Thankfully, he had ordered Bianca to be watched at all times. When his man noticed she was in a remote location, he became suspicious and alerted Dave. That’s why he arrived at the karaoke bar in time.
Bianca’s expression darkened. “I was supposed to meet Darien Crawford, a producer at Golden Gate Films, here. He said the film crew would be here, but it was a trap. I don’t know who those thugs were.”
“Darien Crawford… Golden Gate Films…” Dave repeated, his voice cold. Then he gently put his arm around Bianca’s shoulders. “Let’s go home and rest. We’ll deal with this tomorrow.”
Bianca stayed quiet. Dave was just an ordinary employee who knew little about the entertainment world, while Darien was an experienced producer. Plus, Darien likely had powerful connections. What could Dave really do to handle this situation?
He was probably just trying to comfort her.
“Okay. Let’s head home.”
Dave took Bianca’s hand and was about to guide her away when she suddenly groaned. Concerned he might have hurt her, Dave quickly turned to look at her, only to find her barefoot.
“I ran and lost my shoes…” Bianca started, feeling embarrassed as she hid her scratched feet.
But before she could finish, Dave scooped her up in his arms.
“Mr. Evans?” Bianca exclaimed in surprise.
Dave’s stern expression softened in the moonlight. “Your feet are injured.”
Bianca bit her lip and instinctively leaned into his arms. His comforting scent filled her senses, making her feel unsettled.
Feeling embarrassed, she whispered, “Please, put me down. It’s fine, really. I can walk on my own!”
“If you don’t want to be late for work tomorrow, I’ll happily carry you until we get home,” Dave replied firmly.
At that, Bianca fell silent and stopped protesting.
Dave carried her to the roadside and hailed a taxi. When they arrived in their neighborhood, he carried her all the way to their apartment.
He gently laid her down on the sofa, making sure her feet didn’t touch the ground. But the scratches on the soles of her feet still hurt, making her wince.
Seeing Bianca’s injuries, Dave felt sympathy for her. Despite still wearing his black jacket, her torn dress collar revealed a large area of bare skin.
Without hesitation, Dave retrieved iodine from the first aid kit in the cabinet. He sat beside Bianca, gently placing her feet on his thighs.
Examining her scratches closely, he noticed a mixture of blood and dust.
“Mr. Evans, you don’t need to bother with this. I can handle it myself,” Bianca insisted.
Bianca felt a bit embarrassed by their close position and tried to pull her feet back, but Dave held them firmly.
Her feet looked small and delicate in his large hands, and her pink toenails seemed adorable to him.
Dave began by cleaning her wounds with wet tissue, then gently applied iodine with a cotton swab.
He handled her injuries with great care.
Just as Dave treated a particular scratch, he accidentally tickled Bianca, causing her to reflexively jerk her foot.
She blushed and apologized softly, “Oh, sorry.”
Once he finished treating her wounds, he released her feet.
Locking eyes with her, he spoke firmly, “If you ever need to go to places like that again, just ask me to accompany you. It’s safer to have someone with you.”
Avoiding eye contact, Bianca didn’t respond and instead busied herself by slipping on her fuzzy house slippers.
She and Dave were just roommates. She couldn’t keep bothering him like this.
Dave seemed to understand her thoughts as he continued, “Even if we’re just friends, we should still take care of each other, right?”
Bianca felt a pang in her heart when Dave referred to them as “friends.”
So, it seemed his claim of them being engaged was just a joke, after all.
She shook her head, trying to push away those thoughts, wondering why she suddenly felt so sentimental. Their engagement had been nothing but a facade. Now, they were simply friends and roommates.
Swallowing her sadness, Bianca forced a smile. “Sure, I’ll remember that.”
Perhaps due to the exhaustion from the previous night, Bianca fell asleep early.
The next morning, on the top floor of Vitoria Club.
Dave sat by the floor-to-ceiling French windows in a spacious presidential suite, holding a glass of red wine. His handsome face was reflected in the glass, portraying a fierce, icy gaze.
Suddenly, the door burst open, and several people entered. A man was thrown at Dave’s feet, and it was none other than the ringleader from the previous night. However, now he looked far from arrogant and fierce, having been thoroughly beaten by Dave’s men.
Dave looked down and locked eyes with the kneeling man.
“Tell me, who ordered you to do that?”
The man, his eyes swollen from the beating, looked up at Dave. Recognizing him as the one who had protected Bianca, he felt flustered.
Despite being tortured and battered, he gritted his teeth and hissed, “No one ordered me to do it. I acted on my own.”
Dave sneered, and the room seemed to grow colder.
“Beat him to death and toss his body into the sea for the sharks!”
Dave’s men immediately acted. In an instant, they began violently kicking the stubborn man.
The ringleader hadn’t anticipated Dave’s ruthlessness. With each blow, he grew more terrified for his life.
“W-wait! Stop!”
But the bodyguards ignored his pleas and continued kicking him.
Realizing he could be beaten to death if it continued, the man cried out and begged for mercy.
“Stop! Please! I’ll tell you everything!”
Dave chuckled and raised his hand, signaling the bodyguards to cease their assault.
Looking up at the powerful man who held his fate, the man confessed without hesitation. “The ones who hired me… It was Darien Crawford and the vice president of Golden Gate Films, Joshua Reed.”
“Joshua Reed?” Dave repeated with a deep frown.
Joshua was the third son of the Reed family, one of the city’s four biggest clans. He was notorious for being a playboy, rumored to have entered the film and television industry only to pursue attractive women. Many female stars in the entertainment circle had been romantically linked with him.
But what did he have to do with Bianca? Why would he be targeting her?
Dave’s expression darkened.
“Break his arms and then hand him over to the police.”
“No! Please! I’m sorry, okay? I’m so sorry! Please let me go. I won’t do it again!” The man grabbed Dave’s trouser leg, crying and begging for mercy.
A gang leader like him had committed numerous crimes. If caught by the police, he’d face life imprisonment or, worse, death!