"We did nothing wrong, Mr. Kazuki!" One member blurted out, his gaze seemingly asking Mr. Kazuki and Mr. Hiroshi for help.

Kazuki quickly snatched the leather whip from Tatsumi. "Who gave you the right to discipline our men? Explain first. What's going on here?"

The men regained their confidence because of their clan leader's arrival. One of them finally spoke up about what had happened. They believed that Mr. Hiroshi would take their side and might even reward them for what they had done to Alexander.

"Since he is now our clan's slave, we just ordered him to clean our quarters before he could take a rest. However, he failed to do his job. That's why we punished him. We beat him up, and he fainted."

Jane's expression turned grim upon hearing that.

"He hadn't recovered yet from his prior injuries. You forced him to work. Then you beat him up. Seriously, are you trying to kill him? Alexander's is now in grave danger. He is in critical condition!" She snarled at them, unable to control her rage.

"But Lady Jane… he is our enemy. His grandfather killed your mother–"

"Enough!" Mr. Hiroshi's authoritative voice was heard.

"You acted without my consent. I never asked you to beat him up. And I never wanted Arthur's grandson to die. What makes you think that I would tolerate this act of violence? Why did you assault someone who couldn't even fight back?" Mr. Hiroshi expressed his disappointment.

"Members of the Sawada Clan shouldn't act like this!"

The seven men involved in this incident could only lower their heads, unable to meet Mr. Hiroshi's seething gaze. They made a mistake. They thought they were doing what Mr. Hiroshi wanted.

"Tatsumi! Discipline them. They committed a grave sin! A person's life is at stake here. I'll also take responsibility for this. This happened because of me. Our members have a misconception regarding how to treat Alexander. If I wanted to kill that man, then I would do it myself. Why would I allow you to touch him?" Mr. Hiroshi reprimanded his men.

"Yes, Master. I'll discipline them. Hmm. All of you have to pay for making Hanabi cry. Come with me to the underground basement, now!"

The seven men could only accept their punishment, acknowledging their mistakes. It would serve as a good lesson to them.

As Tatsumi and Kazuki led them to the underground basement, Jane and Nathan approached Mr. Hiroshi.

"Pa!" Jane called out, reaching out to hold his hand. "I'm guilty. I really thought you were involved in Alexander's incident. Please forgive me."

Mr. Hiroshi put on a faint smile. "Jane… I visited your mother's grave today. After some thought, I realized that it was time for me to let go and forgive. You were right… If your mother is here, she won't allow me to take revenge. She always hated violence. I shouldn't have done that to Alexander."

Jane leaned closer to her father. She was glad to hear that his father was now willing to forgive… for her mother's sake.

"How is he now? I have to apologize. I didn't want this to happen."

"Pa, he is still in the ICU. Tatsumi was the one who rushed him to Syphiruz Medical Facility. The doctors are doing their best to save him. Arthur Wayne and his subordinates are there together with Hanabi."

"Okay. I hope he recovers soon. By the way, how is the preparation for your upcoming wedding?"

Nathan and Jane exchanged glances with one another.

"We've done a dress fitting today, Dad. I'll just send her home to rest. Then I'll check the venue," Nathan responded politely.

"Sigh. Nathan is the one leading the arrangements. I want to accompany him, but he doesn't want me to get tired. He is so overprotective," Jane lamented, linking her arm to her father's arm.

Mr. Hiroshi just let out a soft chuckle. "Good job, Son-in-law! You have to take care of my daughter." He patted Nathan's shoulder.

Jane could only pout her lips. "Pa, I thought you would take my side if I complained to you."

The two men laughed once again.

"Jane, you are pregnant. Nate is just thinking about your well-being. Just let him do what he needs to do. Just rely on him."

Jane just pinched Nathan's waist as a way of her revenge. She didn't win the argument today.

"Pa, we should leave now. Ethan might be waiting for us at home. If you are free this evening, come and join us for dinner."

"Sure. I'll come over tonight."

The couple said goodbye to Mr. Hiroshi.

*****

A few hours later…

Hanabi returned to Mr. Hiroshi's villa after receiving a message from Tatsumi. She quickly headed to the underground basement.

"Hanabi!" Tatsumi waved his hand upon seeing her. "Come!"

With a cold expression on her face, Hanabi walked toward him. The seven men had been kneeling on the floor for an hour now.

"These are the men who beat Alexander up. They already confessed. Our Clan Leader assigned me to discipline and punish them. But I know, you might want to do it by yourself. So… come here and take over."

Hanabi just remained silent, looking daggers at her fellow clan members.

"Oh, by the way, I also asked them how many punches and kicks they gave Alexander. Here's the list… their names along with the number of punches and kicks they threw at him."

She picked up the piece of paper and scanned it. Her expression turned grim when she recounted the number of punches and kicks that landed on Alexander's frail body.

Hanabi nodded in understanding. "Leave them to me," she said sternly.

The seven men broke into a cold sweat as fear of Hanabi washed over them. They instantly regretted their reckless actions. They should never have laid a hand on Alexander.

Now, they were at Hanabi's mercy. They knew they were doomed since, when it came to delivering punishment, Hanabi was far crueler than Tatsumi.

"Good luck, guys! Stay strong! I'll be leaving you in Hanabi's care. I'll just go upstairs," Tatsumi said, grinning from ear to ear as he waved his hand at his poor comrades.

He had just come out of the underground basement when he heard the men's loud whimpers echoing from below. Hanabi had started delivering their punishments.

Tatsumi stood outside, waiting for Hanabi. After half an hour, she finally emerged from the underground basement. He immediately reached for her hand, gently wrapping her bleeding knuckles with his handkerchief.

"Thanks," Hanabi softly said, her gaze fixed on the ground.

Tatsumi could only sigh deeply. He could tell that Hanabi was still anxious. After all, Alexander was still in critical condition.

Instinctively, he squeezed her hand, trying to comfort her. "Don't worry. Alexander will not die." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Hanabi just nodded absentmindedly. She still couldn't relax… not until Alexander regained consciousness.

Tatsumi let out another sigh. He gently pulled her to the nearest bench, making her sit down.

"Hanabi, I'm not used to seeing you like this. Sigh… now I'm getting jealous. It makes me wonder… would you also cry for me if I were the one lying in the hospital bed?" Tatsumi lamented, puffing out his cheeks.

Hanabi was stunned for a moment when she heard that. Reflexively, she turned to look at him, only to find his expression completely serious.

'Is he seriously asking me this?'