Never Judge

Grandpa Hernandez ran towards Adrianna and fell to her feet. 

"Adrianna, my granddaughter, don't let your husband do this." Grandpa Hernandez begged Adrianna.

Adrianna didn't say a word, she just stared at her grandfather with an angry look. 

"Adrianna, you've always put family first." One of her aunts shouted to remind her.

"If you hadn't tried to literally sell me to Mark Chu I would have let this slide." Adrianna's voice shook as she spoke. Cedric looked at her full of concern, he didn't want her to have to go through this.

"Adrianna, I'm sorry, I was only thinking of our family's survival." Grandpa Hernandez tried to explain.

"And what of Uncle Matthew, Margaret, and Henry? You sent them to the most dangerous part of the city, you had no intention of letting them survive!" Adrianna accused. "Cedric has had too much patience with you."

Adrianna sat back down as Ayanna held her hand to comfort her and to show her that she wasn't standing alone against the Hernandezes.

"I only brought you here to show you who I am." Cedric told Grandpa Hernandez. "You will go back out there and watch as you and your family lose everything, your business and your name, and none of you will speak of me to anyone else, because I will know. And if you dare try to tell anyone, you will suffer a fate worse than death."

"Adrianna, you bitch!" Asia, who had been surprisingly quiet out of fear the whole time, shouted. "You tricked us! All of us! You knew your husband was powerful and yet you lied! What kind of family are you!" 

"Shut up!" Mark Chu shouted at his wife.

"Do I have to discipline your wife or will you?" Ray asked Mark. Mark stood up, walked over to the pregnant woman and slapped her on the cheek.

"This is why you are nothing compared to Mrs. Reyes." Mark then turned and returned to kneel in front of Cedric.

"How could you slap your pregnant wife?!" Grandpa Hernanez shouted at Mark.

Mark laughed and looked at the old man. "You have the guts to ask me that, when you willingly sold your granddaughter. You even conspired to have her kidnapped!" Mark accused.

"There may be hope for this one." Ray said as he looked at Mark Chu.

"Leon, send them back." Cedric said in a commanding voice as Leon directed the bodyguards to take the Hernandez family back to their homes.

With the Hernandezes gone, Edward and Mark Chu were left on their knees. They didn't dare move, they knew their master, Raymund Laurence, could be a cruel man and they feared his anger above everything.

"Should I deal with them or should you?" Ray asked Cedric as he looked at the father and son on the ground. They disgusted him, he had laid out the rules and one of them was not to touch women who had already refused them.

"They are your men, do with them as you see fit, but I will take their business and drive it to the ground." Cedric said in a tone full of anger. 

Out of nowhere, Katerina suddenly stood up and kicked Mark Chu in the face, her sudden movement made everyone stare in shock.

"You know what I hate the most, Mr. Chu?" Katerina asked as her heels clicked on the ground as she walked. "I hate men that think women are their property, that we are commodities that can be sold or traded. You are the worst of them all." At that Katerina walked out of the room.

"I guess Katerina did for me what I couldn't." A shocked Adrianna said as she stared at the bleeding man on the ground.

"Ha. That's nothing compared to what Ray will do." Ayanna boasted. "Why don't we go to Veronica and have some drinks? I'll try to drag Katerina back." Ayanna said in a cheery tone as if nothing had happened.

Because of what Cedric had done Adrianna was in a much better mood, so she nodded and let Ayanna drag her out. 

With the women gone, Ray stood up and lifted Mark Chu by the hair to see his face, it was bleeding and clearly swollen due to Katerina's kick. 

"I don't think I need to tell you the consequences of lusting over my brother's wife." Ray told Mark Chu.

Mark remained silent, unlike the Hernandez family he knew what punishment he would receive for offending someone like Cedric Reyes. His family's hard work would become worthless because he went after the wrong man's wife.

"You have nothing to say?" Cedric asked as he sat back down.

"Sir, it was my fault. My father had nothing to do with what I did." Mark knew that he didn't need to explain what he was asking for to these men. 

"Cedric?' Ray asked his friend.

"I say, teach all of the Chus not to offend us." Alexi said as he crossed his arms. 

"Please sir." Mark Chu begged.

"It's good that you know when to take accountability for your actions." Cedric praised. "Maybe after you recover you could still be of use to us. I'll give you what you are asking for, but Edward Chu must take away all support from you and hand over the company to your sister, Katrina." 

"Yes. We'll do it sir." Mark Chu agreed immediately. 

"This however, doesn't exempt you from Ray's own punishment." Cedric reminded the Chu family. Mark and Edward vigorously nodded in response.

"Take them." Ray commanded his bodyguards. The father and son pair stood and walked side by side with the guards more than happy to take their reduced punishment. 

Vivian and Katrina were about to follow when Cedric spoke. "I expect all of you to keep my identity to yourselves."

They turned and promised to do so before finally leaving. 

"The Hernandezes will disappear overnight." Cedric told his friends when they were left alone.

"You've already acquired Island's Inc. what are your plans for it?" Alexi asked.

"To give it back to the Hernandezes that actually deserve it." Cedric explained.