Ch. 111..120

Chapter 111

“It was that woman who started it; it was her fault. What's there to worry about?”

Natalie was an optimistic person, so naturally, she didn't worry about that at all.

“Hope so. I hope I'm just overthinking.”

I frowned as I assured myself that I was just overthinking. I believe that the police will provide us with sound judgment.

Soon, we arrived at the police station. The two police officers brought Natalie and me to the interrogation room, while John and that woman were brought to another place.

In the room, two young police officers sat in front of us and stared blankly at us. They did not appear like they were going to question us.

“Sir, it was that woman who made the first move. We were merely defending ourselves,” Natalie broke the silence.

“Silence! You're not in the position to tell me about that,” one of the police reminded Natalie expressionlessly.

“I thought you brought us here to ask about the whole incident? Why are we not allowed to speak?”

Natalie frowned and gazed at the police officer in annoyance.

Growing impatient, the police's tone became unpleasant. “This is the police station. Hence, if I asked

you both to keep quiet, you should do as I say!”

Natalie had a bad temper too. Upon hearing that, she stood up angrily. Right when she was about to speak, I grabbed her hand and shook my head, signaling for her to sit down.

After all, we were at the police station. If we caused trouble here, we would be the ones at fault.

Although Natalie was very impulsive, she would always listen to me. When she got my hint, she said nothing more, even though she was angry.

For the entire time, we did nothing in the interrogation room except waiting pointlessly. Everyone had completely ignored us. No one even came and asked us about the incident.

I felt utterly uneasy about the situation. Hence, I wanted to try to call Yuval again. However, my phone had been confiscated before we entered the room. Thus, it was hard to find someone to help us now.

After a long while, the door of the interrogation room opened. Two police officers came in and walked toward Natalie and me. Then, they placed something that resembled a statement of confession before us and said, “Sign it and stamped your thumbprints on it.”

One of them put a pen and a stamp pad in front of us and gestured for us to sign the statement.

I didn't sign it immediately but read the document with my brows scrunched in confusion. When I read through the content on the paper, it was written that Natalie and I had intentionally assaulted that woman. At that moment, fury roared through my mind.

“What the hell is this? Why did it say that we intentionally assaulted that woman? Sir, it was that woman

who made the first move. What we did was self-defense!”

When I knew that it was a confession statement for Natalie and me, anger welled up in my chest. We're the victims here. Why do they want us to admit to the accusation?

Moreover, they didn't even allow us to explain what happened just now. And all of a sudden, they're instructing us to sign a statement? Why should we?

Upon hearing that, the police officer's expression turned cold. “Self-defense? Obviously, the two of you intentionally assaulted the woman. You're still denying it? Do you want to be charged with another crime?”

Upon that, Natalie stared at the police officer angrily and retorted, “We didn't intentionally assault her! What right do you have to convict us before investigating this matter meticulously?”

When the police officers found that we were not afraid of the warning, he threatened us again, “I have many ways to let you admit the crime. Do you want to get yourselves punished?”

Facing his threat, Natalie got even angrier and quickly retorted, “This is the police station. How could you accuse us without even investigating the matter? We're the victims, for cryin' out loud!”

“Stop it, Natalie. Obviously, they are in cahoots with that woman. Maybe she bribed them, so they put the blame on us.”

Now, I knew why that woman looked happy after lodging a police report. It must be because she had connections with the police, so she was confident that Natalie and I would be charged.

I just didn't expect the police would cooperate with that woman to slander us. All that talk about maintaining peace and protecting the public was all talk but no action.

Hearing my words, the police's expression stiffened. Maybe because my assumption was right, the former felt embarrassed and stared right into my eyes and barked, “I'm warning you. This is the police station, so don't you dare slander me!”

Initially, I didn't want to stir up trouble to such an extent, but these police officers didn't seem to let go of Natalie and me. Thus, I mustered my courage and said, “You know perfectly well if we're slandering you. Not only am I not going to sign this statement, but I would also like to sue you for accepting bribes!”

If we signed and inked our thumbprint on the statement, it would signify that we admitted to the crime. We were not that stupid to do so.

“I have plenty of time here, and I'll wait until you sign this! You two better think carefully about this.”

However, our resistance was in vain. I guessed it was not the first time the police officer accepted bribes. After saying that, all the officers left, and only Natalie and I were left in the interrogation room.

“What do we do now, Anna? They're putting the blame on us!”

Usually, Natalie was a bold person, but now she was panic-stricken. It was the first time we got locked up at the police station, and we had no idea what would happen next.

“I guess that woman really has connections with the police authorities. Otherwise, it's not possible to place criminal charges against us.”

 

Chapter 112

I felt vexed as I recalled the smug look in the woman's eyes when she got into the police car earlier. Damn it, why did I let her call the police? We wouldn't be at such a disadvantage now if she didn't do that!

Natalie frowned as she exclaimed anxiously, “What do we do now, Anna? We can't just plead guilty to something like this!”

“I don't know. I thought about calling Yuval for help since he's a lawyer and all, but they've confiscated our phones.”

We weren't able to contact anyone outside for help without our phones, and we didn't have any connections in the police station that could help us out either.

Natalie's face was filled with guilt when she saw how stumped I was.

“I'm sorry, Anna... It's all my fault that you're locked up in here with me...”

She felt extremely guilty as John was the main reason we were in this mess.

“What are you saying, Natalie? You're my best friend, and I'm not about to just sit by and watch you get bullied! Besides, you were there for me when that scumbag Justin betrayed me back then!”

Natalie was the one who stood by my side and supported me when Justin and Mabel hurt me. Now that the same thing has happened to her, I can't possibly abandon her! If she's going to get locked up in a police station, then I would rather get locked up together with her. This way, we would at least be able

to look after each other somehow.

Natalie leaned against my shoulder and sobbed when she heard that. “Thank you, Anna... Thanks for staying with me no matter how difficult things become!”

I held her hand tightly in response. Man, they really have us backed into a corner... We won't be able to leave the police station if we don't sign the papers, but signing it pretty much guarantees that we end up in prison for a few years! Assault and battery is a pretty serious crime, after all. Regardless, we were simply acting in self-defense, so we mustn't sign those papers!

