Miriam’s POV
“This is the ladies’ privacy. You are not supposed to be in here,” I said, my voice weakening due to what I had just wretched out.
My body was still trembling from the vomiting, and I felt vulnerable in the worst possible way.
He laughed hysterically, a sound that made my skin crawl.
“I should be asking you what you are doing here, because you don’t belong to these kinds of events. You know where you belong. You belong to the dump side of my place,” he said mockingly, stepping closer.
I grinned and smiled despite the fear creeping up my spine, my eye falling to the tag in his suit that indicated he was invited to this gala.
I chuckled at the pathetic side of him, finding strength in his obvious jealousy.
“I see you were invited,” I paused, my voice gaining confidence.
“I think I need to remind you of something, Williams. You were invited, but I was not invited. I am part of this family already. I came here because I have the ASHFORD Surname in the back of my name. Do you get that?”
He lowered his hands, rubbing his forehead in a way that suggested I was testing his patience.
He took a slow step toward me, his movements deliberate and threatening.
“You never know your place, you whore. You think you are safe with that bastard? You can only be safe with me. You know what he did to me?” he asked pathetically, his voice rising with each word.
“I don’t belong to anyone, and I don’t want to hear what he has done to you,” I said firmly, taking another step back.
He laughed like a maniac, taking another step toward me.
I shifted back on instinct, my heart pounding against my ribs.
“That bastard diverted my money. I know you are in this together. Is this how you want to take out your revenge on me? Planning together with that jerk?” he asked, his voice dripping with accusation.
He suddenly grabbed my hand tightly, pressing them hard against my skin.
I winced in pain as his fingers dug into my wrist.
“Let go of me,” I yelled weakly, struggling against his grip, but his strength was overwhelming.
His eyes were dark, angry, filled with the kind of rage that made me realize he could do anything terrible right now.
“But right now I am giving you a second chance,” he said, his grip becoming tighter on my hand, crushing the delicate bones.
“Come back to me. I am about to retrieve all my money from him. I will forgive you for all your wrongdoings.”
“Chance? Forgive?” I spat the words out.
“You should be the one asking for forgiveness from me. Nothing would ever make me come back to you and your cohorts.”
“Ahhh, you fucking piece of shit,” he cursed out, cutting me off.
His eyes were different now- wild, dangerous, unhinged.
This guy standing in front of me could do anything crazy.
I needed to do something.
I needed to get away.
“Let go of me, Williams. I will scream,” I threatened, desperation creeping into my voice.
“You think anyone would notice you here? You are just a discarded dump that belongs to me,” he laughed maniacally.
Before I could struggle again, he pinned me to the wall, his body pressing against mine.
His hands moved to my dress, and I felt the cold metal of a zipper being pulled down.
“Get away from me! Somebody help!” I yelled as much as I could, struggling with all my strength, but he was stronger than I was.
My pregnancy made me weaker, more vulnerable.
The baby inside me felt the threat, and panic surged through my entire body.
“Stay still, you whore,” he ordered, his breath hot against my skin.
The door suddenly yanked open with such force that it slammed against the wall.
“She said you should let go of her, you asshole,” Victor strode in with purpose, his entire body radiating fury.
In just a few steps, he grabbed Williams by the collar and gave him a punch so powerful that it sounded like thunder in the small space.
“How dare you touch my wife,” Victor said through gritted teeth, his voice lethal in its quietness.
He pinned Williams against the basin, giving him continuous punches.
Blood started to pour from Williams’s face, his nose clearly broken, his lips split open.
I was still in sudden shock, trying to gather what had almost happened to me.
My dress was partially undone, my hair was disheveled, my entire body was shaking with adrenaline and fear.
I slowly looked at the lady.
It was Ariel, her face filled with concern and shock.
My head turned back to Victor and Williams.
Victor kept on punching Williams, who was getting weaker in his arms, blood dripping down his face onto the pristine white sink.
He’s going to kill him, I thought with a mixture of fear and something else- something like relief that someone cared enough to nearly kill for me.
“Victor, stop it. You are going to kill him,” Ariel quickly said as she rushed toward them, trying to pull Victor away.
Williams’s body dropped to the ground, lifeless and bleeding.
“Why would he touch her? He is trying to rape my wife,” Victor said angrily, his face contorted with rage so pure that I barely recognized him.
This wasn’t the controlled, calculated Victor I knew.
This was a man pushed to his absolute breaking point.
Ariel bent down to feel Williams’s pulse, her hand pressing against his neck.
“Oh yeah, thank God. He is still breathing,” she said, relief flooding her voice.
Victor immediately strode to my side, holding me, checking me over like I was made of glass and might shatter at any moment.
“Are you okay? Did that bastard touch you already? Should we go to the hospital right away?” he asked, his eyes now focused entirely on me.
The trauma of being almost forcefully raped was clearing, and all I was seeing was him.
He was genuinely worried, and it was written all over his face, in the tremor of his voice, in the way his hands shook slightly as they touched me.
“Yes, I am good. Do not worry,” I said weakly.
“Stop saying you are good. You are clearly not. That bastard had almost had his way, and I was scared as hell when I heard your scream. I reached here in seconds, Miriam. Seconds,” his voice was literally breaking, cracking under the weight of what he’d witnessed.
