Chapter 3
Serena, without hesitation, swung her hand and delivered another hard slap right across Adrian's cheek.
The blow was so fierce that the city's richest man's head jerked to the side, and blood instantly welled up at the corner of his mouth.
"That slap is for being blind and foolish enough to mistake a thief for your own family," Serena said coldly.
Serena shook out her tingling hand, looking down at those two shameless lovers with a chilling calm.
"Bella, you really do have a pretty face. You can even claim someone else's life-saving deed without a shred of guilt. Since you're so desperate to be Mrs. Kelsen, consider it a gift from me," Serena said.
"Serena, do you even know what you're saying?" Adrian stared at her, a sudden, inexplicable panic rising in his chest.
"I said, I'm not marrying you," Serena replied, her voice steady and resolute.
Right in front of the city's media, Serena ripped off the necklace Adrian had given her and tossed it into the champagne pyramid without a second thought.
"Adrian, from today on, our engagement is over. Go chase after your precious first love, and I'll live my own life," Serena said.
"For the rest of my life, don't even think about loving me. Just hearing your name makes me sick," she added.
With that, Serena turned around and, under the shocked stares of the crowd, gathered up her skirt and marched straight toward the hall's exit.
She was moving so fast that she ran straight into a man stepping through the doorway.
The man's torso was solid as steel, exuding a chilling sandalwood aroma layered with a constant, almost predatory hint of blood.
Serena's steps faltered, and she nearly lost her balance.
A strong, elegant hand caught her waist with uncanny accuracy, locking her securely in his embrace.
Serena looked up, and her gaze locked with a pair of eyes, which were dark, unfathomable, and as wild as a lone wolf stalking through the night.
It was Lucas Reed.
The one and only big shot in Cloudmere City, Adrian's sworn nemesis, and the infamous kingpin said to kill without blinking an eye.
"Ms. Kent, that was one impressive way to call off a wedding," Lucas said.
He leaned in, his lips brushing her ear, his voice rough and magnetic, carrying a predatory edge that sent a shiver down her spine.
"Since that idiot Adrian doesn't know a good thing, how about you come with me?" Lucas murmured.
Lucas's touch was scorching, and even through the delicate fabric of her gown, it sent shivers straight to Serena's soul.
In her last life, Serena had steered clear of Lucas like he was poison. Adrian always painted him as a bloodthirsty madman, willing to do anything for power. But lying on that cold operating table, dying, she finally remembered Lucas had tried again and again to warn her that the Kelsen family was nothing but a burning hell.
"Mr. Reed, let go," Serena said, drawing in a deep breath as she tried to calm the frantic pounding of her heart.
"Let go?" Lucas gave a low chuckle, tightening his hold instead of releasing her, pressing their bodies even closer together. "Where did all that attitude go, the one you had when you were slapping people inside? Ms. Kent, you think you can use me and then just run off? That's not how we do things in Cloudmere City."
Serena looked up, locking eyes with his bottomless, predatory eyes. She knew that landing in Lucas's arms now was like jumping straight from the wolf's den into the tiger's jaws.
But if this beast could rip Adrian to shreds, she'd gladly throw herself to him as the offering.
"Serena! Get over here!"
Adrian's angry shout came from behind her.
Adrian shoved past the crowd, his face stormy, blood still at the corner of his mouth from Serena's slap. The moment he saw Serena locked in Lucas's embrace, a surge of unprecedented panic hit him like a truck.
"Lucas, let go of my fiancée!" Adrian growled, his jaw tight as he lunged forward, reaching out to grab Serena.
Lucas's eyes turned sharp, and a dangerous, menacing energy burst from him. Without even sparing Adrian a glance, he simply raised his hand and shoved the spoiled tycoon back a few steps.
"Fiancée?" Lucas arched a brow, his voice nonchalant and laced with mockery. "Mr. Kelsen, got a bad memory or what? Ms. Kent just spelled it out. Your engagement is done. And you... didn't you just say she disgusts you?"
"She's just being unreasonable!" Adrian snapped, his composure completely gone as he glared at Serena. "Serena, get over here! I can act like none of this ever happened. Hit me, make a scene, whatever you want. Just don't use Lucas to get back at me! You know exactly what kind of man he is!"
Serena leaned into Lucas's embrace, listening to Adrian's self-pitying speech, and felt her stomach turn over with revulsion.
He'd always been like this in her previous life. It was always his fault, yet he'd act like the tolerant hero, graciously enduring her so-called "antics."
"Adrian, you're wrong," Serena said.
She straightened up a bit in Lucas's arms, and for the first time since she was reborn, a real smile appeared on her face, which was radiant yet merciless, beautiful and ice-cold.