Chapter 3

Eleanor acted incredibly fast.

Within moments, the storage room door was shoved open from the outside.

Eleanor strode in with two bodyguards at her side. Seeing the blood at the corner of my mouth, my disheveled clothes, and the state I was in on the floor, she was visibly shocked.

She rushed over to help me up.

I shook my head, signaling her to stay quiet. Then, I took the bank card from her hand—the PIN taped to the back—and tossed it to Chloe.

The woman caught the card and didn't bother arguing further. She just waved her hand dismissively. "If this card is fake, I have ways to find you. Now get out."

Enduring the intense pain radiating through my body, I shuffled out of that disgusting place with Eleanor's support.

At the entrance, I turned to her. "Thanks, Eleanor. I'll pay you back as soon as this is over."

She looked at me with deep concern. "It's just money, don't worry about it. But what happened to you?"

I managed a bitter laugh. "My brother really picked a winner for a girlfriend. I need to have a little chat with him."

Pulling out my phone, I found the number for the deputy CEO of Julian's restaurant. He was the real person in charge, someone I had personally recruited, and he was absolutely loyal to me.

Once the call connected, I didn't waste time. My voice was cold and steady.

"You have ten minutes to fire the manager, Chloe Vance. If you don't, the Sterling family will pull every cent of its investment out of the restaurant. I won't leave a dime behind."

The deputy CEO sounded so shaken he was on the verge of a panic attack. He could likely hear the strain in my voice, and he agreed immediately without daring to ask questions.

I hung up and took a cab straight to the police station. At the front desk, I explained everything that had happened to the officer in the clearest, calmest way possible.

After making a detailed statement, I went to the hospital for a full medical examination.

Holding that thin medical report in my hand, the anger and sense of betrayal inside me only flared higher.

I needed an explanation.

I needed Julian to look me in the eye and give me one himself.

My assistant found out Julian was at his own residence. I went straight to his manor with my driver and bodyguard.

Even that manor had been a gift from me.

When I arrived, however, I was greeted by deafening heavy metal music and the sound of men and women laughing and shouting through the open windows.

He was throwing a party. No wonder he hadn't answered my calls earlier.

The front door was left ajar. For some reason, I didn't push it open right away.

Soon, I heard the familiar sound of a woman sobbing.

It was Chloe Vance.

She was inside, crying to the crowd, painting herself as the poor victim who had been bullied by some haughty homewrecker who had retaliated.

"...All I did was ask her to pay, but she threw a hundred thousand dollars in my face and even got me fired... Julian, she has gone too far. She doesn't respect you at all! She just wants to humiliate me and break us up!"

Inside, Julian's group of rotten friends all chimed in, acting outraged on her behalf.

Julian held Chloe, comforting her in a tone full of concern and affection. "Don't worry, Chloe. I won't let you be treated like this!"

To prove himself, he made a showy promise to everyone in the room. "As soon as I find that woman, I'll make her get down on her knees and apologize to you!"

The crowd of trust-fund kids jumped in, each louder than the last.

"Julian, just say the word! We will drag her out right now!"

"Yeah! Let her see who's really in charge here!"

I couldn't bear to listen to another word. I raised my hand, and my bodyguard kicked the door wide open.

The music stopped abruptly, and all the laughter and noise vanished with it.

Dozens of dumbfounded faces turned to stare at the entrance simultaneously.

"No need for that. I'm right here. So, who's going to teach me a lesson?"