Chapter 3
Most of my customers came to watch the drama. They wanted a front-row seat to see how pathetic the "jilted bride" looked after getting dumped in front of the entire pack.
I wore a simple cotton dress, quietly shaking cocktails behind the bar while tuning out their prying stares.
Right then, the screech of a roaring engine shattered the noise from the street outside.
A flashy red sports car bearing the Warwick Clan crest drifted to a halt right outside the entrance.
The scissor doors swung upward, revealing Elena's heavily painted face.
"Sylvia, long time no see." Her voice dripped with fake sweetness as she stepped inside, flanked by four hulking werewolf bodyguards who practically radiated menace.
I set my glass down, my gaze turning icy. "What do you want?"
Elena scanned the packed room, and a flicker of jealousy crossed her face when she saw every seat filled.
She made a show of pulling a gold-embossed invitation from her bag, raising her voice so the whole room could hear. "Damon and I are holding our mating ceremony in three days. I came to drop off your invite."
The tavern went dead silent as everyone perked up, eager for a show.
Staring at the obnoxious card, I swallowed the disgust rising in my throat. "How thoughtful of you."
"Oh, silly me," Elena gasped, tearing the invitation to shreds right in front of the crowd.
"I forgot. You're the one Damon rejected publicly; quite the disgrace. I can't have you ruining my ceremony," she continued.
As the shredded paper fluttered to the floor, the crowd erupted into mocking laughter.
I clenched my fists until my nails bit into my palms. "If you're here for a drink, sit down. If you're here to cause trouble, get the hell out."
Elena's sweet facade vanished, replaced by a vicious sneer. "You think you're still some high-and-mighty pureblood? Your father disowned you, and everyone in the city knows it. You're a pathetic bartender now, so lose the attitude."
She waved her hand and snapped to her men, "Teach her some manners. Make sure she knows her place."
The four bodyguards lunged across the counter, slamming me face-down against the hard wood.
My forehead cracked against the sharp edge, and warm blood trickled down my face.
"Let go of me!" I thrashed against them, but they held me in a vice grip.
Elena stared down at me, her eyes filled with sadistic glee.
"Rip her clothes off," she sneered. "Give the boys a free show. It's not every day you get to see a pure-blood heiress stripped bare."
My collar tore wide open, exposing my skin to the cold air.
The men in the crowd immediately started hooting and catcalling.
I closed my eyes in despair, the trauma of my previous life wrapping around my throat like a suffocating snake.
"Get your hands off her!" a voice roared, cracking through the room like thunder.
A split second later, the bodyguards pinning me down screamed in agony.
The crushing weight vanished, and I opened my eyes to see a dark figure weaving through the attackers like a phantom.
Within seconds, all four bodyguards were on the floor, clutching their shattered joints and howling in pain.
Elena stumbled backward, her voice trembling. "W-who the hell are you? How dare you cross the Warwick Clan?"
The stranger stood under the dim light with his back to me, his tattered clothes fluttering in the draft.
When he slowly turned around, I gasped. It was the blind rogue from the alley.
His eyes held no focus, but he locked onto Elena's location with precision.
Elena covered her mouth, mockery glinting in her eyes. "Well, aren't you desperate, Sylvia? You couldn't have Damon, so you resorted to sleeping with a filthy rogue?"
The tavern erupted in laughter again.
"Shut your filthy mouth, Elena! Stop making things up," I spat, trembling with fury.
"Making things up?" she chuckled, looking around the room. "The rogue is practically throwing his life away for you. Who would believe you two aren't hooking up?"
Before she could finish her sentence, a sharp crack echoed through the room.
The blind rogue had lunged forward with terrifying speed, striking Elena right across the face.