“Oh, look who’s here. Mr. Warren, right?”
Winston seemed taken aback. Since he couldn’t ignore them, he stood up and strode over.
His gaze shifted from Luke to Clarissa. “Mr. Harrison, stop joking. She’s my woman. I heard she’s meeting her lover here, so I came to catch her in the act and teach her a lesson.,” he said with a smile.
“She’s your woman?”
Luke’s face contorted with rage as he glared at Clarissa menacingly. Suddenly, he burst into a hysterical laugh.
“Hahaha… Your woman? Hahaha… That’s the funniest joke I’ve heard this year.”
Winston was irate when the others in the bar laughed at Luke’s mockery. “Mr. Harrison, what’s so funny? She is my woman. Are you implying that she is yours? Perhaps she used to be, but she’s mine now.”
A contemptuous scowl immediately replaced the humor on the latter’s face. “You guys better let her go now before you ruin my mood. Or…”
Intimidated by Luke’s threat, the men hurriedly released Clarissa, who sneered at Winston, “Mr. Warren, I never knew I was your woman? Care to tell me when we started?”
An amused smile appeared on Luke’s face as he watched her confront the man in silence.
How could she still be so beautiful after so long? Even the way she’s standing up for herself now is so attractive!
Clarissa caught his gaze for a fraction of a second before she turned to Winston as she rubbed her wrist to soothe the pain.
“You… You ungrateful little brat. How dare you pin the blame on me?” Winston exploded. “We have a deal, remember? Do you think I would invest in your sh*tty script if you’re not my woman? Oh, I see, now the shooting is over, and you’re turning your back on me. With my influence in the industry, I only have to spread the word that you’re a backstabbing b*tch who doesn’t honor agreements. Who do you think they’ll believe?”
“You’ll get your just desserts.” Clarissa turned and left.
Instead of wasting my time arguing with a despicable man like him, I might as well let him off since I can always beat him up in the future.
“Stop right there!” Winston wasn’t letting go of this golden opportunity.
He was ready to fight tooth and nail with Luke and Clarissa. It was no coincidence that they were together.
She stared intently at Winston while the latter sneered and motioned for his subordinates to surround the duo.
Before she could react, Luke spoke, “Geez, Mr. Warren. Are you trying to kill us?”
“Mr. Harrison, listen to yourself. This is between me and her, so stop sticking your nose into our affair. It’s not worth it. There are plenty of beautiful women out there. Just take your pick, while I’m teach this rat a lesson,” Winston said.
Luke let out a chuckle and shook his head. “Mr. Warren, if someone has a death wish, nothing is going to stop them. Well, too bad, I’m not going to stop you either.”
Winston neither understood nor cared what he meant by that. “What are you waiting for? Bring that woman to me!”
Right when they were about to move, Luke and Clarissa exchanged glances. He flashed a grin and rubbed his wrist. “I never thought I’d become a hero. Alright then, I’m going all out for Clare today.” At that, he advanced on Winston.
The men in the bar charged at the latter and his subordinates. A full-blown fight broke out.
The bar manager behaved as though it was an everyday affair. He could talk some sense into Winston, but Luke was uncontrollable. The two didn’t belong in the same league.
Amidst the chaos, the drunk crowd cheered and whistled enthusiastically.
Naturally, Winston suffered a humiliating defeat. Clarissa seized the opportunity and left with Joshua as Luke trailed behind them.
“Clare, you have such a bad taste. I can’t believe you like a pretty boy like him,” he scorned as he scrutinized Joshua.
She furrowed her eyebrows and explained, “Mr. Harrison, you got me wrong. He is my friend.”
Despite his mockery, Clarissa was grateful to him. “By the way, I owe you for saving me.”
“Great. Very well then. To repay this kindness, how about you be my woman?”
“Mr. Harrison, stop joking. I am married.”
“You’re married? To who?” He was stunned.
“That’s no concern of yours. Well, will you excuse us? I have to bring him to the hospital. Don’t worry, someday I will surely repay you.”
After a momentary stunned pause, Luke hurriedly said, “Let me send you.”
Then he immediately helped Joshua into the car. Since it was an emergency, Clarissa had no other choice but to ride in his car to follow them.
At the hospital, Joshua howled in pain. He vowed to seek revenge for the suffering.
Clarissa sat by the side in guilt as she apologized profusely for getting him involved.
However, he didn’t blame her. “It’s not your fault. I never expected an abduction to occur in D City. Darn him. A jerk like him should be locked up for life.”
Meanwhile, Luke stood quietly as he contemplated the fact that Clarissa was a married woman.
Unable to contain his curiosity any longer, he bombarded her with a chain of questions. “Clare, are you really married? How is that possible? Who are you married to? Do I know him? I am every woman’s dream, but why did you choose him over me? Listen, it’s not too late for a divorce. Three years ago, I told you I would be your man? Why didn’t you wait for me?”
Joshua turned to Clarissa in astonishment. “Are you kidding me? I have a crush on her, too. Even if she’s divorced, you and I are going to have a fair competition to win her heart,” he remarked. “Anyway, Rissa, I think you’re also married. Why didn’t you tell us? I would have married you gladly. Gosh! Another eligible bachelorette off the rack.”
“Whoa, this pretty boy has feelings for you too.” Luke scoffed as he rolled his eyes.
“That’s my personal matter. I’d rather not talk about it,” Clarissa replied.
She massaged her temples, took a seat, and said, “Joshua, I’ll stay with you since you’re hurt. It would be best if you can call your family and inform them about what happened. Then I can apologize to them personally. And Mr. Harrison, as I told you earlier, I will repay your kindness someday. If there’s nothing else, please leave and let him rest.”
“You can repay me with your heart.”
Exasperated by his persistence, she kept mum.
“Are you deaf? Rissa said no. So move your ass and scram.” Joshua immediately chased Luke out.
He gazed at Clarissa meaningfully and let out a smile before leaving. It was a subtle hint that he wasn’t giving up.
Luke had countless girlfriends for the past three years. Although he wasn’t dead set on having a relationship with Clarissa, he couldn’t suppress the overwhelming emotions when he saw Matthew again. Back then, the latter had come between them, and Luke lost out to him. For years, he swallowed the bitter pill and his ego took a hit because he couldn’t have Clarissa.
After he left, Joshua finally uttered the question he had been wanting to ask. “Rissa, you’re not married, are you? It’s just a lie to chase him away, right?” He chuckled nervously.
“I’m really married.”
“Really?” He looked crestfallen. “That’s too bad. I should have asked you out when you broke up with your ex three years ago.”
“Joshua, stop joking. What we share is platonic. We’re just friends.” She drew the line between them.
“Who knows? Maybe our friendship would end in marriage. Anyway, who exactly is your husband? If he’s worse than me, you should divorce him before it’s too late,” he replied with a smack of his lips.
“Cut the small talk. You need to rest. Are you sure you don’t want to call your family?”
“No, they will just give me a headache.”
In the ward, Clarissa leaned against Joshua’s bed to check her phone.. However, the battery was flat.
She headed to the nursing station to borrow a charger and to have a chat with the nurses on duty. They told her about their job and their interaction with the patients, which interested her vastly.
Her phone turned on automatically after charging. Shortly after, she received a call.
“Clarissa, where are you?” Matthew asked. He sounded angry and distant.
“In the hotel room.”
