Chapter 4
Inside the hotel, it was pretty quiet, with only a handful of guests around.
But the moment Allen swung open the hotel door, my heart almost froze.
I screamed.
I was completely naked, dumped right in the middle of a busy street, cars whizzing by all around me.
One car even crashed into a streetlight.
"Damn it! Are you out here naked selling yourself? You made me crash my car," the driver yelled.
"Oh? Is this some kind of order from your master, you little slut?" someone else sneered.
"Honestly, with her body, she really does look like a cheap whore," another person chimed in.
"No, I-I'm not," I stammered.
My knees were bleeding, the wounds open for everyone to see. I could only hug myself, trembling, trying to cover my private parts.
"Stop it! Just stop it!" I begged.
Pain and despair swallowed me whole.
When I looked up at Allen, he was standing just inside the hotel entrance, watching me from above like I was nothing but an insect beneath his feet.
With a casual wave of his hand, several staff slammed the doors shut, locking me out for good and sealing off my only escape.
"Man, are we really supposed to be doing this? Isn't this, like, illegal?" a staff muttered nervously.
"Tsk! You seriously don't know how much pull Mr. Wright has? Stuff like this doesn't even faze him. Just do what he tells you and don't make trouble, unless you want to get burned!" another staff snapped.
The freezing winter wind cut my skin, dry and stinging, making every inch burn.
However, even with all those people coming and going, nobody even tried to help me.
Even when a girl looked like she wanted to step forward, her friend would grab her arm and pull her back.
"Are you nuts? Didn't you see who tossed her out?" one of them whispered.
"Exactly. You think you can mess with Mr. Wright?" another scoffed.
The hand that was about to reach out would instantly retreat.
"Eden!" someone yelled, voice cutting through the chaos.
Out of nowhere, someone came running and threw a suit jacket around me, shielding me from all those prying eyes.
"What the hell are you staring at? Move it!" he roared.
The crowd jumped back, scared off by his fury, and parted to let us through.
I knew that voice in an instant.
As I looked up from his arms, my eyes went red, stinging with emotion.
"James," I whispered, voice trembling.
We finally got to a private room. James kept a close eye on me, trying to read my face. "Eden?"
I hugged my knees, curled up on the couch, tears slipping down my cheeks in silence.
"Don't cry. I've already had my people erase every video and photo of you. There's no trace of you online anymore," James said softly.
He reached out, wiping away my tears anxiously.
"Thank you, James," I whispered.
I reached for my only bracelet and gently placed it in his hand.
"I'll always remember your kindness. This bracelet is all I have left from my mom. When I've made something of myself, I'll come back with enough to repay you and buy it back," I said softly.
"Eden!" His shout froze me just as I was about to step out the door.
James's throat tightened as he swallowed.
"I helped you because it hurt to see you suffer, not because I expect you to pay me back," he said.
I didn't turn around.
His breath caught for a moment. "Eden, I want you to know, I like you. It's not because I want something from you. It's because I want to give you everything I can."
I turned around. Tears were already streaming down my face.
"Then can you ruin Allen? Can you destroy him?" I asked.
"Of course, Eden." He took a step closer, his eyes locked on mine, and gently pulled me into his arms. "That was always my plan."
*****
Inside the VIP room, Willow was tearing up the dance floor with her friends.
Someone approached Allen's table, curiosity written all over his face.
"Hey Allen, how come you're not out there dancing with Willow tonight? You used to never let her dance with anyone else, man," the guy remarked.
"Did you deliver the clothes yet?" Allen asked.
He held his wine glass, not even bothering to take a sip.
"Oh, you mean Eden? Yeah, already sent her the clothes ages ago," the guy said.
He flashed his phone, showing Allen a photo.
In the picture, Eden and a guy had their backs to the camera. Eden was covered in a suit jacket.
The guy looked exactly like the one who had sent to deliver the clothes.
Allen's grip on his glass finally eased up a bit.
He took a slow sip, finally getting back into the mood to enjoy his drink.
"That's enough punishment. Make sure someone looks after Eden. She's got a weak constitution and can't handle the winter wind," Allen ordered.
"Got it," the guy replied.
Allen finished off his wine in one gulp, got up with a smile, and strode straight onto the dance floor toward Willow.
The friend who'd just been talking to Allen was about to call when a guy showed up with the clothes.
"What took you so long? You're just dropping off some clothes," the friend snapped.
The guy looked totally lost. "Mr. Wright said Miss Cooke would be there, but I couldn't find her," he said.
His friend just stared, thrown off for a second. He glanced down at the photo on his phone. Finally, he just grabbed the clothes, clearly annoyed.
"Whatever, just forget it. Probably some good Samaritan already helped her out," he said, waving it off.