The Heiress Spoiled by Four Brothers and One Devilish CEO-Chapter 172 The Soul-Whip Punishment

Before Megan could say anything, Karl gently put his finger on her lips.

A soft, bitter smile curved on his handsome face. "Don’t say it. I already have everything I wanted in this stolen moment. Even if you end up hating me, it’s all worth it."

Megan gave a small smile, "Thanks for giving me a second chance at life, and... for everything you’ve done for me."

Karl gave a light chuckle. "Let me walk you out."

He wrapped an arm around her waist and led her toward the door. Just as they reached the back exit, he saw the area outside surrounded.

"Keith, get Megan out through the underground tunnel," he said.

"Yes, sir."

"Make sure she gets to Tristan safely."

"Got it, boss."

Keith quickly steadied Megan and headed back into the house, stepping into a hidden studio. He gently rotated a plaster sculpture on the table, causing a panel in the floor to slide open.

"Miss Shaw, this way."

The two of them started down the stairs, and when they reached the final step, Keith pressed a switch on the wall, sealing the entrance behind them.

He continued walking with her into the tunnel, which twisted forward like a long cylinder curling into darkness.

"When we get out of this tunnel, we’ll reach the entrance to the forest. Mr. Reid will be waiting there."

Megan suddenly paused. "So Karl knew this would happen... That’s why he got in touch with Tristan?"

Keith sighed, "Boss never had the Old Master’s approval to be with you. He promised to bring you into the Richmond family, and that’s the only reason Old Master pretended not to see it. But someone inside the base leaked your pregnancy. And since it’s not Richmond blood... and Boss still treated it like his own... the Old Master lost it. He thinks you messed with Boss’s mind. He believes one day, because of you, Boss’s hatred toward the other families will fade."

Megan stopped walking again. "Keith, what will happen to Karl?"

Keith gave a helpless smile, "Old Master is cruel when it comes to punishment. You really don’t wanna know."

Megan clenched her fist, almost without thinking. "I need to know. What will happen to him?"

Keith took a deep breath and gently pulled her forward. "On the surface, the boss may seem like things are all perfect, but honestly? He had it rough. He was raised like a lab rat. All those sorcery worms you’ve seen? He went through them—every single one. Except the Lover’s Link sorcery worm... that one was originally meant for you and him. Old Master used him like a test subject, no hesitation. And Boss just took it all in silence."

Megan’s brows knitted together. Karl really was pitiful.

Now she understood where his extreme behavior came from—it was the outcome of the torture he grew up with.

He once said her death in a past life was because of him. But Megan knew, even if Karl hadn’t been involved, Old Master would’ve targeted her anyway—because she was a, and Tristan’s woman.

So either way, she was doomed to be dragged into that mess. There was no walking away untouched.

Yeah, Karl did a lot of ruthless things. But he never laid a finger on her—except for that sorcery worm incident with Tristan.

Megan wasn’t naïve, and she didn’t give out sympathy to just anyone. Still, hearing what Karl went through weighed heavy on her heart.

She looked at Keith and asked, "Will he survive this?"

Keith nodded. "He’s still Old Master’s grandson, after all. No matter how angry he is, he’ll keep him alive."

"Are they really blood-related?"The man paused in his steps and turned to look at Megan. "Miss Shaw, what do you mean by that?"

Megan frowned. "Tell me—what kind of normal person would use his own grandson as a human test subject? Keith, has Karl never questioned that?"

Keith hesitated for a moment, thoughtful. Megan kept going. "Maybe Karl really is part of the Richmond family, but that Old Master isn’t. Or maybe Old Master’s a real Richmond, and Karl has no blood ties to them at all. I can’t say for sure—it’s just a hunch. Still, I don’t want Karl to be someone’s pawn. Keith, go back. He needs you now. I can handle the rest on my own."

Keith looked conflicted but finally gave a nod. "Miss Shaw, Mr. Reid is waiting for you at the exit. Take care."

As Keith disappeared in the direction they came from, Megan quickened her pace.

She had to survive. For the baby growing inside her—that was her and Tristan’s child.

The tunnel stretched far ahead, and after what felt like fifteen minutes of walking, Megan saw a faint light at the far end.

Hope surged in her chest. She broke into a near-run and finally reached the end. Looking up, she reached out and pressed against the cover overhead.

Moments later, a familiar voice drifted down. "Meg?"

Her eyes welled up immediately. "Tristan, it’s me!"

The panel above slid open, revealing the sharp but gentle face of Tristan.

He reached down, arms under her arms, and pulled her up effortlessly. "Meg, my Meg."

Throwing her arms around his face, she planted two quick kisses. "This place is rough. Let’s get out of here."

Cameron was already behind the wheel, driving fast through the woods, speeding around winding mountain roads and heading straight for the Dreamscape Manor.

Back underground, Keith figured Megan must be out by now. He made his way back into the hidden painting room of the base.

Keeping a casual demeanor, he walked out and searched for Karl.

Unsurprisingly, the sight that met him was the very last thing he wanted to see.

Karl was on his knees, shirtless. His back was slashed open, black sorcery worms crawling all over the wounds, gnawing at the raw flesh. He was pale as a ghost, sweat dripping from his forehead, but when he saw Keith, a flicker of relief crossed his eyes.

Across from him, an elderly man sat calmly on a sofa, pipe in hand. Although aging, he looked unusually vigorous, his eyes full of cold sharpness as they landed on Keith.

A sneer tugged at the old man’s lips. "She’s gone, isn’t she?"

Keith lowered his head in silence.

The elder took the pipe from his mouth and stood, stretching out a hand.

Immediately, Keith dropped to his knees. "Sir, please reconsider. The boss’s body is already on the edge—he won’t survive another round of the soul-whip."

The old man snatched the whip a guard handed over. "Since when do you have a say? Who do you think you are?"

With barely a pause, the spiked whip lashed down hard on Karl’s back.

Karl’s lip twitched, but he didn’t make a sound.

Keith crawled forward in panic. "Sir, punish me instead! Let me take it for him!"

The old man kicked him aside. "Out of my sight!"

One brutal crack followed another, the sound of leather tearing skin echoing through the room. Only when his arm began to ache did the old man finally stop.

Karl’s upper body was a bloody mess, even his once-handsome face was marked.

But then he suddenly grinned. "Feeling better now, Grandpa?"

With a glare, the old man smashed his pipe on the floor. "That woman could’ve helped us crush both the Reids and the Shaws—and you just let her walk away!"