Chapter 4 Move Into His House

• Although Howard did not recognize Lucian, his brows were still furrowed deeply when he noted the noble and powerful aura around the latter.
• Shannon, on the other hand, instantly recognized Lucian. Being smarter than Howard, she surreptitiously distanced herself as she would rather not bring any unwanted attention towards herself.
• Under everyone’s shocked gazes, Lucian’s hand moved to wipe the blood from my lips. A mocking grin twisted his mouth as he cooed, “Oh, my dear Ms. Quinn. Did someone bully you?”
• Hating how flippant he was being, I was originally planning on smacking his hand away. But then an idea occurred to me, and I pointed at Howard instead. In a hushed tone, I said, “Lucian, seeing as how our families used to be such good friends, help me teach him a lesson!”
• As soon as I finished, I took a peek at Shannon. She was visibly surprised to see that I really did know Lucian.
• Meanwhile, Howard’s eyes flickered in alarm, and he made to flee the office. However, Lucian’s bodyguard extended a muscular arm that stopped him in his tracks.
• Lucian then glanced back at Howard before his lips curled upward lazily. “Jennifer, dear, did you mean this guy?”
• I nodded silently.
• A chuckle left him before his eyes narrowed. Then, he ordered his bodyguard, “Break his leg!”
• A look of horror appeared on Howard’s face as he yelled in terror, “W-wait! What are you doing?”
• The words had barely left his lips when the burly bodyguard moved. His meaty hand smacked into Howard and sent him flying. Soaring through the air briefly, Howard finally crashed into a nearby coffee table and broke it.
• “What the f***!” Howard’s face was warped with anger. He climbed to his feet and was about to charge at the bodyguard when Shannon hurriedly stopped him. She then whispered something in his ears.
• A few seconds later, he paled and shot Lucian an uneasy look. His voice was stiff when he asked, “You’re Mr. Sutton, the CEO of Toluc Finance?”
• Lucian laughed coldly but did not reply to his question. “You were threatening to break Jennifer’s legs just now, weren’t you?”
• Howard stepped backward fearfully. “Mr. Sutton, I think we might have a misunderstanding here.”
• “No, we don’t. Jennifer was pointing at you specifically earlier.” Lucian’s expression was placid as he stated icily.
• At that, Howard’s head whipped around to look at me. There was a malicious glint in his eyes, but he said nothing. Right at that moment, Lucian’s bodyguard picked up a broken coffee table leg and smashed it into one of Howard’s calf.
• Crack!
• The loud cracking of a bone breaking sounded out before Howard’s legs buckled, sending him crashing to the floor on his knees. He cradled his broken leg while howling in pain.
• Having done as his boss ordered, the bodyguard returned to his position behind Lucian.
• Everyone in the office was stunned at the turn of events to the point that Shannon and Mr. Walton were even shaking in fear.
• Lucian noted their reactions and focused his gaze on me. “Were they in this with him as well?”
• For a moment, I stared at him while a complicated range of emotions swirled inside me. At last, I nodded.
• He patted my shoulder lightly and said, “It’s going to get bloody in here. You should get going first.”
• I did not even hesitate in departing from there as quickly as I could. The moment I stepped outside the door, I heard Shannon crying loudly as she begged, “Mr. Sutton, please let me go! I didn’t do anything to Jenny!”
• I instinctively looked back, just in time to see Shannon getting down on her knees. She crawled over to Lucian’s feet and began to wail pitifully.
• While I did not know what he would do to them, I felt inexplicably more amiable toward him now. At least he was still willing to help me at a time like this.
• I then exited the bank and wandered down the street aimlessly. Right as I decided to take a cab back to work, an extended Lincoln stopped beside me. The car window rolled down, and Lucian’s sharply defined face looked out at me. “Get in!” He ordered emotionlessly.
• I blinked at him before continuing down the street. Sure, he had helped me, but my first time had been taken by him last night without my consent. In my mind, that made us even.
• But just as I took a few more steps, he shouted my name. Through the open window, he held out a document and waved it. “This is the deed to your house. If you want it back, get in the car!”
• He was blackmailing me! Despite knowing that, I had no choice but to obediently pull open the door and enter the car. When I saw that he was alone in there, I guessed his bodyguard was probably still back at the bank dealing with the aftermath.
• Shooting him a glare, I stretched out a hand and demanded, “I’m in the car. Now give me the deed!”
• “I need a favor,” was the calm reply.
• Alarmed, I shrank away from him warily. Don’t tell me he wants to do it again? I can’t think of anything else worth remembering other than my body.
• “Relax. I’m not interested in you.” He snickered lightly while driving us to a cafe before parking. Then, he turned towards me with a stern expression and said, “Let’s talk inside.”
• I nodded my head and went in with him. After the waiter brought us our coffees, I cut straight to the chase. “Alright, tell me. What do you want from me?”
• He was quiet for several beats. Then, he murmured, “My Grandpa is coming over tomorrow.”
• His Grandpa?
• At once, an image of a wrinkled old face with a genial smile surfaced in my mind. He was the only one who treated me relatively well ever since the Quinn family went bankrupt. Several times, he had sent people over to contact me. But every single time, I refused his aid. Even if we did not have any money, a Quinn must always hold their head up high. I did not need any sympathy or charity from anyone!
• Lucian’s eyes flashed as he gazed at me thoughtfully. “I don’t know what sort of spell you have him under. My parents had rejected the marriage contract with you, but he still insists on going through with it. The reason he’s coming here is to urge us to get married the soonest possible!”
• I was more than a little shocked at that news. Frowning, I warned, “Mr. Sutton, please mind your tone. I’m the one who doesn’t want to marry you, not the other way around!”
• Snorting, he retorted, “And it better stay that way!”
• Throwing him a suspicious look, I questioned, “Are you saying I should tell him that I was the one who refused this marriage? So that he can hear it coming from my mouth, and you’ll be free of all responsibilities?”
• He wagged a slender finger at me and clarified, “No! He has a weak heart now, so I don’t want to be responsible if anything happens to him.”
• “Then what do you want?”
• When he told me of his plan, I leaped to my feet in fury. He actually expects me to put on a show with him for Grandpa? And to make things even more realistic, he wants me to move into his house? What! With the two of us all alone in the house, who knows if he’ll give in to his animalistic urges again!
• “Sorry, but I’m not obligated to do that!”
• His lips twitched into a faint smile before he picked up the house deed that was on the table. “He’s only here for three days. Do this with me, and you’ll be able to get the house deed back. That’s more than worth it, in my opinion.”
• My eyes locked onto the deed, and I fell silent. After several long moments of deliberation, I finally agreed.
• I could not stand aside and do nothing while the villa my mother left me fell into someone else’s hands.
• “Since you’ve agreed, the first thing on the agenda is to get you out of those contemptible clothes. I don’t want Grandpa to think I’m mistreating you.” Shrugging his shoulders, he got up and strode toward the doors.
• I watched him go, taking in his proud posture through blurry vision. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a man who’s truly willing to protect and care for me?
• Our next stop was a commercial building filled with high-end boutiques. Despite the myriad of beautiful clothing, I would not get the final say in what I wore. I had to try on whatever Lucian handed to me.
• In his words, I belonged to him for the next three days!