Right as I was desperately trying to come up with an idea, the door to the interrogation room was opened once again. I thought it was the police officer coming to pressure us into signing the papers, only to have my heart skip a beat when I clearly saw who it was.

It was the woman who got into a fight with us earlier, and she looked completely unscathed.

“Oh, my! Crying already? Your sentence hasn't even been handed down yet!”

She had a smug look in her eyes as she made her way towards us in high heels.

The fact that she was able to enter the interrogation room on her own accord made me a lot more certain about my suspicions. This woman must have connections in the police force! She chose to call the police because she knew Natalie and I would get in trouble!

“You old hag, you bribed the police, didn't you? You're the one who's trying to frame me and Anna!”

Natalie sat bolt upright when she heard the woman's voice and glared daggers at her.

Had we not been handcuffed, she probably would have given the woman another beating right then and there.

The woman stared at us in disdain, looking as proud as a peacock as she gloated, “Hmph! You two should know your place! Do you have any idea who my cousin is? He's the deputy chief here at the police station! You girls dug your own graves the moment you assaulted me!”

Her words confirmed my suspicions about her completely.

“You're framing us through the use of your connections in the police force? How despicable can you get? Hey, let me tell you this: We're not going to give in!”

Natalie knew she was implying that we had offended the deputy chief at the police station.

If what the woman said is true, then it would be near impossible for ordinary folks like Natalie and I to walk out of here as we have no connections in the police force. Even so, I refuse to just let her accuse us of crimes we did not commit! I grew increasingly anxious at the thought of that.

“Natalie, you b*tch... I'll teach you a lesson for calling me an old hag!”

The woman shifted her vicious gaze toward Natalie while John stood behind her in silence like a coward.

Even the heavy makeup on her face couldn't hide her jealousy and hatred as she walked up to Natalie. The woman then raised her hand and slapped Natalie so hard across the face that I shuddered from

the sound of it.

Natalie's face became swollen instantly, and I clearly saw a handprint appear on her reddened cheek.

Natalie turned around and shot the woman a fierce glare. She wanted to return the slap, but was unable to do anything since her hands were cuffed.

“What's wrong with calling you an old hag if that's what you really are? You're desperate for love because you're still single at such an old age, so you choose to steal someone else's boyfriend!” Natalie said stubbornly and stared the woman in the eye with no fear whatsoever.

“How dare you insult me?”

The woman's face was twisted with rage upon hearing Natalie's remark.

She then raised her hand and gave Natalie an even harder slap on the other cheek.

“Hey, that's enough! This is a police station for goodness' sake! I don't care if your cousin is the deputy chief! It doesn't make you above the law, you know?”

I couldn't stand the fact that a vile woman like her had just slapped my best friend twice across the face. Had I not been handcuffed at the time, I would definitely have returned those hits twice as hard.

The woman shifted her attention toward me after hearing what I said.

 

Chapter 113

Her eyes were filled with hostility as my words had dealt a heavy blow to her ego and pride.

“Who the hell do you think you are? This is between the three of us, so you'd better stay out of it or I'll beat you up too!”

The woman was extremely arrogant because of her connection with the police and treated the police station like it was her own.

“You're full of sh*t!”

In the face of such an uncivilized person, I couldn't help but temporarily discard my mannerisms and hurled abuse at her. I thought Mabel was terrible, but this woman made her seem mild in comparison.

Smack!

The woman slapped me across the face. That was the second time she had hit me that day, and all I could do was glare daggers at her in response.

This world sure isn't fair... Are we really supposed to just let her hit us to her heart's content simply because she has connections with the police?

“You've locked us up and hit us both, even when you were the one at fault by attacking first! Now that you've gotten your revenge, what more do you want from us?” I shouted angrily at the woman.

As much as I wanted to slap the living daylights out of her, our main priority at the time was to ensure

that we could both leave the police station.

“Oh, are you submitting to me now that you know how powerful I am? It's too late to beg me for mercy now! No one has ever dared to hit me, so you girls have to pay the price for doing so!”

She showed no intention of letting us go even though I had submitted to her. Judging by her tone of voice, she was determined on sending the two of us to prison.

As if she had turned into a completely different person, the woman turned toward John and said in the sweetest voice possible, “Hey, Johnny! Would it break your heart seeing me put your ex-girlfriend in prison?”

Seeing an old woman acting all coquettish with a young man gave me goosebumps all over, and I couldn't help but question John's taste in women. Natalie is at least a thousand times better than her, so why did this scumbag pick that old woman instead?

“Of course not! You are the only woman that could possibly break my heart!”

John's tone was dripping with affection when he said that.

The woman threw herself into his arms and shot Natalie a gleeful smile, much to our disgust.

“But she's your ex-girlfriend, Johnny! Are you sure you won't feel a thing at all?” the woman asked as she looked up at John, seemingly dissatisfied with his answer.

“Like you said, she's my ex-girlfriend. She's practically a stranger to me now, so why would it break my

heart to see her get sent to prison?” John replied and gave her a kiss on the lips.

While I was disgusted to no end by their blatant display of affection, Natalie seemed upset and disappointed instead as she looked away with tears in her eyes. Her response was perfectly understandable, as it would definitely hurt anyone to see their lover getting intimate with someone else.

Not wanting to see her cry over someone like John, I leaned in close and whispered into her ear, “Ignore them, Natalie. This scumbag isn't worthy of your tears.”

Natalie was a strong girl and held her tears back after hearing what I said.

“If you truly love me, then help me get my revenge on these two over here. You saw them hit me, so you know I have to make them pay!”

The woman continued her coquettish act and nuzzled her head against John's chest. If anything, they were more of an eyesore than a sight for sore eyes.

John froze for a second upon hearing what she said, but was quick to put on his gentle look once again as he stared at the woman in his arms.

“Revenge? Didn't you already get your revenge just now? I think we've done quite enough. Come on, let's go. Don't want to cause too much trouble in a police station now, do we?”

