CHAPTER SEVENTY-ONE “I am sure you heard me the first time.” Adrian retorted, taking a deep breath. “Just one hit, and I am all yours. You can decide to do whatever you want with me.” He spread his arms with a wry smile, looking from one man to the next. The three men standing next to Dennis turned to him, expecting him to give the order at once, but it seemed that the middle-aged man was too stunned to even say a word, staring at Adrian with wide eyes. “Boss? What are we waiting for? We should beat him up!” One of the men suggested, and the others nodded in agreement, glaring at Adrian. “Give the order, and we will teach him not to run his mouth. He has a lot of confidence for only one man.” Another added, pointing his baton at Adrian. “You are going down, boy!” He threatened, his eyes sparking with disdain. Adrian sniggered, pointing to the baton. “With that?” He inquired, ridicule laced in his tone. “Come on, boys!” He huffed, shaking his head slowly. “You can

CHAPTER SEVENTY-THREE “Are you okay?!” Elara asked, looking around Adrian..When she was convinced that there was not even a single scratch on his body, she sighed heavily, and then she finally let go of him.“Are they gone?” She asked, struggling with the urge to check for herself.“They are gone, Elara.” Adrian assured, holding her back.Elara took a deep breath, and then she cleared her throat, attempting to get a hold on herself. “I am so glad that they didn’t hurt you.” She whispered, causing Adrian to scoff. “What are we going to do?” She asked after a few seconds, looking Adrian desperately in the eyes. “We are going to do nothing.” Adrian said casually, and then he walked up to a couch and sat down, leaning backward and resting his back on the cozy cushion. Elara stared at him for a while, her brows hanging above her wide eyes. “What do you mean by we are going to do nothing?” She pushed toward Adrian and stood before him, looking down at him. “Are we supposed to just s

CHAPTER SEVENTY-FIVE “How have you been, Elara?” Ben asked, but it didn’t sound as though he cared about Elara, his voice dripping with so much ridicule. Elara took a deep breath, but when she thought that she was going to be finally able to speak, she seemed to have lost her voice, struggling to produce a sound. “Hello, Elara! Are you there?!” Ben’s returned, instilling more tension into her system.She still didn’t want to speak, bur Adrian urged her to do so, taking his eyes off the screen for only a brief moment. Elara sighed heavily, and then she cleared her throat, returning her eyes to the screen of the phone she was holding. “What do you want, Ben? You never called me ever since I was labeled a monster because of my face.”“That’s because I never thought that your beauty was going to return to you, Elara.” Ben’s voice was reeking of so much disregard, seeming to have every other thing but shame and remorse. “Did you expect me to come after someone who was as ugly as you

CHAPTER SEVENTY-SEVEN The lady tried to hide her displeasure, but that seemed to be the hardest thing for her to do, especially with the presence of Elara who was known by almost everyone in the city as the damsel who had once dated the richest bachelor in Hillcrest.“I was already getting in the mood, Ben. Why did you pull out?” She grumbled, turning to Elara and giving her a spiteful look. Ben scoffed, staring at the lady with his eyes burning with annoyance. “How dare you speak to me in that manner?!” He grabbed her by the neck, and after pressing very hard for a while, he pushed her further away, causing her to stagger and almost fall. He turned to the other lady, dismissing her angrily. “Leave!” He yelled, and she scrambled away, almost throwing away what she was holding. Ben growled inwardly, and then he turned to Elara while a smile instantly took over.“Elara, my love!” He laughed as though it was the first time he was seeing her, and as he made his way down the steps, th

CHAPTER SEVENTY-NINE Elara turned to Adrian, and then she apologized with her eyes, unable to get herself to speak even though her lips had parted. “Where is your ring, Elara?” Ben broke the silence, his words cutting across the confidence that Elara thought she had been able to build. “Your so-called husband is so poor that he couldn’t afford an ordinary ring. What a tragedy!” He turned to the guard standing by his right and gestured to him. “Yes, boss!” The guard stepped forward and leaned closer to Ben. “Let me see your wedding ring, Isaac.” “Yes, Boss!” The guard instantly showed Ben his left hand, and he grabbed it at once, looking at the ring on his finger. “Can you see that?!” Ben pointed to the ring, especially the stone on it. “I pay all my workers enough that they can afford to buy very expensive rings for their weddings. I am sure Isaac here got a diamond ring for his wife.” “Yes, Boss.” Isaac nodded with a smile.“All thanks to you, boss. I was able to give my wi