Chapter 6
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He wore a shabby, ill-fitting suit, his face shiny with sweat, looking like he'd just crawled out of some dive bar.
Security tried to intercept him, but he spotted me instantly.
"Scarlett! I knew I'd find you here, you backstabbing bitch!"
He shoved past security and charged toward me.
The guests recoiled, watching with horrified fascination, hungry for the unfolding drama.
Dominic remained perfectly still.
If he moved at all, it was only to check his phone.
I no longer expected him to defend me.
I faced Brad squarely.
"What are you doing here? I already transferred the money to the hospital!"
"To the hospital? I told you to send it to ME!"
Brad lunged at me, his face contorted with rage.
"Stop using the hospital as an excuse! Did you pocket that five million yourself? Or are you splitting it with your new sugar daddy?"
"That money is saving my sister's life! How could I possibly pocket it?"
I finally snapped, years of fear and resentment exploding at once.
"I sent it directly to the hospital! I won't let you touch a single penny for your gambling!"
"You fucking bitch! You went behind my back!"
Brad's face twisted with rage and humiliation as he raised his hand.
"Yesterday's beating wasn't enough? I'll teach you a lesson in front of your new boyfriend!"
The sound of his hand cutting through the air.
In that instant, five years of beatings, humiliation, and terror flashed before my eyes.
I'd had enough.
Since I'd already sold myself, since I was already in hell.
I might as well drag him down with me.
My eyes landed on a nearby waiter's tray.
An unopened bottle of champagne sat there.
Before his slap could land, I lunged for the bottle.
With every ounce of strength, I smashed it against Brad's skull!
CRACK!
A sickening thud, followed by shattering glass.
"AAARGH!"
Brad howled in pain, staggering backward.
Amber liquid mixed with bright red blood streamed down his face, soaking his collar.
The entire ballroom fell silent.
Gasps caught in throats.
Everyone stood frozen.
The infamous Scarlett who always yielded, who supposedly endured anything for money.
Had she really just cracked open her husband's skull at a high-society gala?
I gripped the jagged bottle neck, pointing its razor-sharp edge at Brad.
"Get out."
I panted, my voice raw.
"Brad, if you ever touch me again, next time this goes straight into your throat."
I aimed the jagged glass at his carotid artery.
"I'll kill you! I'll fucking kill you, you worthless whore!"
Brad wiped blood from his face, pain unleashing something feral in him.
His face twisted with rage as he charged at me like a raging bull.
"I'm going to strangle you with my bare hands!"
I braced myself, raising the broken bottle—
Just then.
A powerful hand appeared from nowhere.
It caught Brad's fist mid-swing.
CRACK.
The sickening sound of bones dislocating.
"AAAHHH!" Brad's scream was even more agonized as he collapsed, writhing on the floor.
I looked up in shock.
Dominic stood before me.
One hand remained casually in his pocket while the other gripped Brad's wrist.
His expression was terrifying.
But he wasn't looking at Brad.
He was looking at me.
At the broken bottle still dripping with alcohol in my hand.
At the rage and despair radiating from my entire being.
In those dark eyes, a storm was brewing.
Shock.
Remorse.
And something I hadn't seen in five years... compassion.
Just moments earlier.
Dominic's phone had received the results of his investigation into "where the five million went."
Email summary:
Fund flow: The full $5 million transferred to St. Mary's Hospital ICU account, used to pay for Lily Grant's (Scarlett's sister) surgery fees.
Extortion source investigation: To uncover Brad Miller's leverage over his wife, tech team hacked his personal cloud storage.
Files discovered: Folder named "Money Tree." Contents: Nude photos of Scarlett (clearly unconscious/drugged), hidden camera footage from Hilton Hotel five years ago (evidence of date rape).
In that moment, Dominic felt like his heart had been ripped from his chest.
She had never betrayed him.
Five years ago, she was drugged and raped by this scum who then blackmailed her with the footage.
For five years, she wasn't chasing wealth—she was trapped in hell by this monster using blackmail and violence, all to save her sister.
And what had he done last night?
He'd humiliated her.
Forced her into his bed.
When she tried to explain, he'd told her to shut up.
"I don't want to hear your touching stories about you and your husband."
Those words now felt like a knife twisting in his gut.
The desperation in her eyes as she raised that bottle had pierced his heart.
How desperate must she have been—this girl who once couldn't bear to hurt a fly—to become this?
"Mr... Mr. Knight..."
Brad was sweating from pain, and seeing Dominic's murderous gaze, finally felt true fear.
"This is between me and my wife... This crazy bitch broke my head open... Please don't interfere..."
"A private matter?"
Dominic's voice was dangerously soft.
He suddenly drove his foot into Brad's knee with savage force!
CRACK!
The bone-shattering sound made everyone wince as it echoed through the hall.
"AAAGGHH!"
Brad collapsed to his knees, his face smashing against the floor by my feet.
Blood sprayed across the marble.
Dominic loosened his tie, all pretense of civility vanishing.
Only cold, murderous rage remained.
He looked down at the blood-soaked Brad.
"You drugged and raped her, then blackmailed her with the video for five years."
Dominic's quiet words drained all color from Brad's face.
"Right in front of me, you threatened someone who belongs to me."
"Brad, not even God can save you tonight."