John was a cowardly person, and the fact that he had lost his usual insolent attitude showed how stressed he was being inside a police station.

“Don't worry! My cousin is the deputy chief here, so we'll be fine!”

Obviously, the woman wasn't about to let us off the hook so easily after having us at her mercy.

“W-What do you want me to do, then?” John asked awkwardly as he stared at the both of us.

“They slapped me earlier, so I want you to slap them both in return!” the woman said after casting us a vicious glance.

“Me? Hit them? I don't think that's very appropriate...”

Despite being a total scumbag, John was still hesitant to hit women, especially inside a police station.

The woman got mad when she saw John hesitate and began threatening him, “John! You will do as I say and slap them, or we are over!”

After everything that we had been through, I knew all too well how much of a coward John was, and his following response proved me right.

“Fine, I'll do it, okay? I just didn't want to complicate things further, that's all.”

I began to worry for Natalie the moment I heard that. Is John seriously going to hit us? Natalie is already heartbroken by his betrayal, so there's no way she can handle John slapping her for another woman!

“Well? Hurry up, then! My cousin will take responsibility for anything that happens, so you'll be fine!”

The woman urged him again as she couldn't wait to see us slapped.

 

Chapter 114

With that, John didn't dare hesitate any further and walked up to us. Natalie stared back at him, her gaze filled with defiance and a hint of disappointment.

John, being the coward that he was, panicked and froze in place when he saw that.

“What's with the hold-up, John? You can't bring yourself to do it?”

The woman was starting to lose her patience at that point.

Upon hearing the impatience in her tone, John raised his hand and slapped Natalie hard across the face, showing no mercy whatsoever.

The difference in strength between man and woman was incredibly obvious as Natalie's face swelled up twice as much from the impact.

She probably wasn't expecting John to actually hit her. After all, the two of them used to be in love with each other, and no man could possibly bring themselves to hit their woman. After taking a few seconds to regain her composure, Natalie shot him an icy-cold glare and shouted, “I now see you for who you truly are, John!”

Despite looking all disheveled with her cheeks all red and swollen, Natalie's tone was still as defiant as ever.

Natalie had always appeared soft and weak when the two of them were together, so it was probably his first time seeing such coldness in her eyes.

“One more slap, Johnny! Hurry up!” the woman shouted anxiously when she saw how stunned he looked.

That snapped John out of his daze, and he avoided her gaze as he landed yet another hard slap on her face.

Smack! Natalie's face was swollen to a terrifying degree.

“John, you a*shole! How could you bring yourself to hit a woman you used to be in love with! You are the most cowardly man I have ever seen!” I shouted angrily at him as I couldn't stand seeing Natalie being abused like that.

I don't know if he had actually loved Natalie before, but he definitely deserves an award for being the world's biggest a*shole for hitting her so hard!

John's eyes were filled with rage as he turned toward me and said, “Shut up, Anna! I told you, I've had enough of your bullsh*t! Who the hell do you think you are poking your nose into my business?”

It was clear that he hated me greatly for exposing his affair with the woman, so he wasn't going to let me off easy when he had me at his mercy.

“I don't give a sh*t about you! I only got involved because I care about Nat who fell in love with a f*cking a*shole like you! You're the most shameless man in the world, and the mere sight of you is a disgrace to my eyes!”

I tried to not go this far when the two of them were still dating, but decided to hold nothing back after

seeing what he did to Natalie.

“I dare you to say that again!” John shouted furiously while jabbing a finger at me.

“I will say it a thousand times more if I have to!”

“Now that I have you at my mercy, I'll be sure to teach you a lesson, Anna!”

John then slapped me across the face before I could respond, hitting me so hard that I felt a little dizzy from the impact.

Upon recovering from the dizziness, I glared coldly at him and yelled, “F*ck you!”

“You dare insult me still?”

John was about to slap me again for my defiance, but the door to the interrogation room was opened before he managed to hit me.

We both shifted our gaze towards the door, and the looks on our faces froze when we saw who it was.

Michael? What's he doing here? Oh, my god! My face must be all swollen from being slapped! I don't want him to see me in such an ugly state! He'll be disgusted for sure!

With that in mind, I looked away to hide my face from him.

John was no fool either and knew better than to hit me in front of Michael if he valued his life.

To my surprise, I seemed to be the main reason Michael came to the police station as he walked up to me and took a moment to assess my injuries before shouting furiously, “Who did this?”

His tone was as cold as ice, and his gaze fell upon John who quickly hid behind the woman out of fear.

“Tell me, Anna. Who did this to you?” Michael asked.

None of the policemen who came in with him dared make a sound. I knew nothing about Michael's connections in the police station, but everyone here were being incredibly respectful toward him.

“Those two over there!” I said coldly while pointing at John and the woman.

While I didn't want Michael to avenge me or anything, I couldn't afford to let those two get away with hitting us so many times.

The look in Michael's eyes grew even colder as he turned his head in their direction.

“So... You two are the ones who hit her, huh?”

Michael began walking slowly toward them, his body emanating a terrifying aura in the process.

John's knees were shaking uncontrollably at that point, and the woman next to him began to panic as well.

“Yeah, we did! So what?”

The woman tried to put up a tough front despite the sheer terror that she was in.

Smack!

The slap sounded so loud and clear that it shook everyone in the room, myself included.

Judging by the sound and the way she staggered from the impact, I could tell he hit her a lot harder than John hit me.

After taking a few seconds to regain my composure, I stared at Michael in shock as I didn't expect him to actually hit her.

“I don't have any qualms about hitting women!” Michael said coldly.

 

Chapter 115

Hitting women was a very despicable thing, but Michael made it sound completely justified.

I used to hate men who were rough with women, but Michael's actions simply left me feeling touched as I knew he did it to avenge me.

As my eyes fell upon his icy-cold face, my heart was filled with a warm fuzzy feeling because I knew he had come to save me.

“How dare you hit me? Do you have any idea who I am? Do you know who my cousin is?” the woman yelled at Michael after recovering from his slap.

She probably didn't think he would dare lay a finger on her as they were in a police station that she had connections with.

“Why should I care who you and your cousin are?”

