CHAPTER 496

"Friend?" After a brief period of disbelief, Madeline snapped out of it and asked, "Is the friend Rowan? What happened to him?"

Madison stood up and briskly walked toward Lucas, questioning, "What's wrong with my brother?"

Lucas gaped because he couldn't think of anything to say.

After hearing that, his colleagues stood up one after another and surrounded him.

"Lucas, what's the matter?" Madeline looked at him and inquired nervously.

"He… was beaten by someone," he said hesitantly.

"Beaten by someone? Why?" she asked in shock.

Due to Rowan's severe alcohol allergy, Lucas and Leigh had to send him to the downstairs suite so he could get some rest. How did Rowan get beaten up when he was just sleeping in the suite?

"I don't have any idea what's going on either." Lucas found it hard to explain the situation. "Somehow, there was another woman on his bed… and that woman's brother thought Rowan was trying to take advantage of her when she was drunk, so he beat Rowan up—"

When Madeline heard that, she asked in disbelief, "There was another woman on Rowan's bed?"

She looked toward Leigh and asked, "Didn't you take him to the suite?"

"Yes, we did!" Leigh replied with a nod. "Lucas and I left the suite after making sure he had fallen asleep."

"How is his condition?" Madison's face became ashen. "Where is he right now?"

"Still in the suite downstairs. Sebastian has gone over to handle the situation," Lucas answered.

Madison stopped talking, brushed past Lucas, and bolted for the door. Meanwhile, Madeline hurriedly followed after him. He sprinted to the suite and pushed open the door, only to find his younger brother's face swollen and his nose bruised. He nearly lost it when he saw his brother in such a condition.

Rowan had just turned 20 years old, skipped grades in elementary and high school to be by Madison's side, and graduated from university before his peers. After graduating, he joined the Oasis Law Office and accompanied Madison on missions. Rowan was intelligent, optimistic, kind, and, most importantly, he had a pleasant personality.

In Oasis Law Office, Madison was confident that his brother had the best personality, was friendly to everyone, and was not at all quirky in any way. Unfortunately, his younger brother, who had been considerate toward other people, had been beaten up to the point where his entire face was swollen. His right eye was swollen and only visible through a small slit, his face was scratched, and he even had bleeding lips.

Despite the dangers inherent in their line of work, Madison used to bring Rowan along with him on missions during the summer and winter breaks when Rowan was still a student. Since Rowan was now working alongside him, Madison would never tolerate anyone who laid a finger on his brother. However, his younger brother had now been brutally assaulted.

Madison's rage erupted from within him like a raging volcano. When he walked over and touched Rowan's swollen cheeks, he thundered, "Who did this?"

"Me!" Arthur Gaines stepped up with an expression darker than Madison's.

He came to Club Tempest to meet a good friend, and since they had not seen each other for a long time, they had a lot to catch up on. While happily chatting away with his friend, he received a call from his bodyguard informing him that his sister was in trouble. He then rushed over after asking for the details of her whereabouts. For Arthur, what happened tonight was like a bolt from the blue. His poor little sister, who had never been in a relationship before, was suddenly taken advantage of by a kid who appeared out of nowhere! Moreover, he couldn't cover up the matter in time, which implied that many people were aware of it by now. How was his sister going to marry in the future?

In a fit of rage, Arthur thrashed the man who took advantage of his sister. He was about to call the police when someone from the man's side intervened, urging him to thoroughly investigate the situation before making any hasty calls.

What was there to investigate? His beautiful young sister was harassed by a man who came out of nowhere. If he hadn't torn that man apart, he wouldn't have been able to wind down for the night!

"Why are you here, Jake?" Madeline hurriedly caught up with Madison, and upon entering the room, she saw her mother's adopted son, Jake Taylor.

Compared to Hanson, she was less familiar with Jake.

Previously, Jake had been helping the Taylor Family manage companies abroad. She had heard that,

in addition to Hanson, her mother had an adopted son named Jake, but she had never met him. It wasn't until he returned to the country to attend her wedding with Sebastian that she finally got to meet him for the first time. It was completely unexpected for her to run into him.

"Maddie?" When Jake saw her, he was surprised. "Why are you here?"

"My friends and I are having dinner here." While pointing at Rowan, Madeline said, "Rowan is an employee of my firm, and I treat him like my younger brother."

Despite the dangers inherent in their line of work, Madison used to bring Rowan along with him on missions during the summer and winter breaks when Rowan was still a student. Since Rowan was now working alongside him, Madison would never tolerate anyone who laid a finger on his brother. However, his younger brother had now been brutally assaulted.

"Erm…" Jake was speechless when he realized how much of a coincidence it was.

He glanced at Arthur and explained, "Arthur is my good friend. I was having dinner with him just now, and his sister's bodyguard suddenly informed him that something happened to his sister—"

Then, he turned his attention to the other girl in the room, apart from Madeline. The girl sat on the couch in the corner, her clothes unkempt and her hair disheveled. She was crying, tears streaming down her cheeks, and she appeared dumbfounded.

Furrowing her brows, Madeline walked up to Rowan and inquired, "What happened, Rowan?"

"I don't know." He shook his head in confusion. "All I remember is Lucas and Leigh sending me to this room, and then I fell asleep, but later—" Content is property © .

He looked a little embarrassed as he lowered his head. "I don't know what happened, but it seems that I suddenly lost my sanity like I was dreaming… Later, someone suddenly dragged me off the bed and started punching me, scolding me for taking advantage of his sister—"

Madeline glanced at Lucas and Leigh. "Lucas, Leigh, did you bring Rowan into this room?"

"Yes, we did!" Lucas replied. "Leigh and I brought him here."

Madeline looked at Allison Gaines and asked, "Miss, my friend reserved this room for Rowan and brought him here themselves. He had been resting in this room, so may I ask how you got in?"

"Who are you? Why should I answer you?" Allison, who had lowered her head, suddenly raised her head and stared at Madeline fiercely. Her expression of resentment was so thickly applied that she looked like a vengeful spirit. "I won't let him go! I will definitely not let him go!"

All of a sudden, she stood up and stumbled toward Arthur. Grabbing his arm, she scowled crazily. "Kill him, Arthur! I want him dead! I want him to be torn apart!"

"Please allow me to introduce myself," Madeline spoke while looking at Arthur and his sister. "I'm Madeline, the person in charge of Oasis Law Office. Rowan is my employee, and he's like a brother to me. Since he's involved in this matter, it's up to me to find out the truth. You want to tear him apart, but first, I'd like to clarify the situation. This is Rowan's room, and he had been sleeping after an allergic reaction to alcohol. So, how did you guys get in?"