Chapter 2

"Fine! I'll put the hard evidence right in front of you now. Let's see how you'll talk your way out of this!"

The very next second, he fished a stack of photos out of his pocket. As he slammed them onto the table in front of everyone, he remarked, "If your parents raised someone as shameless as you, they can't possibly be decent people."

The moment I saw the photos, my blood ran cold. They were pictures of me squatting naked in a hotel hallway.

In some of them, there were a few women who were scantily clad and men who appeared to be clients beside me, making the whole thing look like a humiliating police raid.

Duncan's grin grew even wider. "My buddy said that when they caught Nicholas, he was so scared that he wet himself. He was on his knees, begging for mercy and pleading with the police not to notify his family."

He turned to me, his eyes full of mockery. "Nicholas, didn't you claim to be innocent? Go on, defend yourself."

My blood boiled. Duncan had fabricated all of this from the very beginning. He obviously wanted to ruin my reputation in front of Jennifer and everyone else.

Looking up, I met Jennifer's furious gaze.

I'd just opened my mouth to speak when she slapped me hard across the face. "I can't believe I even wondered if this was all just a misunderstanding… Nicholas, are you still going to deny it when the evidence is right here?"

Her parents stood up as well, pointing accusatory fingers at me and yelling, "You're absolutely disgraceful! Get out of our house right now, and keep your filth off our floors!"

My chest felt tight, and I found it hard to breathe. It took me a moment to regain my composure. I knew that there was no point in explaining anymore, so I wiped the wine off my face and pulled out my phone to make a call.

When I transferred here last month, Captain Roger Carter from the local precinct had personally received me.

With the situation as it was, his appearance would be enough to set the record straight. But no matter how many times I called, Captain Carter didn't answer.

My flustered behavior only made everyone more suspicious.

Duncan approached me and snatched my phone away. "Stop putting on an act, Nicholas. Who do you think can come and help you lie your way out of this when things have already come to this?"

He kicked me hard in the chest, knocking me to the ground. My vision went dark all of a sudden.

By the time I could see clearly again, Duncan already had his arm around Jennifer.

Looking down at me as if I were beneath him, he said, "Jenny, I told you from the start. Guys who look decent on the surface are usually the dirtiest underneath. Now you finally believe me, right?"

I stared at Jennifer with reddened eyes, only to notice that her expression had gone cold.

I staggered to my feet. Frowning deeply, I stared straight at Duncan and asked, "What exactly do you want from me?"

Duncan let out a cold laugh. "What do I want? Naturally, I want you to get what you deserve!"

He pulled out his phone and made a call. Soon, several of his men appeared at the door.

Before I could react, they pinned me to the ground. My struggle was met with several hard kicks. My head spun from the assault. They stripped off my coat and pants before dragging me outside.

It was snowing heavily. I was left with nothing but a pair of boxers, my whole body shaking from the cold.

Lifting my head to look at Jennifer, I saw no compassion on her face, only icy indifference. "Nicholas, if it weren't for the fact that you looked like an honest guy and were easy to deal with, do you really think I'd actually be with you?

"I only brought you home today to deal with my family since they've been pressuring me to get married. And yet you humiliated me!"

Her words made my heart ache. She was only with me because I was a tool she could summon whenever she needed something.

Before long, a crowd gathered outside the Hayes residence.

Loving the attention, Duncan shouted at the top of his lungs, "Everyone, this scumbag went to prostitutes behind his girlfriend's back, got caught, and still refuses to admit it! What do you all think we should do to teach this dirty, despicable lowlife a lesson?"