Michael stared at the woman with a look of disgust and disdain in his eyes. After spending so much time with Michael, I knew just how much he hated indecent-looking women.

I could only imagine how much he would hate that woman as she matched that criteria perfectly. On top of that, she was acting like a b*tch too.

“I'll have you know that my cousin is the deputy chief here! I'll have him put you in prison too for hitting me!”

The woman's eyes were filled with rage as she threatened him.

“Heh!”

Michael was completely unfazed and let out a snicker in response to her threat.

Ah, yes... That's the Michael I know all right! Always with that domineering aura regardless of the situation!

“What are you laughing at? Hurry up and apologize or I'll give my cousin a call! It'll be too late to beg me for mercy then!”

The woman raised her voice at him, her face twisted with anger as she spat those words out.

Michael simply shot her a disdainful glare before narrowing his eyes at John.

“You're the scumbag that Anna was talking about?”

“W-Who are you? How are you related to Anna?”

John looked meek in comparison as he stood before Michael. How is it that these two men have such a huge difference between... Wait, no... John isn't a real man! No man would bully two completely defenseless women like that!

“My relationship with Anna is none of your concern. Now, you might want to clench your teeth because

I'm about to hit you twice as hard as you hit them.”

Michael then punched John square in the face which caught him completely off guard and sent him tumbling to the floor with a bruise on the corner of his mouth.

John looked extremely pathetic as he held a hand over his bleeding lips.

Being the coward that he was, John didn't even dare stand up for himself and simply stared at Michael in sheer terror.

Michael grabbed him by the collar and dragged him to his feet before punching him repeatedly on the face.

John's face was so swollen and bruised that I could barely even recognize him, and the sight of that brought me a certain amount of satisfaction.

The woman couldn't bear to see John get beaten up and shouted at the policemen around them, “What are you guys standing around for? He's beating someone up in a police station for crying out loud! Hurry up and arrest him!”

I was so carried away with how amazing and satisfying it felt that I had neglected the legal consequences of Michael's actions. He may be a ridiculously wealthy business magnate in Avenport, but he did beat up John in front of all these policemen! Wouldn't he get into trouble with the law or something?

I grew anxious at the thought of that as I didn't want Michael getting into trouble for avenging me,

especially since I already owed him more than I could ever hope to repay him.

However, none of the policemen stepped forward to stop Michael.

At that moment, the door to the interrogation room was opened once again, and two men who looked like they were in their forties or fifties came in.

“Finally, my cousin is here!” The woman walked up to one of them and tugged on his arm as she said with puppy-dog eyes, “Franklin, this man hit me and my friend just now! Look, our faces are all swollen!”

So that's her cousin brother, the deputy chief... Looks like she really does have a very powerful person to back her up... I wonder if Michael will end up being arrested as well?

Franklin brushed her arm off and shouted angrily, “That's enough! Are you trying to blow things out of proportion here?”

“Are you all right, Mr. Shaw? I apologize for the delay as we were caught up with something earlier, but we came rushing over as soon as we got your call,” said the other middle-aged man with an awkward smile as he walked up to Michael.

I could tell that Michael was suppressing his anger when he shot the man a cold glare and said, “I believe you owe me an explanation for this incident, Chief Lewis.”

The two men turned out to be the chief and deputy chief at the police station.

Chief Lewis had panic written all over his face, and even his tone was exceptionally polite as he

explained, “I'm sure this is all a misunderstanding, Mr. Shaw...”

It was perfectly understandable for those in the corporate world to show Michael respect, but the police chief too? Just how powerful is he, exactly? I think I might have underestimated Michael a little...

Michael arched an eyebrow at Chief Lewis. “A misunderstanding? My woman got beaten up! Did you really think you could brush it off as a misunderstanding? I demand a proper explanation!”

I felt my heart throb upon hearing what he said. D-Did Michael just call me his woman?

Chapter 116

My heart began to race for Michael again as I watched him like a hawk. I felt extremely secure with him here.

“How do you propose we handle this, Mr. Shaw? She's the deputy chief's cousin, after all. It doesn't seem very appropriate to punish her too severely,” looking at Michael with a troubled expression, the police chief explained in a small voice.

“I'll leave this matter to you, but I hope you'll handle it fairly, Chief Lewis. I'm a very protective man. I won't let my people suffer for nothing.”

Michael spoke nonchalantly, but the warning in his words was unmistakable; he wanted a satisfactory answer.

“Don't worry, Mr. Shaw. I'll handle this matter impartially.”

Although Chief Lewis was put in a tight spot, he caved under Michael's intimidating aura and agreed right away.

Without another word, Michael approached me with anger simmering in his eyes.

Upon noticing that Michael was staring straight at the handcuffs on my wrists, the chief immediately barked an order to the police officer standing behind him. “What are you waiting for? Uncuff them!”

At his superior's orders, the officer quickly walked over to remove our handcuffs.

After being in cuffs for so long, the skin on my wrists stung with pain. Ignoring Michael, the first thing I

did was hurry over to Natalie's side to support her.

“Chief Lewis, settling this case should be very easy. I'm sure the surveillance cameras caught the other two people assaulting them. You don't need me to provide any more evidence, right?”

“I understand. Rest assured, I'll take care of this matter.”

Seeing as even the chief was so cautious in front of Michael, I realized that I was worrying over nothing.

But when I thought about Michael's lofty status, I wasn't all that surprised. It seemed like John and his new woman were the unfortunate ones.

“What's going on, Franklin? Why are the two of them being released? They attacked me. Are you really going to let them go just like that?”

Unwilling to see Natalie and I walk free just like that, the woman walked to the deputy chief with discontent written on her face.

“That's enough. You're on your own now. I can't help you this time.”

Sighing in exasperation, the deputy chief shook off her hand and promptly walked away.

“Franklin, wait! Don't go!” the woman called out, but the deputy chief ignored her completely.

“Well? Don't just stand there! Arrest the two of them!” the police chief ordered the two officers behind

him whilst pointing at John and his woman.

Things had taken a hundred and eighty degree turn. The woman stared at the handcuffs on her wrists in shock.

