Ben leisurely swirled his drink, his expression calm, though a cold glint flickered in his eyes. “Mr. Lowe, why are you leaving so soon? Let me invest in you; it’s just a word.”
“Without this funding, your hard-earned career will be over.”
Worry creased my brow as I looked at Jonathon. I knew how much effort he had put into his success.
Jonathon clenched his fists. “You really think you’re being kind?”
Ben laughed lightly. “Your girlfriend is beautiful. How about giving her to me? I can also help you find a new location for your branch.”
The atmosphere turned silent in an instant. In the midst of chaos, Jonathon punched Ben in the face. “You garbage! How dare you even think of her!”
Ben’s eyes gleamed with undisguised malice as he retaliated, landing a blow on Jonathon’s face while everyone rushed to restrain him.
Jonathon was held back, and Ben’s fists were merciless; blood dripped from Jonathon’s mouth.
I rushed in front of Jonathon, and Ben’s fist barely stopped at my nose. I slapped Ben hard across the face, pouring all my strength into it.
“Ben, how dare you hit him!”
Ben tilted his head. “Sherlyn, you’re defending him?”
I glared at Ben with hatred. “I wish I could kill you.”
Ben covered his face, expressionless. He had someone trap me, then kicked Jonathon’s leg.
Jonathon collapsed to the ground, and Ben savagely picked up a bottle and smashed it over Jonathon’s head, then placed his foot on Jonathon’s hand, crushing it brutally.
“Come on, help me entertain the guests.”
Jonathon screamed in agony, while others eagerly called for a box of alcohol, pouring bottle after bottle over Jonathon’s bleeding forehead.
Jonathon writhed on the ground, and I felt my vision turn red.
“Ben! You’re a madman, a pervert, a lunatic! I’d rather die than look at you again!”
“If you dare hurt Jonathon, I will haunt you as a ghost!”
Ben’s expression remained calm. He kicked Jonathon in the face.
“Mr. Lowe, everything you have is thanks to your girlfriend.”
“If you regret it one day, my offer still stands.”
Ben continued using every trick he had to drive everyone away from me.
I kicked at him wildly. “Ben, even if Jonathon doesn’t want me, I will never blame him! I love him, and you will always be a pathetic worm who can’t find love!”
Ben’s expression was inscrutable, but in the end, he laughed.
“Sherlyn, you’re wrong. As long as I have you, I am no pathetic worm.”
Ben walked away with his entourage.
He was like a cat that caught a mouse, not killing it outright but playing with it slowly.
Jonathon lay on the ground, shivering, and I hurried to help him up.
He was badly hurt and trembling, yet he still managed to force a smile when he saw me. “I’m fine. Why are you crying like a little kitten?”
Tears streamed down my face, landing on Jonathon’s. “Jonathon, let’s break up.”
“I’ll move away, far away from you.”
Jonathon suddenly gripped my hand tightly. “Sherlyn! Don’t say that! If you leave, I’ll jump off a building! I’ll eat rat poison! Without you, nothing matters!”
My tears fell harder. “You’re so foolish, you silly pig! Who told you to like me so much?”
Jonathon held on to me, unwilling to let go. “Yes, I am. I’m not afraid of Ben; you don’t need to be scared either, okay?”
Jonathon was terrified I would disappear. Even at the hospital, he wouldn’t let go of my hand, setting alarms to check if I was still there, even at midnight.
I felt a pang in my heart, a mix of sadness and absurdity. I didn’t know what to do; I could only silently oppose Ben alongside him.
Until that day when I received the call from the hospital that Jonathon had been in an accident.
All the blood in my body seemed to freeze as I rushed to the hospital in a frenzy.
In a stroke of bad luck, Jonathon had only broken a leg.
I carefully examined Jonathon’s body. “How did you get into a car accident? Did you see who caused it?”
But Jonathon was vague, and seeing his reaction felt like someone had tightened a noose around my throat.