Chapter 11
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Tara’s legs felt like jelly as she backed away in terror. She tripped over the steps behind her, falling backward with no way to stop herself.
The man toppled forward, knife poised to strike. If he hit her, she would be seriously injured, if not worse.
“Tara!” Leo shouted, his voice filled with panic, but he was too far away to reach her in time.
Just as the knife was about to make contact, a flowerpot fell from the upper level of Majestic Nightclub, smashing into the middle-aged man’s head.
The man froze mid-motion from the impact.
The security guards seized the opportunity to rush in, tackling and restraining him.
Tara, meanwhile, had fallen hard onto the steps. Pain radiated through her body, her tailbone numb from the impact, leaving her unable to move.
“Tara!” Leo ran to her side and scooped her into his arms. “Are you okay?”
Tears of pain rolled down her cheeks as she gasped, “It hurts.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll take you to the hospital,” Leo said firmly.
As he started to carry her away, the restrained middle-aged man shouted, his voice hoarse and accusatory, “Tara! You can’t just leave! You promised me money! You said you’d make sure I wouldn’t get in trouble!”
Leo froze mid-step, his face darkening instantly.
A crowd had gathered by now, their phones raised, capturing every moment in photos and videos.
Nina stared at the man in disbelief. “What did you just say?”
The man, desperate and frantic, shouted, “Don’t arrest me! Don’t hit me! Tara promised me a million to teach you a lesson, you boyfriend-stealing tramp! She swore I’d be fine, or I wouldn’t have done it!”
The onlookers erupted into chaos.
This revelation was too juicy. It was a scandal of jealousy, two women fighting over one man, and hiring someone to harm the other.
Leo’s arms slackened as he let Tara slide from his grasp. His gaze turned cold, his disappointment cutting deeper than words.
Tara, now standing on shaky legs, felt as though her heart had plunged into ice water.
Leo didn’t believe her.
Tara looked at Leo, her voice weak but firm. “I didn’t do it.”
Nina nodded earnestly, her tone seemingly sincere. “Miss Stone, I believe you’re not that kind of person!”
She turned to the middle-aged man and questioned him, “That’s impossible. I don’t believe you. Do you have any proof?”
The man responded, “We made the deal in this parking lot. There must be surveillance footage to prove it!”
Tara instantly understood that this was all a setup.
At that moment, police cars arrived. A well-meaning bystander had called the authorities, and the entire group was escorted to the police station.
Sitting in the patrol car, Tara caught sight of someone standing by a window on the sixth-floor stairwell of Majestic Nightclub.
It was the man with mixed heritage.
“Was it him? Did he throw the flowerpot to save me?” Tara wondered.
At the station, Tara and the middle-aged man each stuck to their version of the story.
As for what had occurred inside Majestic Nightclub, the police deemed it unrelated to the case and didn’t ask for further details.
Officers were sent to retrieve surveillance footage from the parking lot.
Leo remained seated next to Nina the entire time, his cold gaze fixed on Tara, making his stance abundantly clear.
The frustration in Tara’s chest was suffocating. She stood up and went to the restroom.
Her elbows and palms were scraped raw from her fall on the stairs. As she cleaned them, the pain was so sharp she couldn’t stop herself from trembling.
Her hair, neck, and white T-shirt were all smeared with bright red paint. No amount of scrubbing could get it off, leaving her looking a complete mess.
Just as she was rinsing her hands, Nina walked in. She pushed open each stall door to ensure they were alone before stepping to the sink to wash her hands.
Thanks to Leo’s protection, Nina was practically untouched. Only a few drops of paint had splattered onto her shoes. She glanced at Tara’s reflection in the mirror and smirked smugly.
“Look at you. You’re a disaster—absolutely disgusting. Leo protects me without a second thought and doesn’t even care about you. You’ve been with him for three years, and he still doesn’t trust you. How does that feel? Pretty great, huh?”
Tara met Nina’s gaze in the mirror, her expression stoic and silent.
Nina chuckled disdainfully. “Oh, little girl, you’re so naive. Do you really think I’m doing all this for Leo?”