When she returned to her senses, she pointed at Natalie and I with her cuffed hands and shrieked, ”Why are you arresting me? They are the ones you should be arresting!”

But with Michael here, whatever she said would be useless.

John was already scared witless by then. For a long time, he stared wide-eyed at the cuffs on his wrists. When he finally snapped out of it, he broke free from the grip of the police officer restraining him and ran toward Natalie.

“Nat, what happened earlier was my fault. Can you forgive me? You saw it too, right? She forced me to do it. I never wanted to hit you.” Panic-stricken, John expressed his regret toward Natalie with a pleading look in his eyes.

At that moment, his forehead was already covered with sweat.

Even though his apology sounded sincere, he was, in fact, pushing all the blame onto the woman. From this alone, anyone could tell that he was an irresponsible coward.

Recalling how deeply Natalie used to love John, I began to worry that she'd waver.

Staring at her swollen cheek, I was about to remind her that a scumbag like him didn't deserve her forgiveness after all the pain he had caused her both emotionally and physically.

But Natalie spoke before I could. “John, the one thing I regret most in my life is falling for you like a blind fool. It's bad enough that you hit a woman. Now that you're in trouble, you're blaming it all on a woman again. I can't believe I loved someone like you. I feel sick just thinking about it.”

Natalie peered at John coldly. Every word she said was laced with disdain. I could see that she was truly disappointed in John, and didn't possess even a shred of sympathy for him.

John couldn't be bothered about his image anymore as he grabbed Natalie's hand and begged, “I know you're still mad at me for betraying you. I admit my mistake now. As long as you help me this one time, I'll return to your side and promise to never do anything wrong by you again.”

Without knowing all the things he had done, one might even go soft-hearted at the sight of the sincerity gleaming in his eyes.

Natalie shrugged off John's hand, then lifted hers to give him a tight slap across the face. With an icy expression, she spoke without a trace of warmth in her voice, “This is payback! And from now on, we have nothing to do with each other!”

With that, Natalie came back to my side and ignored John. After what happened earlier, she had probably let him go for good.

When she looked up at me, I flashed her a grin and gave her a thumbs-up for a job well done.

“Don't do this to me, Nat. I know I was wrong. You're the one I truly love. I know that now. I was momentarily bewitched by this woman because she seduced me first. Please give me one more chance, okay?” John scrambled after Natalie and asked her for forgiveness again.

But of course, we knew that his sudden act of repentance was merely because he didn't want to take responsibility for what happened earlier.

He was no fool. He only asked Natalie for forgiveness because he knew that the odds were stacked against him, but in fact, he didn't feel sorry at all.

“What the hell are you doing, John? Don't forget that I'm your girlfriend now!”

Enraged, John's new chick stomped toward him and shoved him hard.

John glared at her fearlessly and snapped, “I'm breaking up with you! All of this happened because of you!”

Because he knew she was of no help to him, he had no qualms burning bridges with her.

“What did you say? I dare you to repeat what you just said!”

The woman glared back at him, shocked by the sudden change in him as he had always behaved meekly in front of her.

 

Chapter 117

Natalie, forgive me just this once. I promise to cut all ties with her. Let's start over again, okay?”

Ignoring the woman, John shifted his gaze back to Natalie, peering into her eyes anxiously.

Faced with his pleading gaze, Natalie regarded him with contempt.

“You're pathetic, you know that? Pushing all the blame onto your woman like that.”

Anyone with eyes could see that John was a pathetic and cowardly man. Since Natalie had lost hope in him, I was very certain she wouldn't give him another chance.

“Nat...” Sensing Natalie's animosity, John called out anxiously.

He wanted to say more, but Natalie cut him off before he could.

Suppressing the rage in her heart, Natalie spat, “Get lost! You're the most disgusting man I've ever met in my life! This is payback for the two slaps you gave me.”

Then, she walked to my side without sparing another glance at John.

Seeing the impatient frown on Michael's face, the chief immediately ordered the police officers, “Hurry and take them away!”

John and his woman were soon taken away, and the interrogation room was peaceful once more.

“Chief Lewis, if we're done here, I'll be taking these two women away now. Don't forget about your

promise to handle this impartially,” Michael pinned the chief with a stern gaze and said indifferently.

“Don't worry, Mr. Shaw. I'll make sure there's no preferential treatment,” Chief Lewis reassured respectfully.

I didn't understand why, but I could see that he was slightly apprehensive of Michael.

“Good. We'll be leaving then.”

After receiving a satisfactory answer, Michael walked toward me.

Sensing him approaching me, I felt my heart pick up speed. This man had been constantly making my life a living hell in the past few days. Hence, I didn't know why he showed up here all of a sudden.

Michael stopped in front of me but remained silent. As I was hesitating whether or not to initiate a conversation, he abruptly bent down to scoop me into his arms.

I widened my eyes at him in mortification, and my heart started beating wildly in my chest.

After recovering from my shock, I yelled at him for doing something so outrageous at the police station, “Michael, what are you doing? Put me down.”

Before I could get in another word, he frostily interrupted me with a furious glare. “Shut up!”

His aura was too powerful and I panicked, unable to utter another word.

Thus, I was carried out of the police station with Natalie quietly trailing behind us.

Once outside, Michael's secretary hurried over to greet us. Upon seeing my face, shock flashed in his eyes.

Staring at me with wide eyes, he asked with concern, “What happened to your face, Ms. Garcia?”

“It's nothing. I was just slapped twice by someone.”

Anger surged in me again when I thought about those two slaps, and I was filled with the strong urge to return the favor. However, I was a sensible person. If I really did that, I probably wouldn't be able to leave the police station again.

“Send her friend home,” Michael said to his secretary with knitted brows.

“Yes, sir,” his secretary replied, then swiftly opened the car door for Natalie.

“Put me down, Michael!”

I was still in Michael's arms. Natalie had been staring at the two of us since just now, as if trying to figure out the relationship between us.

Upon hearing what I said, Michael merely frowned but wordlessly placed me back on my feet.

