Lahat ng Kabanata ng Goodbye, Saintess.: Kabanata 71 - Kabanata 80

Ezra stared at Claire, waiting for her to denounce me by letting go.It never happened. Her refusal to act was the sharpest insult he could receive. His rage reached a boiling point, and he ordered his men to attack.The guards lunged."Claire!" I shouted, shielding her with my body.The guards attacked as a pack. I was so swarmed I struggled to mount any defense."Stop this right now!" A loud, authoritative voice rang out from the entrance.The guards immediately halted and turned. They clearly recognized the speaker. "Mr. Wynn!"Could this man be the owner of the karaoke bar? Ezra's so-called brother-in-law?I turned to the man at the door and found him oddly familiar."What are you people doing? People come here to sing and have fun, yet you're ganging up on one of our patrons? How do you justify that?" Howard Wynn demanded.He cast a sharp, displeased look at Ezra and his drunken face. "Explain yourself.""H-Howard! This guy started it! He was trying to stir up trouble b

Howard struck with full force. "This is for being a depraved thug who harasses women! And this is done in the name of your sister, whose life was saved by the man you're trying to terrorize!"Ezra's lips bled. He could not have missed the fact that his brother-in-law had chosen to stand with an outsider instead of backing him."You are unbelievable!" Ezra roared. "I'm telling Miley! You can kiss your marriage goodbye!"Howard laughed scornfully and slapped Ezra again. "Excuse me? You really think that's going to happen?"Then he tossed his phone to him. "Call her, I dare you. Tell her the guy you've been harassing is Sebastian Grimwald, the firefighter from two years ago. I'm going to enjoy watching your sister beat you into such a pulp that you won't even recognize yourself in the mirror."Ezra did not believe him. He made the call while shooting daggers at me. "My sister will stand with me! I know she will! Every goddamn firefighter's job is to save people from fire! That's what

"Honestly, who among you could even come close to being this high up on the social ladder like I am?"The crowd's mood changed. Everyone knew they ranked below him in status and prestige, but he was far from important enough to affect their daily lives. So why bring it up, if not to embarrass them?"For God's sake, can you give it a rest already? I'm so sick of you bragging!""The only thing you've got going is landing a high-paying job and your sister marrying a rich guy! Honestly, I only came because Cici's here!""What did you expect? The guy thought his list of achievements would impress Cici, but she's with someone better in every way!"At the start of the evening, Ezra had at least looked like a promising gentleman on his way to the upper class. After his tantrums and chaos, though, his old friends no longer held back. Their insults cut straight to the bone.Ezra's expression darkened. He seethed. "You think I can't pull some strings and get back at you for this? Think agai

"We'll remember your great deeds for the rest of our lives, Mr. Grimwald! Our son is going to grow up to be a brave, noble firefighter just like you!""Your gratitude means the world to me," I said as I shook their hands.I hadn't noticed the admiration glowing in Claire's eyes. Even her friends were looking at me like I was a hero. To most people, risking your life to save someone else was a far greater achievement than anything you could store in a bank account.Ezra's whining still carried faintly in the background. "Please… stop… Does anyone… hear me…"The security guards seemed to agree that their job was done. They stepped aside, revealing Ezra on the floor—nearly motionless except for his shallow, wheezing breaths.His former classmates snickered and shook their heads. How could someone like him ever compare to a guy like Sebastian?The irony wasn't lost on anyone. Ezra had spent the whole evening boasting about his accomplishments, only to end the night completely humilia

Sebastian was, without question, perfect. He was handsome, had a great body, was reliable and heroic, and had connections in the most unexpected but useful places.He didn't seem to have a single flaw. Only a fool would let a man like that slip through her fingers.I stared at her, taken aback, and said, "Er, we're just housemates. You know. We split the rent.""Oh. Okay." A flicker of disappointment crossed Claire's face. She looked down and went quiet.I wondered if I'd been too blunt. Maybe it came off harsher than I intended. Either way, it was time to change the subject."Ahem. Want to play some music?" I asked. "Don't forget your seatbelt."The music helped clear the awkwardness. I started to relax, but Claire kept her head down, looking miserable. Even the way she reached for her seatbelt seemed half-hearted."Hey, let me help. You're probably too drunk to get it right," I offered.I leaned over to adjust the belt for her.She suddenly kissed me on the cheek, then turne