Chapter 3
This childhood engagement was something the Barker family's parents practically begged my family for back in the day. Remembering that favor, my family kept tossing all the hottest, most sought-after projects to the Barker Group, and that was how they ended up riding high like they are now.
But Vicente didn't even bother to show me any respect.
"I don't even know you!" he snapped.
"Mr. Barker, please be nice. We were just..." someone stammered.
But compared to the Barker Group, they were just small fry. Nobody in their right mind would risk offending Vicente.
"Shut up! Get out!" Vicente barked.
"My fiancée is the rightful Miss Hayes. If any of you dare to point fingers at her, you'll have me to deal with!" he roared.
In an instant, there were just a few of us left in the room.
The security guards, hearing Vicente's furious voice, came in and quickly surrounded me.
They recognized me right away.
"Mr. Barker! We already kicked this woman out, but she managed to get back in with an invitation, tagging along with Orlando Maddox!" one of the guards reported.
"Who's Orlando? She's just another scammer working with her!" another guard snapped.
Jemma spoke up right on cue, and her words got through to Vicente. "Did you hear me? Hurry up and get these people out!"
With Vicente's approval, the burly guards rushed over to subdue me.
"Jemma! You don't even recognize me? I'm the butler!" Orlando called out, disbelief written all over his face.
He stared at Jemma, stunned, while she shrank back into Vicente's arms, her voice small and scared.
"Vicente, he's not our butler. Of course I'd recognize our butler," she whispered.
"I think he's talking about Jemma, the nanny's daughter. But what does the nanny's kid have to do with me?" she added, sounding confused and innocent.
The guards restrained Orlando, and his cane hit the tiles with a sharp crack.
Naomi stepped in front of me, trying to shield me, but she was no match for those trained men.
"Vicente, look at me! Do you even know who I am?" I shouted, struggling against the guards.
I was so furious that I wanted to rush over and slap both of those shameless liars right across the face.
Jemma clung to Vicente, her voice trembling as she said, "Vicente, so she really came here for you."
Tears suddenly streamed down Jemma's cheeks. Vicente, feeling sorry for her, didn't hesitate. He slapped me hard, the sound echoing in the room.
"I don't know how you managed to chase me all the way here, but let me tell you. Eleanor is the only woman I'll ever care about," Vicente said coldly.
"Open your eyes! I'm Eleanor!" I yelled, my voice defiant and raw.
I stood my ground, chin raised stubbornly. Seeing I wouldn't budge, Vicente's anger exploded. He threw a punch straight at me.
The guards pinned me down, leaving me completely powerless. I took the blow without any way to defend myself, and the pain made my whole body shake.
I gritted my teeth, forcing myself to endure the agony.
"She's the one pretending to be me! If you dare treat me like this, just wait till my parents come back. You and the Barker Group are done for!" I shouted, my voice trembling with anger and defiance.
Vicente let out a cold, mocking laugh.
"Talk big all you want. Let's see if you even live long enough for anyone to come save you," he sneered.
"Teach her a lesson!" Vicente barked.
The burly security guards surrounded me, their eyes cold and unfeeling. I closed my eyes, utterly hopeless.
Suddenly, a furious shout erupted from the hallway.
"Let go of my daughter!"
My dad barged in, bulldozing through the security guards. His sheer presence was so intimidating that even those muscle-bound pros froze in their tracks.
They let go of me without even thinking.
I almost hit the floor, but my dad and Naomi caught me just in time.
Everything that just happened left me dizzy, like I'd just dodged a bullet. When my dad burst in, it felt like I'd escaped death itself.
I sucked in a few shaky breaths, just to remind myself this wasn't some horrible dream.
My dad saw me struggling to breathe, and after a long moment, he could see right away how much I'd suffered.
Fuming, he threw a punch straight at Vicente.
The security guards were totally stunned, and Vicente never expected that my dad, usually the picture of calm, just snapped and swung at him.
Vicente couldn't dodge in time, and took the punch right to the face, leaving a nasty mark.
He sucked in a breath, pain written all over his face, but when he met my dad's furious glare, he bit back a yell and just gritted his teeth, toughing it out.
Jemma broke the awkward silence in the room.
"SIR, maybe this is all just a misunderstanding? Vicente just got a little carried away..." she said gently.
Jemma hadn't said a word before, but the moment she spoke, my dad finally noticed her standing there.
My dad narrowed his eyes, giving Jemma a long, hard look. She was dressed in a white dress, nothing showy, but up close, one could tell the fabric was luxurious, and the hem was trimmed with circles of Burano lace.
As I stared at it, a wave of déjà vu hit me. Before I could piece it together, my dad cut in.
"That dress was custom-made for my daughter. Where did you get it?" he said, his tone icy.
"Back then, my wife took pity on your mom, letting you stay at the old house. Never thought we were inviting a snake into our home!" he spat.
As soon as Dad said that, it all came rushing back. He'd brought me a white dress from abroad after a business trip.