Chapter 269: Mom, stop yapping with them! Hoyts voice trembled with rage as his mother continued to speak.


    His earlier irritation had morphed into a burning fury.


    Pain still shot through his wrist, his fingers feeling like they had been trapped in a vice.


    There was no way he could just shrug it off.


    With a dark scowl, Hoyt grabbed a baseball bat from nearby, ready to unleash his anger on Allison.


    My mom might be soft enough to let this slide, but Im not cut from the same cloth.


    Hoyt didnt dare go head-to-head with Ken.


    The mere thought made him grit his teeth.


    Yet the bile of his anger refused to settle.


    Ken, I might be willing to overlook your little stunt, but as for Ms.


    rke, shell pay the price.


    He raised the bat, poised to strike at Allison again.


    Ken, however, let out augh.


    Youre really a fool.


    Hoyt had no time to react to Kens words before an icy dread gripped him, brought on by Kens smile a grin that chilled the very air.


    For the first time, Hoyt saw Ken stand.


    The man who had always been bound to a wheelchair, the one Hoyt had mocked without mercy both to his face and behind his back, calling him crippled was now standing, perfectly unharmed.


    Hoyts rage deepened, and his earlier bravado seemedughable in hindsight.


    Hmph, maybe Im no genius, but at least I dont turn my back on my own blood to save a stranger.


    With that, Hoyt swung the bat, determined to take his fury out on Allison.


    But curiously, she didnt flinch.


    Instead, she looked at him with an unsettling calm, as if she found the whole situation amusing.


    Her serenity only fueled his frustration further.


    So, he swung the bat down with force.


    Allison, youre going to regret messing with me.


    He recalled how, at one point, he had considered being nice to her when they first crossed paths.


    Now, the very thought repulsed him.


    Allison had chosen to side with Ken.


    But what did that matter? Even as the illegitimate son of the Lloyd family, Hoyt still held some power.


    Yet, in the blink of an eye, a powerful grip seized his shoulder.


    Before Hoyt could process what was happening, he was hurled to the floor.


    Wait, what the Ah! He barely registered Kens swift movement.


    All he knew was that Ken was fast too fast.


    Allison remained still throughout the chaos, as if she had known all along that Ken would intervene.


    Ms.


    rke is under my protection, Ken dered, his hand pressing down on Hoyts shoulder as if holding back a disobedient child.


    With effortless strength, Ken forced Hoyt to the floor.


    Before you so much asy a finger on her, you should think twice about whether youve earned that right.


    From where Allison stood, Kens movements were nothing short of remarkable.


    Dressed in a tailored suit, the sharp lines of his back entuated every movement with grace and power.


    Ken was a perfect storm of charm and danger.


    When he dered, Ms.


    rke is under my protection, his voice carried amanding weight that made Allison feel something stir within her.


    Ken gripped Hoyts left leg and twisted it with brutal force, wrenching a blood-curdling scream from his victim that echoed through the vi.


    Ahhhh!! Hoyt writhed on the floor in agony, his body drenched in cold sweat.


    He looked up at Ken with wide-eyed terror, fully aware that the man before him could snuff out his life with little effort.


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