Both women froze, recognizing the finality in his words. They saw the unshakable determination in his gaze, and in that moment they knew their pleas would change nothing. Given the choice between being thrown into the basement or dropping to their knees to apologize, they reluctantly chose the apology. For Amilia and Karlee, kneeling would be a brief humiliation kept behind closed doors; the outside world would never hear of it, and their reputation could be preserved.

Weighing her options, Amilia was the first to cave.

“I… I’ll kneel and apologize to Dr. Atkinson,” she stammered.

Karlee, seeing her mother surrender, quickly followed.

“I’ll apologize to Dr. Atkinson as well.”

The scene was almost pitiful. If they had chosen the basement, at least it would have shown a hint of backbone. This cowardly retreat, motivated purely by their dread of a little hardship, was nothing short of disgraceful. Their apologies carried no sincerity—only cowardice.

The Thompson name once stood for unwavering integrity, but these two seemed determined to tarnish that legacy. Unable to bear the sight, Edgar and Elsie turned their heads; due to family ties, they could never bring themselves to punish Amilia and Karlee more harshly.

Kaleb’s frustration deepened; it pained him to see the family honor dragged through the dirt.

Brought before Elliana, Amilia and Karlee cast her one final, venomous look before steeling themselves and dropping to their knees.

Just as their knees touched the floor, Elliana’s calm voice stopped them.

“Hold on a second.”

Both women froze, confusion plain on their faces. Elliana’s expression remained unshaken.

“Yes, your behavior was unacceptable,” she said evenly.

“But I broke Karlee’s arm and dealt with your bodyguards. I hardly came out the loser here. Making you kneel to me seems unnecessary.”

At those words, Amilia and Karlee exchanged sneers. It seemed Milena truly was all bark and no bite. She had strutted around, acting bold enough to snub Kaleb himself, but now she was backing off—clearly too scared to push the Thompson family any further.

Your imagination begins with gα?ησν?s﹒

Amilia and Karlee braced themselves for a clumsy excuse to dismiss the whole incident.

But Elliana wasn’t finished. Instead, she made a demand that stung even worse.

“Your insults toward me are one thing,” her voice sharpened.

“But you’ve repeatedly tormented and defamed Bexley. She deserves your apology. You’ll kneel and beg for her forgiveness.”

“What?” Karlee’s jaw dropped.

“You want me to get down on my knees for that lowly servant?”

Amilia’s rage, which had momentarily subsided, roared back to life.

“Are you out of your mind? You expect us to kneel before Bexley? Do you think before you speak?”

“I can’t stand watching good people get pushed around,” Elliana said, facing Amilia and Karlee without a hint of fear.

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