Vesper stayed in the hotel for two days, not once setting foot outside. She was busy contacting buyers to sell her shares in Zephyr.
On the third day, the hotel’s front desk called to tell her the room fee was due. It was only when she went to pay that she discovered her card had insufficient funds.
The supplementary card Luke had given her had also been suspended.
She dragged Luke’s number out of her blacklist and dialed it.
"Luke, what right do you have to touch the money in my account?"
She had used Luke’s computer before to download the online banking app and make transfers, and she’d never hidden her password from him.
So the moment she realized the money was gone, she knew Luke was behind it.
"Vesper, all your money came from me. Since you want to break up, you’re not taking a single cent of my money with you."
"Hah!"
She couldn’t help but laugh, furious.
"Luke, don’t overestimate yourself!"
She hung up and dragged him back into her blacklist.
Staring at the disconnected call, Luke’s face darkened. His knuckles turned white as he gripped the phone, the veins on the back of his hand bulging.
His assistant hurried in, hesitating to speak.
"President Lockwood, two days ago, in the afternoon... Miss Grayson sold the house for three hundred thousand below market value..."
This morning, President Lockwood had sent him to get a locksmith to change the locks, which is when he learned the house had already been sold.
"Impossible! Are you sure you’re not mistaken?"
Luke’s jaw tensed, his dark eyes turning dangerously cold.
That house was bought with the first real money he ever made. It was his and Vesper’s first home. She had meticulously decorated every corner of it. She cherished that house more than anything. ’How could she bear to sell it?’
"No, it’s true... Your wife has been staying at the Marriott Hotel for the past few days."
The assistant quickly relayed the information he had just uncovered.
Luke grabbed his car keys and shot past him like a gust of wind.
In that moment, he felt a flicker of panic for the first time.
She had sold their home. She really wanted to break up with him. This wasn’t some strategic retreat, some game of playing hard to get.
...
In the hotel lobby, Vesper gave instructions to the man sitting across from her.
"If you can’t find a buyer, contact Zenith. I’m sure they’d be very interested in shares of Zephyr."
"Miss, Zenith is Zephyr’s arch-rival. If the shares fall into their hands, I’m afraid things will get very difficult for Luke."
Zenith had always coveted Zephyr’s technology. Years ago, they even applied pressure and tried to use dirty tactics to acquire the company. If she hadn’t had her people secretly help out, Zephyr would never have achieved its current success.
Vesper smiled nonchalantly. "What does that have to do with me?"
Seeing her resolute attitude, the man handed her a card. "The PIN is your birthday."
She went and paid for another four days at the hotel.
When she got back to her room, the door to the adjacent room happened to open, and a tall, slender man walked out.
He had broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and a ramrod-straight posture. His sharp eyebrows slanted upwards, his dark eyes were deep, and the slight upturn at their corners gave him a look of detachment.
Vesper glanced at him instinctively. He gave her a slight nod as he brushed past.
Not long after she returned to her room, there was a knock on the door.
She opened the door, and her expression turned to ice when she saw who was outside.
"President Lockwood, to what do I owe the pleasure?"
He hated it when she called him that, and he hated the cold look in her eyes even more.
"Vesper, why did you sell our home without discussing it with me?"
A faint mockery appeared in her eyes. "The house is in my name. Whether I sell it or not is my business. But if you insist on an answer, I can give you one."
"I don’t even want you anymore. What makes you think I’d want the house?"
Luke was speechless, his throat suddenly dry. "Our three-year relationship... are you really willing to just throw it all away?"
"Weren’t you the one who gave up on it first?" Vesper shot back, her tone calm and even.
Luke couldn’t stand her cold attitude. It gave him the sinking feeling that this was irreversible.
"She’s just a physical need for me. The one I truly love is you. I’ve been clear about that from the start. Once we’re married, I’ll break it off with her. She won’t affect our relationship."
"I don’t take back trash!"
Luke’s face turned sinister. He grabbed her wrist, pinned her against the wall, and lowered his head to kiss her.
Vesper’s expression changed drastically. Unable to dodge in time, she sealed her lips shut and tried to push him away.
The difference in strength between a man and a woman was immense. Luke’s strength was astonishing. He gripped the back of her neck, forcing her to open her mouth and accept him.
His other hand tore at her collar, his head lowering as his lips traveled down her neck...
"Luke, you bastard, let go of me!"
she roared, her voice trembling as she struggled fiercely.
But Luke turned a deaf ear, his kisses growing more urgent and brutal.
He had never forced her before; he’d always been considerate of her wishes and feelings. But today, he refused to hold back any longer.
’As long as I can have her body, she’ll belong to me completely. She’ll never talk about breaking up or try to leave me again.’
He picked her up and started carrying her into the room. Vesper finally began to panic.
"Get away! Don’t touch me!"
"Help! Some—"
The next second, a large hand clamped over her lips.
Luke whispered soothingly, "Babe, stop screaming. I really know I was wrong. Just forgive me this once. Be a good girl in a bit, and I’ll be gentle..."
Vesper’s face instantly turned pale.
A wave of nausea, like maggots clinging to bone, crawled up her spine.
As she watched the door about to close, sheer terror flashed in her eyes.
In the nick of time, a hand reached in and blocked the door.
Jared Hawthorne strode in, pulled Vesper behind him, and kicked Luke to the ground.
He glanced at the terrified woman and asked in a low voice, "Are you all right?"
Still reeling from the shock, Vesper nodded. Only then did she realize it was the handsome man who had greeted her earlier. She was completely oblivious to the fact that her chest was exposed.
Jared’s dark eyes swept over the dazzling expanse of white skin. His gaze darkened for a moment before he took off his jacket and tossed it over her.
"Cover up."
Vesper froze. Looking down, she saw that she was exposed and was instantly overcome with shame and anger.
"Who the hell are you? This is between my wife and me. It’s none of an outsider’s business!"
Luke scrambled to his feet, only to see Vesper draped in a strange man’s jacket. He was instantly filled with the rage of someone whose property had been violated.
’Where did this bastard come from, daring to ruin my plans!’
Jared ignored him and spoke coolly.
"Your husband?"
Vesper shook her head vigorously.
"No, I’ve already broken up with him. He was just trying to force himself on me."
A cold glint flashed in Jared’s eyes as his frigid, dark gaze swept over Luke.
"So an ex-boyfriend. That makes you expired goods. Forcing a woman... you call yourself a man? You’re a disgrace to all men."
"What are you still standing here for? Waiting for the cops to come and arrest you?"
The malice in Luke’s eyes practically overflowed, but considering his own status, and the man in front of him—whose clothes and bearing screamed wealth and power—he knew this was someone he couldn’t afford to provoke.
"Vesper, calm down. I’ll come see you tomorrow."
Watching him leave, Vesper’s tense nerves finally relaxed, and she let out a huge breath.
"Thank you. What’s your name? Can I treat you to dinner tomorrow?"
The man in front of her had helped her immensely; she had to at least treat him to a meal to express her gratitude.
"Jared."
The name sounded a bit familiar, as if she’d heard it somewhere before.
Before she could think too much about it, the man had already turned and walked out, leaving her with a cryptic remark.
"You really have terrible taste in men."
Vesper was left speechless.