Chapter 4

Things hadn't been going well for Holly since her breakup with Vincent.

Charlie Garland, the boutique's sleazy manager, had been making unwanted advances toward her since her first day on the job. He'd only backed off after Vincent made their relationship public.

But now that Vincent had moved on to a younger college student, Charlie knew Holly no longer had anyone protecting her. He went right back to harassing her.

He criticized everything she did and stuck her with all the dirty, exhausting work. He also made it clear that the only way he'd leave her alone was if she slept with him.

Holly figured she could put up with it a little longer.

The Vesper Gala was only about ten days away, and she had a feeling she'd be able to finish her assignment there. After that, she could finally leave the boutique for good.

But Charlie's harassment only got worse. He even forced her to accompany him to a work event.

After he'd made her drink several glasses of alcohol, Holly began to feel that something was wrong. She excused herself to use the restroom and slipped into the hallway.

Then she heard a familiar voice coming from the private room next door.

"I'll drink this one for Tiffany. Come on, give her a break."

It was Vincent. He'd apparently already introduced Tiffany to his friends.

Tiffany excused herself to wash her face. As soon as she was gone, Vincent's friends started teasing him.

"Mr. Murdoch, Tiffany's pretty hot. Bet she looks even better naked. How does she compare to Ms. Rosen?"

Another of his playboy friends laughed. "Holly, hands down. Have you seen her waist? Those curves?"

Vincent spat in disgust, his tone turning serious. "Watch your mouths. Tiffany's not that kind of woman. Say one more filthy thing about her, and you'll answer to me."

That shut them up. They all knew how much Tiffany meant to Vincent, and no one dared make another crude comment about her.

Outside the door, Holly felt her chest tighten until she could barely breathe.

Six months earlier, shortly after Holly had recovered from her miscarriage, Vincent had started dragging her to nightclubs and parties almost every night.

He'd even forced kisses on her and pulled at her clothes right in front of his friends.

Whether they were on a balcony, in a luxury car, or even at a park, he did whatever he wanted with her, without caring how it might damage her reputation.

Once, at a party in a villa outside the city, he'd pinned her against a floor-to-ceiling window while his friends played cards in the yard below. All they had to do was look up to see what was happening.

Vincent had never once stood up for her when his friends talked about her that way. He'd never told them she wasn't that kind of woman, either.

Maybe he'd always seen her as nothing more than a gold digger who worked at a boutique.

Maybe it was better this way. They never should've gotten involved in the first place. Going their separate ways was probably best for both of them.

Holly lowered her eyes and was about to leave when she heard Vincent say, "I'm going out for a smoke."

He opened the door, and they found themselves face-to-face. Neither said a word.

Just then, Charlie emerged from the private room next door, squinting at Holly, his greasy face scrunched up.

"We're not done drinking yet, Holly. Get back in here."

Vincent shot Charlie an icy look and instinctively grabbed Holly's hand, pulling her behind him.

Before he could say anything, a woman called out, "Vincent! How many times have I told you not to smoke?"

Tiffany hurried over, her expression darkening the moment she saw Vincent holding Holly's hand.

"Vincent, you lied to me again! Didn't you promise you'd cut ties with your ex?"

Tiffany clearly knew about Holly and Vincent's past now. Gone was the politeness she'd shown Holly at the boutique.

After snapping at Vincent, Tiffany shot Holly a glare and stormed toward the elevator without looking back.

Vincent immediately let go of Holly's hand and hurried after her. "Tiff!"

Holly could still hear him trying to explain. "What ex? She was just someone I used to fool around with. Don't get the wrong idea."

So that was all she'd been to him for the past two years. She was just someone to fool around with.

She'd thought he loved her, but to him, it had all been a game. No wonder he'd treated her like she meant nothing.

Holly smiled bitterly at her own foolishness, her eyes full of anguish.

With Vincent gone, Charlie no longer bothered to hide his intentions. He grabbed Holly around the waist and dragged her roughly toward the private room.

He sneered, "Looks like Mr. Murdoch really is done with you. Let's see who's going to save you now."