Ex Cried as I Wed a Tycoon novel Chapter 424

Fidelia shuddered, the memory making her instinctively shake her head and bite her lip. “No! I don’t want to!”

The last time she’d been punished and made to kneel, she’d ended up with a fever, rambling nonsense all night, her back aching so badly she thought she might just die. Now that she’d finally recovered, she had no desire to go through that ordeal again.

“Exactly!” Fowler nodded, his tone firm. Then he added, “Even if you really hate Effie and want to do something to her, you can’t make it obvious, understand?”

“Dad… I thought you…”

“Thought what? That I’m so magnanimous I’d just let someone bully my own daughter?” Fowler let out a low laugh, his expression turning a little sinister. “Now’s not the time. We’ll deal with this later.”

“Okay, Dad, I understand.” Fidelia, tears and snot streaming down her face, immediately tried to throw herself into Fowler’s arms for comfort.

But Fowler wrinkled his nose and pushed her away in disgust. “Come on now, that’s filthy.”

Marcia had been married to Fowler for years; she knew exactly what was going through his mind.

She said gently to Fidelia, “Sweetheart, wipe your face first—get those tears and that nose cleaned up.”

But before Fidelia could move, Fowler interjected, “No, don’t wipe anything. You’re going to walk in there just like this. That way, your grandfather will see you and feel sorry for you, understand?”

His words snapped everyone to attention. Marcia nodded quickly. “Right, don’t wipe them away. In fact, you should keep thinking about sad things all the way back—keep those tears flowing. Let everyone see just how much you’ve suffered.”

Fidelia nodded solemnly, determined to follow the plan.

Soon, the whole family returned to the main hall.