Chapter 229

ARIA'S POV

The Royal Jade Restaurant was a very fancy, dark place. It was famous because it had private dining rooms. Rich businessmen used these secret rooms to make big deals away from other people.

A polite waiter walked me down a long, quiet hallway with heavy wooden doors. He stopped in front of Room 4. He opened the door for me with a small bow, and I walked inside.

Thomas Sterling was sitting by himself at a large round table. The table was covered in expensive seafood plates and glasses of wine. He was a big, heavy man with a cold, mean face.

When he saw me walk in, a slow, ugly smile came onto his lips. He looked at my body from head to toe in a way that made me feel very dirty and uncomfortable.

"Ah, Aria," Thomas Sterling said in a loud voice. He leaned back in his leather chair and pointed to the empty seat right next to him. "The beautiful young CEO. Come, sit down. Have some lunch with me."

"Thank you, Mr. Sterling, but I am not here to eat food," I said. I kept my voice calm and professional. I walked over to the table, but I chose a seat that was two chairs away from him.

I wanted to keep a safe, distant space between us. I placed my business files down on the white tablecloth.

"I am here to talk about the paper your lawyers sent this morning. You pulled all your money out of our company. This leaves a huge financial hole for our big project. Our business numbers are completely real, and we are making great progress. Why did you do this out of nowhere?"

Thomas Sterling did not even look at my files. He just laughed a low, nasty laugh. He poured himself another glass of strong whiskey. Then, he slowly moved his chair much closer to mine. He completely broke my personal space.

"Aria, Aria, Aria," he said softly, his voice sounding heavy and bad. "You are a very smart girl, but you do not understand how the world works. Business is not just about numbers on a piece of paper. It is about relationships. It is about making the people who have all the power and money happy."

"I am offering you a good business deal, Mr. Sterling," I said. My voice turned cold, and I tried to pull my chair away from him.

But before I could move, Thomas Sterling reached out his big, rough hand. He slammed it down on my thigh, gripping my leg tightly through my skirt. He leaned in so close to my face that I could smell the heavy alcohol on his breath.

"I do not care about the company, Aria," he whispered. He had a mean, arrogant smile on his face as his fingers started to move up my leg.

"Your numbers do not matter to me. You want my money back in your company? You want to save your dad's business? Then you need to make me happy. I will keep my money right where it is... but only if you come to my private hotel room tonight. I want to fuck you, Aria. It is as simple as that."

Pure shock and horror washed over me. "Get your hands off me!" I gasped. I tried to slap his heavy hand away, but his grip was too tight.

"Don't act like a good girl with me," Thomas Sterling hissed. He squeezed my leg even harder. His face looked ugly and mean. "You need me. Without my money, you are nothing but a—"

The heavy wooden door did not just open—it completely broke off its hinges. It flew across the room and crashed against the wall with a loud boom.

Brandon stormed into the private room like a wild force of nature. His face was full of pure, deadly anger. His dark eyes were completely black with rage.

Just like he had promised on the phone, he came straight to the restaurant after dropping Amelia off at the house. The moment he saw that man touching me, all his control snapped.

In one second, Brandon rushed across the room. He grabbed Thomas Sterling by the collar of his expensive suit jacket. He ripped him right out of his chair and threw the heavy man flat onto the hard floor.

Brandon dropped down on top of him. He pinned Thomas Sterling's arms down with his knees. He grabbed the man tightly by his throat. Brandon's large knuckles turned white as he squeezed, lifting the man’s head off the ground.

"Brandon, stop! You will kill him!" I screamed. I ran over to them, my hands shaking badly as I grabbed Brandon's broad shoulders to pull him away.

"Who told you to do this?" Brandon roared into Thomas Sterling's face. His deep voice was so loud the walls shook. "Tell me who is behind this before I break your neck right here!"

Thomas Sterling was gasping for air. His face was turning an ugly purple color. But even though he was terrified, he let out a nasty, bloody cough. His proud, rich ego refused to back down even while he was being choked on the floor.

"Nobody... nobody told me to do anything, you bastard!" Thomas Sterling choked out. He spit out the words as he looked up at Brandon, then threw a nasty look at me. "Look at her! I don't need a reason. I just wanted to fuck Aria. She is a beautiful piece of meat, and I wanted to see if she—"

Brandon did not let him finish that disgusting sentence. With a deep, angry growl like a wild animal, Brandon raised his big fist. He was ready to hit the man so hard it would end his life.

I threw my arms completely around Brandon's neck. I pulled him back with all the strength I had in my body.

"Brandon, please. Don't do it. Don't ruin your life for this trash!" I cried right into his ear. "I am okay! He did not hurt me! Please, let your security guards handle it!"

Hearing my scared voice, Brandon’s whole body shook as he fought to stop his deadly anger. He stared down at the choking man for three long, terrifying seconds.

Finally, he slowly lowered his fist. He stood up and fixed his dark suit jacket, though his big chest was still moving up and down very fast from anger. "Get this garbage out of my sight," Brandon ordered his security team.

The guards rushed into the room immediately. They lifted a groaning, terrified Thomas Sterling off the floor, put handcuffs on him, and dragged him away.

Brandon turned around to look at me. His eyes were full of worry and panic. He wrapped his strong arms around me, pulling me so tightly against his chest that I could hear the fast, loud thumping of his heart.

"I am sorry, Aria," Brandon whispered. His voice sounded cracked and sad as he held me close. "I am so sorry I let him touch you. You are safe now. I have you."

I buried my face into his warm chest, holding onto him as tight as I could. I realized just how dirty and dangerous my enemies were willing to play to ruin my life.

But wrapped inside Brandon's familiar scent and his strong, safe hug, I knew one thing for sure. No matter what bad thing happened next, my protector would never let anyone hurt me.