as long as she drops the lawsuit, we'll be in the clear!"
If Serena was willing to drop the case, it would mean she still had some lingering attachment to her family and couldn't bear to see them go bankrupt and end up on the streets.
As long as Serena softened her heart.
They still had a chance to coax her back into the fold.
And when that happened...
They could rely on Serena to stage a massive comeback!
As for the compensation demanded by the Lancaster family, Serena could take care of that, too.
Their one and only savior right now was Serena!
Patrick pinned every last ounce of his hope entirely on Serena.
The Wynns stayed huddled in their dismal corner, too terrified to even poke their heads out lest they be swarmed by reporters firing sharp, relentless questions.
They waited like that for several grueling hours.
It wasn't until late into the night that the crowd inside the venue finally began to clear out.
Those hours were sheer torture for Marianne.
Her face was already a swollen, bruised mess from the slaps, and all she wanted was to go apply some ointment.
But every time she entertained the thought, Patrick would shoot her a vicious, hateful glare.
He refused to give her a single opening to leave.
He wouldn't even let their sons go buy medicine for her.
She had no choice but to endure it. Now, even the slightest twitch of her mouth brought agonizing pain.
She was fighting off sleep by the time people finally started trickling out of the venue.
She was overflowing with frustration.
How long could one competition possibly last?
Weren't they already on the third round when the Wynns were kicked out? How was it still dragging on?
It had to be that little bitch Serena trying to steal the spotlight, purposely showing off on stage to drag out the time!
What a vain, attention-seeking piece of work!
Marianne desperately wanted to curse her out, but the moment she twitched her lips, she hissed in sharp pain.
Patrick shot her a deeply annoyed glare. He was just about to unleash all his pent- up frustration from waiting on her.
But out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a familiar figure.
Forgetting all about scolding Marianne, he shoved the car door open and rushed over. "Mr. Marcek! Mr. Marcek!"
It was Mr. Marcek, the Vice President of Aurevion Jewelers under Isabella.
Benedict's eyes flickered, and he
quickly followed his father out of the car. "Come on! Let's see if we can beg Mr Marcek If we can convince hum to settle this privately, maybe Hailey won't have to go to prison."
The moment she heard there was a chance to save Hailey.
Marianne ignored the throbbing pain in her face and immediately hurried after them. Over the past few days, Patrick's arrogance had been entirely ground down. He was no longer the high-spirited man he used to be.
He had grown shameless out of necessity.
Blocking Mr. Marcek's path, he put on a desperate, pleading expression, begging the man not to file a lawsuit against the Wynn family.
"Mr. Marcek, please, Mr. Marcek! Have a heart and let us off the hook. Please don't sue our Hailey..." Marianne chimed in, pleading submissively. "Didn't you quite like our Hailey before?"
"You praised her for being so sweet and beautiful, for having such talent and insight. You couldn't possibly bear to ruin her life like this, could you?"
As she spoke, her vision blurred with tears, and she reached out to tug at Mr.
Marcek's sleeve. "Hailey is just a kid She made a mistake but please, give her a chance to make it right..."
Mr. Marcek dodged her touch in disgust, his gaze briefly sweeping over Marianne's
bruised and swollen face.
The look he gave the Wynn family only grew more contemptuous.
He smoothed his suit jacket, his eyes filled with disdain. "A kid? Hah, a twenty-year-old giant toddler? She is a full-grown adult. Are you telling me she didn't know the consequences of theft, fraud and copyright infringement? She never considered the outcome?"
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