“Very well."

Very well? What did Mitchel mean by that?

Jocelyn and Lauren exchanged a puzzled glance, but neither dared to say a word. They could not fathom what Mitchel was trying to say.

At last, Mitchel broke the silence.

"One slap for each word. Kyle, do it exactly as I said. Don't skip a single word."

"Mitchel!" Lauren cried out, her voice tinged with fear.

She was shocked. She never imagined Mitchel would go to such lengths to defend Raegan. To her, harming Jocelyn was like a slap in her own face.

If she let Mitchel beat Jocelyn, standing as Mitchel's equal would be off the table from here on out. Therefore, she would not allow it to happen. Absolutely not!

Suddenly, with a resounding thud, Jocelyn fell to her knees in front of Mitchel and implored, "Mr. Dixon, I know I was wrong. I had no right to bully Miss Hayes. Please, I'm begging you, forgive me."

"I don't think you get it." Mitchel stared at Jocelyn with a piercing gaze, which grew intense by the second, and continued, "Raegan is my wife. No one gets to mess with her."

Though his voice sounded indifferent, it carried a lot of weight.

Lauren's expression shifted in an instant. She sensed that Mitchel's words were not just aimed at teaching Jocelyn a lesson. He was also firing a warning shot her way.

Damn it! This was all Raegan's fault!

At this moment, Lauren held back the fury and hatred in her eyes and tearfully said, "Mitchel, Jocelyn has been like a mother to me. She's been taking care of me since the day I was born. And she's in her sixties now. A slap could be dangerous for her. Is that what you want? Could you please show some mercy?"

Mitchel looked into Lauren's eyes, his own cold and unforgiving.

“Lauren, maybe it's time for you to change your maid. Keeping her around could tarnish the Murray family's name."

A look of shock, disbelief, and confusion flashed across Lauren's face. She never thought Mitchel, who had always fulfilled her every need, would ignore her plead and say something so callous.

Did he not care about her anymore?

Mitchel averted his eyes and took Raegan's hand. Noticing Raegan's reddened palm, he frowned and asked with concern, “Didn't I tell you to Leave everything to me? Does it hurt?"

Caught off guard, Raegan was stunned for a few seconds and then shook her head in response.