A wave of shame hit me, and I instinctively wrapped myself tighter in his suit jacket.

The two guys clearly had no idea who Edward was. When he stepped up to meddle in their business, Richie Wallace didn’t hold back–he jabbed a finger at Edward and said, “Hey, man–”

Smack! Before Richie could finish, a slap landed square on his face.

Edward moved fast and hard. Richie’s face puffed up like a balloon in seconds. He grabbed his cheek, swearing up a storm, and looked ready to throw down.

Just then, a few bodyguards in black suits stepped in and took him down without breaking a sweat. Richie’s buddy saw the writing on the wall and bolted.

Richie’s face turned beet red as he cursed up a storm, but the bodyguards dragged him into a private room nearby.

Watching the chaos unfold, I felt my blood run cold. My face went pale, and the alcohol suddenly hit me hard. My legs went weak, and my whole body tilted to the side.

An arm reached out and steadied me by the shoulder. Edward’s voice was icy as he asked, “You okay?”

I looked at him, dazed and shocked. “Mr. Jennings, why are you here?”

A flicker of emotion flashed across Edward’s face, but he quickly covered it up and replied in a cold voice, “Just business.”

I blinked, honestly surprised that someone like Edward–a real business shark–would show up in a place this tacky.

“Where did he touch you?” Edward’s voice was icy, his expression grim.

I glanced at my left hand–the one Richie had grabbed hard enough to leave marks.

Edward didn’t hesitate. “Come with me.”

I was still in a daze, my head spinning. Instinctively, I followed him.

He led me to a public restroom, took my left hand, and put it under running water.

“Mr. Jennings…” The cold water snapped me back to my senses.

After cleaning my arm, Edward grabbed some paper towels and dried it off. Then he let go and said, “Next time you run into a jerk like that, just run. If you can’t get away, fight back. Don’t just stand there and let someone mess with you.”

His words made sense, so I nodded. “Got it.”

Edward stood next to me, his figure outlined by the light. I could feel how angry he was–he probably thought I’d gotten tangled up with Richie and somehow betrayed Ryan.

“Mr. Jennings, I didn’t start anything with them…” I blurted out, desperate to explain.

Edward’s gaze suddenly dropped from my face, and that’s when I realized–the thin strap of my dress had snapped, leaving my purple bra exposed. Since I was pretty busty, I always went for those thin, barely-there styles, and now half my chest was practically on display.

My breath caught–I immediately yanked the suit jacket tighter around myself, wrapping up as much as I could.

“Come with me,” Edward ordered, his voice all authority–no room for argument.

Just then, my assistant came running out, looking for me. She was out of breath and looked like she’d been searching all over for me.

When she spotted me, she immediately asked, “Ms. Murphy, where have you been?”

I shot a panicked glance at Edward, then turned to my assistant. “I ran into a friend. Just keep having fun for now. Later, you go settle the situation.”

My assistant shot Edward a teasing glance, her cheeks turning pink as she said, “Got it, Ms. Murphy. Have fun!”

With that, she dashed back to the private room, leaving me so mortified I wished the ground would swallow me up.

I was terrified Edward would get the wrong idea, so I blurted out, “My assistant probably misunderstood. Please don’t take it the wrong way, Mr. Jennings.”

Edward scoffed, his tone icy. “Do you see me as someone with a bad temper?”

I froze, caught off guard and unable to answer.

Edward led me into his private room. The lights were blazing, the place was packed, and even the club manager had shown up. On the floor, a guy was sprawled out, beaten so badly he looked half-dead. My heart was about to jump out of my chest.

‘Is someone actually going to die here?’ I thought.

Someone dumped a bucket of ice water over Richie, snapping him out of his stupor.

He looked around, dazed and disoriented, and then the club manager sent a hard kick his way. “Didn’t I tell you not to start trouble?”

Richie threw his hands up to shield his face and yelled in pain.

“Apologize to this lady, now!” the manager barked, his face thunderous with anger.

Richie, who’d been acting all high and mighty just moments ago, suddenly realized he was in deep trouble. He stammered out a string of apologies, barely able to get the words out fast enough.

Edward sat on the couch in a black shirt, his sharp sideburns and thick, short hair accentuating his strikingly handsome, pale features. There was a shrewd, calculating air about him–a mix of a seasoned businessman and the cold arrogance of the elite.

He idly spun his black phone between his fingers and asked, “Feeling better now?”