Chapter 2

Their jeering pierced my eardrums.

I staggered out of the control room in a mess, wanting only to leave.

But as I passed the private room, my ringtone suddenly rang.

The door was yanked open, and Ethan looked down at me from above.

“Go in and apologize to Chloe first.”

My teeth chattered, and the slap mark on my face was still bright red.

Ethan ignored my refusal.

After I was dragged into the private room, countless sticky gazes lunged at me and swallowed me inch by inch.

I could not think about anything else, so I apologized in panic.

I thought I could leave faster if I apologized.

But Chloe sobbed, “Ethan, don’t force Julian anymore, it’s all my fault.”

I froze on the spot, and the words I wanted to use to defend myself stuck in my throat.

Everyone accused me of not knowing what was good for me and making her cry.

They shouted that they should teach me a lesson to vent Chloe’s anger.

Ethan also protected Chloe and ordered me to kneel in a hostile tone.

My heart was full of shock and bitterness, and as I said it was impossible, I backed toward the door.

But someone suddenly kicked the back of my knee, and I fell to the ground.

Someone grabbed my hair viciously, and the pain made tears spill from my eyes.

At Ethan’s signal, his friends slammed my head heavily against the floor and forced me to beg for mercy and apologize.

I clenched my teeth, blood covering my face. “I did nothing wrong...”

Chloe smiled bleakly and pulled her hand out of Ethan’s. “It’s my fault.”

In an instant, the person behind me became even more brutal.

I convulsed from the pain, while Ethan focused only on comforting Chloe.

“How about I take you to the prairie to ride horses?”

Ethan had gone too far last night, then promised to take me to Montana and ride the horses his mother had left there.

He knew I loved open fields and freedom, and that I could not refuse.

Now he did not even look at me, gave that promise to Chloe, and said, “Julian stays here.”

“Liam and the others said they wanted to try something new, didn’t they? They’ll teach Julian a proper lesson for you.”

I was discarded like trash, and Ethan left holding Chloe’s hand.

Chloe stepped on the back of my hand with her high heel and ground it down hard several times, then looked back with a mocking and contemptuous gaze.

Her lips moved silently: filthy rent boy.

Cold sweat mixed with blood streamed down my face, and in a haze, I begged.

“Ethan, don’t do this to me... You said you wouldn’t bully me anymore.”

I had been sponsored by the Blackwood family, had loved him for twelve years, and had let him bring people to bully me for ten years.

Last night, he held me in his arms and said every sweet word imaginable.

I believed every single one.

We had agreed to grow old together, but after a mere twenty-four hours, only the ridiculous and naive me remained.

Ethan’s expression did not look good, as if he was hesitating.

But when Chloe shed another tear, he gave up on me.

I fought with all my strength, grabbed a shard of glass from the floor, pressed it against my artery, and said through chattering teeth, “Let me go!”

Ethan burned with rage, grabbed my wrist, and forced me to loosen my hand. “Julian Lane!”

“What are you so unwilling about? Didn’t you scheme your way into my bed for money?”

“I’m introducing you to new clients, so why are you pretending to be so pure?”

I never thought that was how Ethan saw me.

All the words I wanted to use to explain fell silent in my chest.

He looked down at me from above. “If that’s the case, then get lost and go to the red-light district to learn how to serve men.”