Chapter 2

Ethan kept Emily tucked in his arms, one hand around her waist and the other pointing at me. "Claire, don't push it. Everyone's watching, and you're making it look like Emily's trying to steal your ID. It's just a membership. Is it really that serious?"

I kept my face cold and didn't move. Emily pressed herself against his chest, tears dropping one after another. She was pulling out her crying damsel routine again. "It's not that I have to have your ID.

" I thought Claire was the person closest to me. I'd do anything for her, but she guards herself against me like I'm some criminal."

As she spoke, she swayed and lurched straight toward me. "Claire, what did I do wrong? Don't be mad. I'll apologize to you." I stepped back. She suddenly shoved me hard and let out a sharp scream.

I lost my footing, and my back slammed straight into the sharp corner of a pillar in the banquet hall. A sharp pain exploded in the back of my head. My ears rang, and something warm started running down my neck.

But no one looked at me. Everyone rushed over to Emily instead. She crouched on the floor with a hand over her face. "Claire, even if you don't trust me, you can't try to get me killed. What did I ever do to you?"

I pushed myself up off the floor, dizzy as hell. Ethan turned to look at me. "Claire, you're getting more disgusting by the day.

"Emily treats you like her best friend. You wouldn't give her your ID, you wouldn't trust her, and now you're trying to hurt her too.

"Get on your knees and apologize to Emily right now, then pay her 300 thousand dollars for emotional distress. If you do that, she might let this go."

I touched the blood smeared across my neck. "If you're blind, go see a doctor. I'm the one who's hurt. I'm not settling this. Wait for the lawsuit." I staggered as I pulled out my phone to call the police.

But before I could dial, Ethan snatched the phone out of my hand.

"You shoved Emily, then hit your own head, and now you're trying to blame her for it. There are plenty of witnesses here," he said.

Before I could even speak, Emily's aunt chimed in with a shrill voice, "Exactly. I saw it clearly just now. You fell on your own. This is the oldest scam in the book. You're picking on Emily because she's easy to bully.

"Pay up. At least 3 million dollars, or don't even think about leaving today."

Emily stood up with Ethan's help and spoke softly, "Claire, an apology is enough. Talking money hurts feelings. But the partners are upset. They're the ones you really owe."

I pressed a hand over the back of my head and snapped, "Give me my phone back. I need to call an ambulance."

Ethan sneered. "Quit faking it. That's obviously ketchup. If you were really bleeding that much, you'd already be dead." I was so furious my head swam, and I could feel blood still pulsing out of my scalp.

I lunged for my phone, but Ethan casually flung it into the giant glass aquarium. The tank was about ten feet deep. Once my phone dropped in, there was no way I could get it back. "This is attempted murder." I was beyond furious.

Ethan's face turned dark. "If you don't hand over that ID today, you're not walking out that door." I whipped around. Two partners were already blocking the banquet room entrance. They really meant to trap me here.