After regaining my freedom, I planned to head back together with Natalie. Even though Michael helped me and I felt grateful to him, I honestly didn't know how to face him right now.

We had nothing to do with each other anymore. Neither did I want to get involved with him again.

“Stop right there, Anna. I didn't say you could leave!”

I had just reached Natalie's side and wanted to get in with her when Michael's commanding voice sounded behind me.

I stopped in my tracks and looked over my shoulder at Michael with furrowed brows, feeling indignant.

“Thank you for helping me today, Mr. Shaw. If you'll excuse me, I have some matters to attend to.”

I didn't know how to act around Michael anymore. At that moment, he was looking at me with a possessive gaze, those bottomless eyes threatening to swallow me whole.

Just when I was about to slide into the car, there was a powerful grip on my arm. Michael, who had a stormy expression on his face, was grabbing my arm tightly.

His sinful lips tightened at the sides as he exuded a cold aura.

“Drive.”

Michael turned his head slightly to instruct his secretary.

Without any hesitation, his secretary started the car and drove off, leaving the two of us behind.

My arm was still being held tightly by him. Frustrated, I shot him a displeased frown.

I was grateful for what he did, but his behavior at that moment still made me feel uneasy.

“What the hell do you want, Michael? I already thanked you.”

I was still mad about the hell he put me through at the office in the past few days, so I wasn't exactly courteous when I spoke to him.

Without answering my question, he yanked me toward his car, opened the door to the front passenger seat and stuffed me in.

I wanted to escape from here, but I knew better than anyone that I wouldn't be able to go anywhere as long as it wasn't this man's will.

Hence, I obediently sat in the car, thinking he'd probably let me leave after saying whatever he wanted to say.

Michael slid into the driver's seat, started the car, and drove toward Birchwood.

It had already been a few days since I moved out of this place. Now that I was back here again, I felt conflicted.

He was silent throughout the entire ride, but I knew that he was brooding.

After pulling me into his house, he pressed me down on the couch before going into the bedroom.

“Why did you bring me here, Michael? If you don't need me for anything else, can I leave now?”

He hadn't spoken a word since leaving the police station. Unable to figure out what he wanted, I grew slightly irritated and stood up to leave.

But just then, he emerged from the bedroom with a first aid kit in hand.

Michael came to my side and pressed me back down on the couch, then said in the same icy and emotionless voice, “Do you think you look very pretty right now?”

 

Chapter 118

His words reminded me about the slaps bestowed on me earlier. Although I hadn't had the time to look into the mirror, I knew that my face was red and swollen. I probably looked really ugly.

Thinking of my miserable appearance, I felt the urge to hide from Michael.

My cheek was still burning as the pain hadn't yet subsided. Holding my cheek with one hand, I wanted to leave immediately.

“You're really something, landing yourself in the police station like that. I severely underestimated your guts.”

Michael took out a tube of ointment from the first aid kid. After squeezing some out on a cotton swab, he turned to face me.

When his hand neared me, I instinctively evaded it, not wanting to let him touch me.

Michael frowned when I kept dodging him. “Don't move!” he commanded.

He was born with a domineering personality. Upon hearing his command, I instantly sat still. For some reason, I always listened to him like this, even when things had ended between the two of us.

He used the cotton swab to spread the ointment evenly on my cheek. The cooling sensation effectively alleviated some of the pain.

My heart fluttered when I noticed how gentle he was, as if he was afraid of hurting me.

“It's fine. I can do it myself.”

Because we were already considered strangers, the sudden intimacy greatly unsettled me.

I reached out to take the cotton swab from his hand, but he evaded me.

“Look what happened after leaving me, Anna. If it weren't for me, you'd still be stuck at the police station!” Michael chided, obviously enraged.

I frowned at him unhappily. It's not like my arrest affected him in any way. Why is he even mad?

This man was a puzzle. I simply couldn't figure him out, and I didn't know he regarded me as a stranger like I did him.

“What happened today was merely an accident. Besides, Natalie and I weren't in the wrong. They were the ones who started it but blamed it on us instead!”

Natalie and I were obviously the victims. Yet, we ended up being slapped like that. At the thought of this, a wave of anger swelled in me.

But there was consolation in knowing that John and that woman received their due retribution.

Thanks to Michael's timely appearance, Michael and I were released. Although I didn't want to have anything to do with him anymore, I appreciated his help.

With a sullen look on his face, Michael continued applying ointment on my cheek wordlessly.

Since he didn't speak, neither did I. Hence, we fell into an awkward silence. After all, we were once in a sexual relationship. Now that we had become estranged, it was inevitable we'd feel somewhat awkward around each other.

Soon, he was done applying the ointment for me. He seemed to be very quiet today, and I couldn't find a suitable topic to talk about either.

This was the first time we were in such close proximity after ending our relationship. Being this close to him made me feel very restless, and every fiber in my body was yelling for me to flee.

“Thank you for your help today, Mr. Shaw. It's getting late now. I should get going.”

It was already close to two in the morning. It wasn't a good idea to be in the same space as the opposite gender, especially one whom I used to be sexually intimate with.

He scowled at me when he heard that I wanted to leave. Then, he stood up and ordered impassively, “Stay here for the night. I'll send you back tomorrow.”

“N-No. It's fine. I should go back now. I'm worried about Natalie. I wanna go back and check on her.”

Michael had always been a callous person. Not to mention, he kept targeting me at every turn during the past few days. When he suddenly showered concern and care on me, I couldn't help but suspect that he wanted sex again.

But even if that was what he wanted, I wouldn't be able to satisfy him anymore. Since it was already over between the two of us, sleeping with him was out of the question.

“Don't make me repeat myself. My patience has its limits!”

He whipped around and stared me down. From the slight growl in his voice, I knew that he was starting to get impatient.

His mesmerizing eyes were like two whirlpools capable of sucking me in. Faced with his imposing stature, my heart pounded in my chest uncontrollably.

I got to my feet and forced myself to maintain eye contact with him before saying solemnly, “Mr. Shaw, you're my boss. If you have needs, you should look for other women. I can't satisfy you anymore.”

