2
In the darkness, the female manager said nothing, but raised her high–heeled foot and brutally kicked me in the stomach.
The excruciating pain instantly made me curl into a ball, my stomach churning violently. W
“That’s for spending my man’s money!”
“That’s for trying to seduce him!”
She shrieked, her voice distorted by jealousy and rage.
She looked down at me, towering over me, and ordered the two brawny men: “Beat her! Beat her senseless!”
The two security guards, clearly her loyal cronies, didn’t hesitate for a second. A barrage of punches and kicks rained down on me.
I bit down hard, swallowing every cry of pain and groan.
My bones felt like they were being shattered, my internal organs dislocated.
Her shrieks continued. “What do you think you are? Nothing but a pathetic hanger–on!”
“I told you I’m his sister! If you don’t believe me, ask Julian! Call him right now, I’ll tell him myself!”
I struggled to explain, but the woman in front of me was deaf to my words. Only when my head was swimming and my vision blurring did she raise her hand and call a stop.
Her high–heeled foot pressed onto my shoulder as she smiled, looking down at me.
“You’d better pay that bill today, and then fork over another five hundred thousand.”
“That’s your punishment for seducing my man and spending his money.”
“I’m not afraid of things getting messy. Julian will have it all smoothed over for me.”
Havourled w
12.53 AM P
I lay curled up in pain, weakly protesting, “That’s my own money. I told you, if you don’t believe me, ask him.”
Her face twisted in anger, and she kicked me again. The two security guards immediately understood, and their fists and feet came down on
me once more.
I knew she wouldn’t listen to anything I said. If this continued, I might actually die here.
After I coughed up a mouthful of blood, I used the last of my strength to fumble for my phone on the cold floor.
“Stop… I’ll… I’ll pay.”
She seemed pleased with my submission, motioning for the two security guards to stop. She knelt down and patted my swollen cheek.
“See? Wouldn’t it have been easier to just do it the easy way? You had to learn the hard way, didn’t you?”
“One million, not a penny less.”
I lay on the cold floor, gasping for breath, my lungs burning.
I ignored her and dialed my best friend Maya’s number.
The call connected quickly.
“Maya, bring two million to Julian’s restaurant.”
“I need it now.”
Maya on the other end paused, then a note of alarm crept into her voice.
“Stella? What’s wrong? Your voice sounds…”
“Don’t ask. Just hurry.” I cut her off and hung up.
When Tiffany heard “two million,” her eyes instantly lit up, a flicker of avarice in her eyes.
She probably thought I’d been beaten into submission and was voluntarily increasing the payment to beg for mercy.
The smug triumph on her face was now impossible to hide.
“Smart move.”
Maya’s speed was astonishing.
Soon, the storage room door was violently pushed open from the outside.
Maya stormed in, flanked by two bodyguards.
When she saw the blood at the corner of my mouth, my disheveled clothes, and my pathetic form curled on the floor, she gasped in shock.
She rushed forward and helped me up.
I shook my head, signaling her not to speak, then took the bank card with the sticky–note password from her hand and tossed it to Tiffany.
Tiffany took the card and didn’t bother me further, waving her hand dismissively.
“If that’s a fake card, I have plenty of ways to find you. Now get out.”
1
I endured the excruciating pain that pierced my bones, and with Maya’s help, I limped out of that disgusting place.
Once at the entrance, I thanked Maya. “Thanks, Maya, I’ll pay you back as soon as I sort this out.”
She looked at me worriedly “Don’t worry about the money. But what happened to you?”
12:53 AM PP
<
”
She looked at me worriedly. “Don’t worry about the money. But what happened to you?”
I let out a bitter laugh. “My brother’s found himself quite the girlfriend. I’ve got a score to settle with him.”
I pulled out my phone and found the number for the restaurant’s Vice President.
This VP was the actual manager of the restaurant, someone I had personally headhunted, and he was fiercely loyal to me.
The call connected. I didn’t waste a single word, my voice devoid of emotion.
“You have ten minutes. Fire a manager named Tiffany Reed.”
“Otherwise, the Cross family will withdraw all investments from the restaurant, every last penny.”
The VP on the other end was scared him witless the moment he heard my voice.
He must have heard the weakness and the unsettling tone in my voice, as he frantically agreed, not daring to ask a single question why.
I hung up, not pausing for a second, and hailed a cab directly to the police station.
Using the clearest, most logical reasoning, I explained everything that had just happened to the officer who received me.
After giving a detailed statement at the police station, I went to the hospital for a medical examination.
Holding that thin report, the fury of betrayal in my heart felt like it had been doused with hot oil, burning even more fiercely.
I needed an explanation.
I needed Julian Cross to give me an explanation himself.
My assistant located Julian at his own house. My driver and bodyguards were already en route to Julian’s villa.
That villa, too, was a gift from me.
However, when I arrived, I was greeted by deafening heavy metal music.
And the boisterous sounds of men and women emanating from the doors and windows.
He was throwing a party. No wonder he hadn’t answered my calls.
The villa’s front door was ajar. On a whim, I didn’t push it open immediately.
Soon, I heard a familiar female voice, choked with tears.
It was Tiffany,
She was crying to everyone in the house, painting herself as a poor victim bullied by an arrogant mistress, who was then falsely accused.
“…I just asked her to pay her bill, and she threw a million dollars in my face, and then had me fired…”
“Julian, she’s too much. She has absolutely no respect for you!”
“She just wants to humiliate me, she just wants to break us up!”
Inside, Julian’s group of fair–weather friends all indignantly echoed her sentiments.
Julian, meanwhile, was loudly comforting Tiffany in his arms, his voice full of tenderness and indulgence.
“Tiffany, don’t worry, I won’t let you suffer this kind of injustice!”
Then, as if to prove his resolve, he confidently promised everyone:
“When I catch that woman, I’ll make her kneel and apologize to you!”
