CHAPTER 348

This contrast was too strong!

When his grandfather wanted to punish him just now, his mother never said anything to object even though she seemed hurt and sad.

Now that his grandfather wanted to punish Ava, his mother, who was always so mindful of her appearance and pride, actually kowtowed in front of his grandfather to beg for mercy on Ava's behalf.

He almost suspected that his father had misremembered details of the past; the child they adopted from the orphanage wasn't Ava, but him!

Wasn't it weird to love an adopted daughter more than a biological son?

The scene in front of his eyes would only make sense if he were the adopted son, and Ava the biological daughter.

Eddie had always looked down on his eldest daughter-in-law. In the past, because of the children she had birthed, he let her off the hook. However, he was both grieved and furious today, so he didn't want to let anyone off just like that.

Even if Penny kowtowed until she bled, he was still unmoved. "There are only two options for you and Ava. One, to be punished. Two, you'll divorce Bryson and leave the Penham Family with Ava. From now on, you'll have nothing to do with the Penham Family!"

"No! Dad, you can't do this to me." Penny sobbed as she shook her head. "I gave birth to Austin and Justin for the Penham Family, so even if I have no achievements under my belt, I still deserve

something for my hard work. Dad, please just let Ava off this once. I promise that Ava won't do it ever again."

Ava didn't want to be punished, but she didn't want to leave the Penham Family either.

She loved being the wealthy daughter of the Penham Family.

If she left them, she would turn into nothing.

She was born the young mistress of the Penham Family, and she didn't want to leave at all!

She kneeled down next to Penny and sobbed while begging, "Grandpa, I admit my mistakes. I've really repented. I didn't kill Luna's cat on purpose! I was drunk, and I didn't know what I was doing… I swear that from today onward, I'll quit drinking. I'll never drink alcohol again!"

Eddie felt a migraine coming on because of their cries.

He said annoyedly, "I've given you two options to choose from. If you don't choose, then I'll take it that you'll go with the first choice! Take Ava outside and punish her!"

His trusty subordinates immediately went over and dragged Ava off the floor, walking toward the entrance. Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

Penny howled, "Dad, please have mercy on Ava! Hit me instead! It's all my fault. I didn't discipline Ava well, so please…"

"Shut up!" Eddie shouted with a frown. "Either you leave the Penham Family with Ava, or you shut up!"

Penny's sobs quietened down.

She covered her mouth, sobbing so hard that her entire body twitched.

She couldn't file a divorce with Bryson.

Her parents were proud of her for marrying into the Penham Family.

Because of her marriage with Bryson, whenever she went home, her sisters-in-law all looked up to her, respected her, and fawned over her.

Many years ago, the company belonging to her family fell into trouble. Before her family went bankrupt, many people ran over and laughed at her mockingly.

She swore that she would climb up the ranks to somewhere high. By then, no one would laugh at her or mock her again.

If she filed a divorce with Bryson, it would be like falling into a puddle of quagmire from the top of a mountain. She would be faced with countless mockery and eye-rolling.

She couldn't divorce him.

She absolutely couldn't!

She could only watch as Ava was pressed onto the bench. The plank was raised high, then brought down heavily. It was so painful that Ava kept screaming.

She howled and wept, wanting to rush over to stop the people, but Eddie's subordinates stopped her from doing so.

Even though she was the eldest daughter-in-law of the Penham Family, Eddie's subordinates only swore loyalty to Eddie alone. No matter how she sobbed and shouted, the two people holding her down remained motionless.

The person who carried out the punishment on Ava was also Eddie's trusty subordinate.

He had served Eddie for more than thirty years, and he was absolutely loyal to Eddie.

He knew Eddie's preferences, and he knew that out of all the grandchildren, Eddie loved Luna the most and liked Ava the least.

He also liked Luna a lot.

Luna was smart and lively, cheerful and kind. She would smile at everyone she met, and she was very kind. She was nice to everyone in the Penham Family.

Ava, however, was a spoiled brat. She was arrogant, selfish, and domineering. Even when she met those old people who had served Eddie for decades, she maintained her arrogant behavior.

He disliked Ava greatly.

Even though Austin was the one who accidentally hurt Luna, everything happened because of Ava. He knew what Eddie was thinking, so when he hit Austin, he used only a little fraction of his strength. When he hit Ava, however, he used half of his strength.

Ava shrieked under the beatings, and even her throat had become sore. A few blows after the thirtieth mark, she fainted from the pain.

Eddie ordered in a cold voice, "Splash her awake and keep going."

Penny sobbed, falling to the ground and groveling at Eddie's feet as she begged, "Dad, please stop it. Stop it! Ava is a girl, and if you keep hitting her, it might affect her body for life. How will she marry and have children in the future? Dad, please stop hitting her!"

She covered her mouth, sobbing so hard that her entire body twitched.

Bryson begged as well. "Dad, it's a very harsh punishment, and Ava must have learned her lesson by now. Dad, please just let her off."

Eddie looked at Brandon and Jennifer.

He gave Ava such a heavy punishment partly because he didn't like Ava. He disliked how cruel she was, and he wanted to give her a proper lesson. For the most part, however, he wanted to appease the hatred the second son's family had toward the eldest son's family through punishing Ava. He wanted the second son's family to change their mind about splitting up.

Brandon and Jennifer were both intelligent people, so they understood what Eddie was thinking. However, the two acted like dolls, not giving any response to his questioning gaze.

Eddie was annoyed, so he vented all his anger on Ava while shouting furiously, "What are you standing around for? Splash her awake and keep going!"

The bodyguard fetched a pail of cold water, then splashed it all on Ava's body.

Ava slowly regained her senses, and after a few coughs, she began crying and shouting, struggling to be released.

The bodyguard raised the plank in order to continue the punishment.

Ava struggled and wept, "Save me, Mom! I'm dying, Mom, please save me! Take me away! Mom, I don't want to be the young mistress of the Penham Family anymore, please save me and take me away!"

She was in so much pain that she was about to die.

She didn't want any luxuries or the position of a wealthy daughter anymore. She just wanted to escape this inhumane suffering and torture as soon as possible.

She never even dreamed that she would be pressed against a bench and suffer beatings to her butt in front of so many people in this life.

She also never expected that it would hurt so much to have her butt get beaten by a plank. It was so painful that she wished she could drop dead immediately.

Be it luxuries or the noble status as the wealthy daughter of the Penham Family, she wanted none of

those. She just wanted to be freed as soon as possible.

"Stop, stop it!" Penny scrambled off the floor and screamed with all her might at Eddie, "Dad, are you trying to force me and my daughter to death? Luna isn't dead yet, but you're already coming after my and Ava's life, is that it? Luna is your granddaughter, but so is Ava. You can't favor Luna simply because Luna saved your life. Luna isn't dead yet, but you already want Ava to make it up to her with her life! Dad, you can't be so biased, you most certainly can't!"