Besides sex, I couldn't think of another reason he'd want me to stay. From what I knew, this man would only display gentleness when he wanted sex.

Almost instantly, Michael grasped the meaning of my words. With a disdainful expression, he retorted, “Your face is swollen like a pig. Do you think I'd still be attracted to you?”

I was immediately rendered inarticulate by his reply. What was I thinking? I probably look like sh*t now.

Michael is a man with very high standards when it comes to sex. He probably won't even be able to get it up with my face looking like this.

I immediately dismissed my initial suspicion after hearing his reply. But I became even more perplexed as to why he wanted me to stay. We were only ever bed partners. Now that we weren't even that, there was no reason for us to remain in contact.

“Then why do you want me to stay?”

I tilted my head at him quizzically.

Michael shot me an annoyed look and spat, “You talk too much!”

With that, he ignored me and walked straight into the bedroom.

When I stayed here previously, I used to sleep in the bedroom together with him. However, things were different now, so the bedroom was off limits.

Knowing that I wouldn't be able to leave without his permission, I accepted defeat and lay on the couch, deciding to rest here for the night.

After all the drama from earlier, I was tired to the bone and wanted nothing more than to curl up and allow sleep to take over me. But at the thought of Michael being just a short distance away, I couldn't seem to fall asleep.

As I tossed and turned on the couch, my treacherous mind drifted to him, wondering if he was asleep.

When sleep remained far from my reach, I sat up from the couch in frustration. As I watched time tick by on my phone, I hoped for morning to arrive sooner. This way, I would be free from the stress of being near Michael.

 

Chapter 119

Just when I was fidgeting on the couch, entertaining the idea of sneaking away, the sound of the bedroom door opening disrupted my train of thought. My heart skipped a beat and I immediately looked in the direction of the bedroom. Sure enough, Michael's figure appeared in my line of sight.

He was wearing a robe with a few locks of hair messily framing his forehead, giving off a lazy vibe.

When he saw me sitting on the couch, surprise flickered in his eyes. But the next second, he strode toward the kitchen as though he hadn't seen me.

After grabbing a bottle of water from the refrigerator, he stopped not far from me.

Then, he took a sip of water before speaking in a raspy voice. “What are you doing up in the middle of the night? Playing ghost to scare me?”

“Excuse me. Have you seen such a pretty ghost before?”

What is wrong with him? Why is he talking about ghosts at this hour? Besides, which part of me looks like a ghost?

“Pretty? Do you think the word 'pretty' matches the way you look right now?”

Michael snorted with disdain upon hearing my retort.

Already in a bad mood, Michael's jab at me only served to grate on my nerves. What's his problem? Did he force me to stay here just to insult me?

I glared at Michael and wanted to talk back, but when I thought about the way I looked at the moment, I found myself bereft of speech. I know the word 'pretty' doesn't match the way I look right now, but can't he act more like a gentleman and refrain from insulting me like that?

“If you're done, you should go back to your room and rest. I'm going to get some rest too.”

Disinclined to get into an argument with Michael, I lay back down on the couch and ignored him since it didn't seem like he had anything nice to say to me anyway.

“Then you can continue playing ghost here. Just be careful, or a real ghost might come here to keep you company.”

Michael chuckled lightly and went back to the bedroom.

Right after he said that, I felt a chill run down my spine.

I usually liked reading horror novels and didn't think anything much about them. Oddly, a hint of fear crept into my heart after hearing what he said.

Looking out the windows, only pitch-black darkness greeted me.

As the windows were slightly ajar, the curtains billowed eerily in the wind, painting a scene straight out of a horror movie. A horror movie that I'd watched before surfaced in my mind, and I wondered if a female ghost was about to appear behind the curtains.

I had always possessed a vivid imagination. Hence, goosebumps rose all over my body even when I

knew that I was only scaring myself.

Right then, sleep was impossible.

I glanced in the direction of the bedroom, and was suddenly overwhelmed with the impulse to rush in.

Michael was inside. Being near him would definitely make me feel safer.

The curtains were still swaying when I peeked at the windows again. The wind that blew in was slightly chilly, causing my heart to tighten in my chest.

I got up and made my way to the bedroom, but hesitated by the door.

Because the lights in the living room weren't turned on, I felt especially creeped out. Taking a deep breath, I mustered up the courage to push open the door and poke my head in.

Under the moonlight, I spied Michael asleep in bed. When I strained my ears, I could even hear his even breathing.

I stood at the threshold for a long time, thinking whether or not to enter. It's past midnight already. I can't just stand here all night long, right?

With that, I walked in further. Being in the same space as him effectively calmed my nerves.

“Are you planning to seduce me by coming into my room so late at night?”

Michael's voice abruptly rang out in the dark, scaring the soul out of me. I whipped my head toward the

bed to see that he had already sat up.

“W-Weren't you asleep?”

He looked like he was sleeping soundly just seconds ago. I didn't wake him up, did I? I already made sure not to make a sound.

“Be honest, Anna. You were planning to seduce me while I was asleep, weren't you?”

Michael lifted the blanket and got down from the bed. When he started prowling toward me, I became tense all over again.

Even though I was no longer scared, my heart thumped violently against my ribcage when he closed the distance between us.

As he got closer, I backed away step by step and started speaking incoherently. “N-No. You've got it wrong. I came in because-”

“No? Then why did you come into my room all of a sudden? Other than to seduce me, I really can't think of another reason.”

Michael had already backed me into a corner by then. Trapped, I could only plaster myself against the wall and look at him nervously.

The bedroom was shrouded in darkness, but I could still vaguely make out his distinct features under the dim moonlight.

“I...”

I was rendered tongue-tied by his probing. Not to mention, telling him that I came in because I was afraid of ghosts would sound ridiculous.

He'd probably think I was insane if I told him that, or perhaps he'd accuse me of making up excuses.

“I know we haven't done it in a long time, Anna. If you want it that badly, I guess I'll have to grant you your wish.”

Michael placed both hands on the wall, caging me in. Right then, we were mere inches apart. I even caught a whiff of the scent that solely belonged to him.

My heart was beating furiously because of our close proximity, but his bluntness rubbed me the wrong way and I countered, “You wish. I'm not interested in you like that.”

