Chapter 2

Relief flooded through me—I thought I'd been saved.

But Chris let out a cold laugh and opened the door without hesitation.

"This guy was trying to seduce Ms. Milstein," he said calmly. "I'm teaching him a lesson."

The secretaries at the door looked at me with open disdain.

"Ms. Milstein is just too outstanding. That's why trash like this keeps lining up to seduce her. But don't worry, Chris—you've been by her side for five years. You're the only one in her heart."

Chris snorted. "Naturally."

Then he shot me a hostile glance as I lay sprawled on the floor and sneered, "Some people just don't know when they're humiliating themselves."

My hands trembled as I pulled out my phone, trying to call my wife.

Suddenly, Chris's gaze sharpened, locking onto the device.

The next second, he snatched it away.

A strange gleam flashed in his eyes as he stared at the back of my phone. "You've got some nerve—using a matching couple's phone case with Ms. Milstein."

He hurled it to the ground. It shattered into pieces.

"Cheapo!"

Like a furious beast, Chris grabbed my short hair with one hand and pummeled me with the other.

"I was going to let you off," he growled, "but I've changed my mind. Trash like you won't learn without a proper lesson."

He tossed me aside like a rag, then turned to the secretaries.

"This guy tried to seduce Ms. Milstein. How about we strip him naked?"

The other secretaries immediately responded, eager to join in.

I scrambled forward on my hands and knees, desperately crawling toward the door.

A sharp pain shot through my palm—Chris had stepped on my left hand. Agony exploded through my fingers, and I screamed.

The others rushed forward and pinned me down.

Crouching beside me, Chris studied my face with a cruel and amused expression.

"Not a bad face. Don't worry—I won't ruin it just yet. Once you're stripped, I'll take pictures and post them online. If I mess up your face now, people won't recognize you later. That wouldn't be as fun."

My entire body trembled. Taking advantage of the chaos, I quietly slipped the medicine out of my pocket and pushed it into a corner.

I didn't know where Chris produced a pair of scissors from, but he began cutting up my pants from the hem.

I struggled violently, but the others held me down, unmoving.

Time stretched on, long and suffocating, steeped in despair.

Before long, my pants were reduced to shreds, exposing my long legs.

"Filthy thing. No wonder you had the guts to seduce Ms. Milstein—you've got the legs for it."

At some point, a crowd had gathered at the doorway.

Most watched coldly, as if enjoying a show, but one or two people stepped forward, trying to stop Chris.

"Chris, that's enough. If something really happens, it won't be easy to explain to Ms. Milstein."

But Chris didn't care. He jabbed a finger against my forehead. "He's just a food delivery guy trying to seduce Ms. Milstein. As her secretary, isn't it my duty to deal with this kind of trouble for her?"

The man hesitated, still wanting to speak, but Chris's expression turned sharp.

"Are you sure you want to take the side of a homewrecker and go against me—the person Ms. Milstein trusts most?"

At that, the man faltered and fell silent.

"Chris, what's this?"

Suddenly, a sharp-eyed secretary pointed at the medicine I had hidden in the corner.

Chris's gaze snapped toward it. In two quick strides, he reached it and stared as if trying to bore a hole through it.

"Heh…"

He let out a laugh, though his eyes were vicious, as if he might tear me apart at any moment.

"I guarded against every scheming guy in the company, but I didn't expect I'd have to guard against a food delivery guy like you. You even dared to drug Ms. Milstein. You've got guts."

He grabbed my hair again—but this time, instead of slapping me, he slammed my head into the wall.

"Go to hell! Any man who tries to steal Ms. Milstein from me deserves to die!"

When he finally tired, he threw me back onto the ground.

I hadn't even had a chance to catch my breath when a violent pain erupted in my head.

My body curled instinctively. A sharp ringing filled my ears. My vision blurred. Warm blood ran down my cheeks, slid past my chin, and dripped onto the floor.

At the very last moment before I lost consciousness, I shouted, "I'm Ella's husband!"