apter 24

bChapter /bb24 /b

A loud crash rang out as Charlotte swung the heavy ss ashtray, striking the man squarely on the head. He staggered back, clutching the wound, cursing through gritted teeth. “You crazy bitch! You dare hit me?!”

Without waiting for the others in the private lounge to react, Charlotte darted for the door.

She didn’t even nce at her phone, which had tumbled to the carpet in

the chaos.

Racing down the corridor, she could hear the thunder of footsteps behind her–her pursuers weren’t giving up, and she knew she couldn’t let them catch her. She forced herself onward, never daring to slow.

Suddenly, her breath caught; a wave of dizziness crashed over her, making her vision blur and her knees buckle.

Her body wouldn’t obey–she copsed to the floor, but somehow managed to cry out, “Help–somebody, please!”

She caught sight of several staff members in the club, but none of them dared to intervene. A flicker of despair shed through her eyes.

Then a rough hand yanked her up by the hair, another mping hard over

her mouth.

“Run, huh? Let’s see you run now!” the man snarled, trying to drag her back. Charlotte twisted and lunged, sinking her teeth into the hand over her mouth. The man bellowed in pain, his face twisting with rage as he

raised his hand to strike her.

“Enough!”

Amanding voice cut through the chaos, freezing the man in ce.

The moment Charlotte saw Jonathan, relief washed through her.

The man in the blue shirt regained his wits and jabbed a finger toward

2019

Chapter b24 /b

Jonathan. “Who the hell are you? This isn’t your business-b” /b

Before he could finish, Jonathan stepped forward and kicked him hard, sending him sprawling.

The rest of the group tensed, ready to jump in, but Jonathan’s

bodyguards–tall, imposing men in dark suits–appeared at his back, muscling the would–be attackers away.

Seeing the reinforcements, the blue–shirted man’s bravado evaporated.

Jonathan shrugged off his coat and draped it gently over Charlotte’s trembling shoulders.

She clutched the coat tightly, her entire body shaking. Her delicate face was swollen, a cut at the corner of her mouth still oozing blood.

Jonathan knelt beside her, steadying her with a hand. “Can you stand?”

Charlotte nodded numbly and, with effort, managed to get to her feet.

“Mr. Pembroke, what should we do with these men?” one of the bodyguards asked.

At the mention of his name, the blue–shirted thug visibly nched.

Mr. Pembroke-

He’s with the Pembrokes!

The Pembrokes weren’t as towering as the old–money dynasties of the city–the Howards, Carstairs, Rayburns, or Suthends–but they were still among the elite, not people to cross lightly.

“Mr. Pembroke, I didn’t know she was with you–l… I was just following orders! I swear, I’ll apologize!” The blue–shirted man started pping himself in the face in a show of desperation.

“Send them to the police,” Jonathan ordered.

“Wait…” Charlotte stopped them, fixing the blue–shirted man with a cold

20:20

stare. “Who gave you your orders? Was it Tricia?”

The man’s shoulders trembled; he averted his gaze, voice quivering. “I… I can’t say. She’s got powerful friends–way out of my league. I’d rather go to jail than cross her.”

Charlotte took a deep breath. That was all the answer she needed.

Jonathan guided Charlotte away from the lounge.

At the hospital, Charlotte stepped out of the ER after having the bruise on her lip treated.

Jonathan leaned against the wall, holding out her phone. “Yours,” he said.

She took it with both hands, managing a weak smile. “Thank you.”

Jonathan’s voice grew gentle but firm as he took in her battered appearance. “Charlotte, what were you doing in their lounge? Those men are bad news–they’ve been arrested more than once for harassing

women.”

Charlotte hesitated, her bitterugh sounding hollow. “Guess I didn’t see iting. I was set up.”

Jonathan stopped in front of her. “This is the second time you’ve almost fallen into a trap. If I hadn’t shown up, do you know what could have happened?”

She stilled, clenching her fists, her gaze unwavering. “A woman’s dignity isn’t defined by what happens to her body. Even if they had seeded, I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of seeing me broken.”

“I’d live. And then I’d make sure every single one of them paid for it.”

Jonathan stared at her for a long moment before sighing. “Professor Carstairs asked me to look out for you. If he found out you were hurt, he’d have my head.”

bChapter /bb24 /b

Charlotte blinked in surprise. “Professor Carstairsb…/b?”

“He thinks the world of you, treats you like his own granddaughter. You know that. So tell me–why didn’t you go to him for help?”

With the Carstairs family’s influence, those men wouldn’t have stood a

chance.

Charlotte shook her head. “I just don’t want to trouble him.”

Jonathan studied her, uncertain.

Was it really that she didn’t want to bother the old man, or… did she not know who Elder Carstairs really was?

He let it go. “Come on. I’ll take you home.”

“Thank you,” Charlotte murmured. She was in no condition to drive.

They left the hospital together. As they stepped outside, a familiar ck sedan pulled up to the main entrance.