Do I look like I want it badly? Can't he tell that I've been trying to avoid him every step of the way? If he hadn't talked about ghosts keeping me company, I would never have come in here.

“Are you calling me unattractive, Anna?”

His face turned grim, and a trace of anger flashed in his eyes.

I shot him an exasperated look. How does he expect me to answer that? Saying no won't change a thing, and saying yes, would only further enrage him.

“I really didn't-”

I was about to explain myself, but my words were cut off when he smashed his lips against mine.

Didn't he say my face is swollen like a pig, and that he's not attracted to me at all? What the hell is going on?

My mind went blank. This man was so capricious. One second he was glaring angrily at me, and the next, he started kissing me.

As usual, his kiss was demanding and domineering, making me lose myself in it.

I was dumbstruck at first, but then started to respond to his kiss. Although it had only been a few days since we ended our relationship, it felt like an eternity.

My eyes fluttered shut as I let him kiss me however he liked.

 

Chapter 120

Soon, his hands started roaming over my body.

As a result, my breathing became erratic. Snaking my arms around his neck, I responded to his kiss. For some reason, somewhere deep inside me yearned for his touch just after a few short days of being away from him.

Could I have really fallen in love with him?

No. That's impossible. Why would I? Yes, he's helped me a few times before, but how could I fall in love with him after the way he treated me? Not unless I'm a masochist.

Besides, I'm already with Yuval now and should stay loyal to him. I can't let anything happen between Michael and I anymore, especially in bed.

At the thought of Yuval, I regained some rationality and used all my strength to shove Michael away. Then, I frantically straightened out of disheveled clothes.

Michael probably never expected me to push him away. Surprise flashed in his eyes, but it soon morphed into rage.

“Anna!”

Men often found it hard to accept sexual rejection, especially a man like Michael, who became animalistic once aroused. Right then, he was probably so furious he wanted to strangle me to death.

“Michael, we can't do this anymore.”

I bowed my head, unable to meet Michael's blazing eyes. Once he flew into a rage, he could get really terrifying. Perhaps what I feared most was being at the receiving end of his wrath.

“We're already halfway through and you're telling me we can't do this anymore? Are you messing with me, Anna?”

Michael wore a gloomy expression. A mixture of desire and anger swirled in his eyes, and the dangerous aura he emanated was overpowering.

“I... I'm sorry. It's my fault.”

Even though Michael was the one who initiated it, I had shamelessly responded to his advances. If I hadn't done that, he probably wouldn't have become so aroused.

Desperate to escape from here, I swiveled around and opened the door. Panic rose in me when I thought about how close we were to getting it on just now. I knew I couldn't stay here any longer because I had no idea what would happen next.

I wanted to leave, but Michael seemed determined to keep me here. As soon as I opened the door, he yanked me back. Then, he slammed the door shut with a loud bang.

He imprisoned me in his arms and pinned me with a steely gaze. I knew he was mad.

“Let me go, Michael.”

I struggled hard against him. His current behavior made me slightly worried. I wasn't certain what this man was planning to do to me.

As though he hadn't heard me, Michael lowered his head and locked lips with me again. I thought that after I rejected him, he'd lose interest in touching me. However, it seemed like I underestimated this man's libido.

His kiss became more assertive, and I glimpsed the possessiveness in his eyes when he looked at me. I just couldn't wrap my mind about it. Obviously, Michael could have any woman he wanted. Yet, he stubbornly held on to me. There was probably an abundance of women who were more beautiful and had better figures than me around him.

I shook my head in an attempt to break free from his kiss. Now that Yuval and I were already officially together, I couldn't get involved with another man anymore.

Even though I felt no love for Yuval, since I already decided to be with him, at the very least, I shouldn't do any wrong by him.

Unfortunately, I was defenseless before Michael. I didn't stand a chance against him if he really wanted to take me by force. He cupped the back of my head with one large palm, holding me in place so that he could easily deepen the kiss.

I was put off by his forceful actions, but resisting was completely useless. Michael wasn't someone who would change his mind because of others.

Placing my palms on his chest, I tried pushing him away but he was like an immovable mountain. Besides, he worked out on a frequent basis. Thus, the difference in our strength was very significant.

Soon, Michael became restless. He released my lips and bent down to pick me up. Before my mind registered the situation, he threw me onto the bed.

“What are you doing, Michael? Are you crazy?” I yelled at him as anger spread through my chest.

But my words fell on deaf ears because he climbed on top of me and pinned me to the bed.

I knew that my resistance alone wouldn't be able to stop Michael. In a moment of panic, I shouted at the top of my lungs, “No, you can't touch me! I have a boyfriend now. We can't do this anymore!”

Men are possessive creatures. Hence, I was quite sure Michael would be repulsed by me after hearing what I said.

Sure enough, he stopped what he was doing and glared at me. The fury in his eyes was so intense it was as though he wanted to turn me into cinders.

Faced with his imposing aura, I couldn't bring myself to meet his gaze. Even though I had achieved the result that I wanted, my heart was filled with unease.

The tension in the air was palpable. Michael kept staring at me without saying a word, and I almost cracked under the weight of it. How long is he planning to stare at me like that?

“We can't sleep together anymore, Michael. We already ended that. Besides, I have a boyfriend now, so...”

I couldn't find the right words for the rest of my sentence, but it was enough to convey what I wanted to

say. Michael was a very smart man, so I knew he understood my meaning perfectly well.

“Have you slept with him?”

Danger lurked in his obsidian eyes, and his penetrative gaze was so cold I felt chilled to the bones.

Subjected to his intimidating demeanor, I was unable to say a word. Normally, I'd steel myself to argue with him even if I was afraid, but I was so scared right now I could only stare wide-eyed at his gloomy face as words failed me.

After a long time of not receiving an answer from me, the flames in his eyes burned brighter and he roared at me like an enraged lion. “I'm gonna ask you again. Have you slept with Yuval?”

He punched the bed, his closed first landing right beside my face. From the corner of my eye, I noticed the bulging veins on the back of his hand.