Chapter 15
The guy laughed like a maniac and pulled her close. "A hundred million? No problem!"
"Who are you? Never seen you around," Elizabeth said, smiling at the guy in front of her.
The guy lifted his head, looking all smug.
"I'm Brady Brooks, president of Brooks Group!" he declared.
Elizabeth burst out laughing. 'Brady? The Brooks family's spoiled brat?' she thought.
"What's so funny? You think you're better than me?" He glared at her, clearly annoyed. "Stick with me, and you'll get way more than a hundred million dollars!"
"Mr. Brooks, not interested. Let's just pretend we never met," Elizabeth said, trying to be nice.
She was here for her dad's sake. Causing a scene would just embarrass her family. Plus, she didn't want any drama.
Brady didn't like that. No woman had ever turned him down! "Playing hard to get, huh?"
Elizabeth pushed past him, trying to leave.
Seeing her act all high and mighty, drunk Brady felt a surge of desire. If she wouldn't come willingly, he'd make her.
He grabbed her, trying to force her, and sneered, "Stop pretending. Didn't you bump into me on purpose?"
He shoved her against the wall.
Elizabeth gritted her teeth and yelled, "Let go of me!"
"Come on, you should be excited to be with me tonight! Stop acting all shy."
Brady's hand reached for Elizabeth's dress. She frowned and quickly pushed him away.
But he leaned in closer.
"Brady, I'm Elizabeth! From the Percy family! Do you really want to mess with me?" She hoped her name would scare him off.
"I don't care who you are. Tonight, you're mine!" he growled, breathing heavily.
Elizabeth's face tightened. Just as she was about to act, a shadow zipped by.
Brady hit the ground with a yelp!
Elizabeth found herself shielded by a newcomer.
When she saw who it was, her heart skipped a beat.
"Who the hell hit me?" Brady got up, face red, veins popping.
"Look closely and see who I am!"
The corridor was dark. The man's voice was icy, sending chills down the spine.
Brady wobbled, rubbing his eyes. When he saw the figure clearly, he sobered up fast.
"Alexander."
He glanced at Elizabeth, now protected by Alexander.
Alexander turned slightly, his eyes on Elizabeth, voice cold. "You okay?"
Elizabeth looked up, shaking her head, her breath a bit shaky.
Alexander turned to Brady, eyes like ice. "You dare touch my wife?"
Elizabeth froze, adjusting her clothes. Those words, he'd only ever said them for Esme. Now, she was hearing them too. It felt unreal, like a dream.
"Mr. Tudor, I drank too much. I didn't know," Brady stammered, shaking his head, barely making sense.
"Being drunk is your excuse?" Alexander squinted, his right hand clenched into a fist, gently swaying his wrist, radiating dominance.
Then, without hesitation, Alexander punched Brady square in the face. Then he punched him again.
Alexander kept punching, each blow full of force, venting his frustration. All his recent irritations were unleashed on Brady.
By the time he stood up, Brady was out cold.
"Don't you know to be more careful when you're out alone?" His gaze swept over Elizabeth, brows furrowed, tone full of concern.
Elizabeth wondered if she heard wrong.
Was he actually worried about her? But thinking of all the things Alexander had done to her, she couldn't help but feel a chill in her heart.
"Thanks for helping me out, Mr. Tudor." Elizabeth smiled, her tone indifferent and distant.
Alexander's brows furrowed deeply, and he called out, "Elizabeth."
Elizabeth pointed at his hand. "You're hurt. Let me fix it."
Alexander glanced at his hand. "Just a scratch. No big deal."
Elizabeth just looked at him, then headed to a nearby lounge. Whether he followed or not, she didn't care.
Alexander watched her walk away, heart racing, and found himself trailing after her.
The lounge was empty. Alexander plopped down on the sofa. Elizabeth grabbed the first aid kit, pulled out some iodine, and he extended his hand. She glanced at him and chuckled.
"What's so funny?" Alexander snapped, feeling annoyed.
Elizabeth's fingers were cool as she held his hand. "It's rare to see Mr. Tough Guy so compliant. Usually, you're all bark and bite."
Alexander was suddenly speechless, realizing how badly he'd treated her before.
Elizabeth bent over, a strand of hair falling on her cheek, her neck gracefully arched.
Back in high school, Alexander was always getting into fights. Every time he got hurt, it was Elizabeth who patched him up, always scolding, "Alexander, if you don't take care of yourself, I won't help you next time."
But she always did. Alexander's eyes drifted to the scar on Elizabeth's forehead, and his heart ached.
Breaking the silence, he finally said, "I saw the surveillance footage."
