Chapter 2

After I made those calls, Lucy was still splayed on the sofa. A single red stiletto lay lonely on the floor.

Her other shoe was still dangling from her foot, tangled with a lace thong.

Her skirt was pushed all the way up to her waist, leaving nothing to the imagination.

The fat guy next to her still had his hand resting casually on her thigh.

It felt like an invisible hand was strangling my throat. Looking at this disgusting scene, my anger finally boiled over.

"Lucy! I am asking you one last time. Are you getting the hell off him or not?!"

"Stop screaming!"

Lucy aggressively slapped the fat guy's hand off her leg and shrieked,

"Do you have to ruin my important night to be satisfied?!"

"I told you, it's a pre-marital crash course! Do you not understand English?"

"Now, either shut up and watch so you can learn something, or get the hell out of here!"

The blood rushed straight to my head!

I froze on the spot, my ears buzzing. It took me a few seconds to process the sheer audacity of her words.

"You absolute trash!" My whole body shook as I pointed my finger at the bastards who were enjoying the show.

"Getting felt up by these pieces of garbage is what you call a 'course'?! Lucy, have you lost your mind?!"

Lucy’s face instantly darkened. Without a word, she stood up, raised her hand, and slapped me hard across the face.

She hit me so hard my cheek burned instantly, and a trickle of blood seeped from the corner of my mouth.

"Christian, don't you dare slander my friends!"

"I am learning all this for your sake! Instead of thanking them, you’re standing here throwing a tantrum. You are being completely unreasonable!"

I stared at her in shock, unable to believe such shameless words could actually come out of her mouth.

Once I snapped out of it, I raised my hand and slapped her right back.

"For my sake? Lucy, you are disgustingly shameless!"

The force of my slap sent Lucy tumbling onto the floor in a messy heap.

She held her cheek, glared up at me, and shrieked so hard her voice cracked.

"Christian! How dare you lay a hand on me?!"

Then, she shot a look at her childhood friend, James, who was standing nearby, and hissed,

"Teach him a lesson! Make him realize who he's talking to!!"

Receiving his orders, James immediately kicked me hard in the stomach.

Then, he and the fat guy pinned me to the floor, locking me down so I couldn’t move.

James sneered, his voice dripping with condescension.

"Do you know Jones Enterprises?"

He ground the heel of his leather shoe hard into my hand.

"That's a top-tier company! Arthur Jones is my uncle!"

"I'm doing you a favor by sleeping with Lucy. Instead of being grateful, you actually dare to cause trouble for her?"

He pressed down even harder on my hand.

"Say one more word, and I'll make sure you disappear from New York tonight!"

"Jones?!"

That name sent a shockwave through my chest, and I almost laughed out loud.

The same Arthur Jones who was practically begging me on his knees last month, trying to get into my good graces?

Looking at James's shameless face, I spat out a cold laugh.

"Pfft! Arthur Jones? He might be a big deal to you, but to me, he isn’t even fit to carry my shoes!"

Seeing how arrogant I was, James completely lost his mind. His eyes turned bloodshot, and he roared,

"Motherfucker! You're asking for death! Beat him to a pulp!!"

The second the words left his mouth, a hail of fists and kicks rained down on me!

"Alright! Don't actually kill him. If you do, am I supposed to be a widow tomorrow?!"

After what felt like forever, Lucy finally spoke up to stop them. Her voice was cold, completely devoid of emotion.

She strolled over to where I was curled up on the ground and tapped my bloody head with the toe of her high heel.

"Christian, if you know what's good for you, you’ll behave."

"If you ever speak to my friends like that again, I’ll make sure you pack up your pathetic bones and get out of New York! The further, the better!"

"Marry me? Maybe in your next life!"