I could not say anything.
I just stared at him, seeing the depth of his concern, the genuineness of his fear for me.
“I just called the emergency right now,” Ariel said, trying to put everything under control.
“I told them to come through the back door that leads to this place. We cannot let anyone know about this.”
I nodded slowly.
Just a few minutes later, some men in paramedic uniforms came from the back door.
They lifted the weak, bleeding bastard onto a stretcher, placing him into the carrier as they took him through the back door.
Ariel followed them, giving instructions to the paramedics about discretion.
Victor pulled me closer, his hands still holding me, refusing to let go.
“Are you sure you are okay? Should we leave this place to go to the hospital?” His brows were creased with worry, his strong hands still holding me like I might disappear.
“No. We can’t just leave like that. Trust me, I am okay. I can manage till today ends,” I said, though my voice was shaking.
“I should have had Ariel follow you to this place. I did not know that bastard actually had such a plan in mind when I saw him briefly at the curb earlier,” his voice was filled with regret, with self-blame for something that wasn’t his fault.
I smiled gently up at him.
“This is not your fault. He just chose to be a psycho.”
He pushed a strand of hair hanging loosely on my forehead to the back of my hair, his touch gentle and tender.
My heart fluttered even in the midst of this chaos, even as I was reeling from what had almost happened.
He removed his suit jacket and wrapped it around me, pulling it in front of me.
Warmth rushed to my cheeks at his gesture.
“You look pale,” he said softly.
Ariel came back in, interrupting the moment, her face flushed from her efforts to manage the situation.
“Everything is settled. I told the paramedics to keep everything between him and his family or guardian, whatever. But who the hell is that pervert?” she asked, her protective nature shining through.
“He is just some unfortunate bastard,” Victor said, his tone lingering with bitterness and something darker- something that suggested he knew more than he was letting on.
I looked at Ariel.
Her eyes were saying she wasn’t buying what he said, but she decided to ignore it for now.
“Perverts like him need to be put in a secluded place, not on earth,” she said firmly.
“Yes, I am,” I replied.
“You need to clean up. You would not want to come out with your hands looking bloody like a vampire,” Ariel teased, trying to lighten the mood.
“Oh, I think I should,” Victor said, looking at his hands dramatically, smearing the blood across his palms as if it were a badge of honor.
“Tsk, you have to control your temper sometimes. I don’t know you still have that temper,” Ariel scoffed, shaking her head at him.
I looked at him, studying his face as he cleaned his hands in the sink.
The scene of him yanking the door open, grabbing Williams in just a few seconds and punching him hard in the face showed he could be very dangerous when angry.
It sent chills down my spine, but not from fear- from something else entirely.
This man had nearly killed someone for me.
This man cared enough to risk everything.
“The auction is about to start soon. Me and Miriam would branch at the dressing room for adjustments. You would need to be at your seat, Mr. Victor Ashford,” Ariel said, her tone brooking no argument.
He rolled his eyes as he rinsed his hands in the sink, the water running pink with Williams’s blood.
“We would join you soon,” I managed to say.
He looked at me and smiled, that smile that made my heart skip.
“I will be waiting,” he said softly.
“Ugh, Ariel scoffed, rolling her eyes at their exchange.
We walked out of the restroom, and I was feeling better.
Quite better now, actually.
The shock was wearing off, replaced by a strange sense of security that came from knowing Victor had been there.
“It was good Victor found you faster, because who knows what would have happened if we had not gotten there fast,” Ariel said, her voice tight with the weight of what almost occurred.
“I was yelling. I think no one heard. The restroom is farther from everyone,” I said.
Ariel sighed heavily.
“Some men are so useless. Why would you want to forcefully have your way with a woman? Do you know him before?”
I looked at her, her question taking me aback.
I can’t tell her that Williams was my ex-husband and that I had divorced him to get revenge.
That would complicate everything.
I smiled and shook my head.
“No, I don’t know him,” I lied, the words tasting bitter on my tongue.
We entered a different private room, much smaller and more intimate than the previous one.
It was beautifully appointed with soft lighting and elegant furnishings.
“He is such a nasty bastard. Sit, let me apply a little makeup for you,” she said, her protective instincts fully activated.
I sat down in front of the mirror, watching my reflection.
My hair was messy, my dress was torn at the side where Williams had grabbed me, and my eyes were wide with residual fear.
“You know, I was a little surprised when I heard Victor got a wife. He is not someone I know who is interested in women. Maybe he really likes that girl. Today confirmed it,” she paused as she removed an eye concealer from a case and continued her work on my face.
“He came to meet me after you rushed to the restroom. He asked how long you were gone. I said ten minutes, and I could not believe he yelled at me that I should have followed you. He quickly left in a hurry to look for you in that restroom. His face was contorted with worry.”
She paused, stepping back to look at me.
“I was happy that finally someone got through to this cold heart of my stupid ass friend,” she said with a smile.
I was quiet, my heart beating quite fast now.
Ariel paused as she bent down to my sitting level, her eyes searching mine.
“I am happy that Victor finally opened his heart for someone. He likes you so much,” she said softly.
What is going to happen next ??
As Miriam heard the there is an High chance that Victor likes her??
Find out in the next chapter.
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