CHAPTER 65: HOW DARE YOU LOWLIFE?!!!

Before Victoria could respond or stop him because truthfully, she wasn’t sure what madness he was about to unleash...Leo was already striding toward Anna, who stood in the jewelry section, delicately examining a diamond necklace.

Just what the hell is he up to now? Victoria thought to herself as she hurried to follow him. But before she could get there...

Leo, now standing right in front of Anna, wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. With one swift motion, he leaned her backward slightly and pressed his lips against hers, holding the back of her head gently as if he were afraid she might pull away.

"Damn it! What a fool," Victoria muttered under her breath, closing her eyes and trying to shut the scene out of her mind. "Why... just... Isn’t he supposed to be a spirit guardian? Aren’t they supposed to be smart? So why is he this dumb?!"

"What the heck?!" Nicole was the first to voice out, her face frozen in a mixture of horror and disbelief. Her voice rang out, catching the attention of everyone in the mall. Shoppers turned their gazes toward the unexpected spectacle of Leo and Anna...lips still locked in what was clearly no mere memory-triggering kiss. No, Leo was into it. And from the look of it, so was Anna.

A thunderous voice boomed through the air, shattering the tension.

"How dare you, you lowlife!!!"

It was Darius.

Rage was on his face, and his voice was laced with pure fury as he had completely lost it. Without hesitation, he stormed toward them, yanking Leo and Anna apart before landing a brutal punch across Leo’s face that sent him crashing to the ground.

And just like that. Victoria knew it was over.

"How dare a filthy lowlife like you kiss my sister!" Darius roared, now towering over Leo as he continued to rain punches down. "Die, you disgusting bastard!"

"Darius, stop it! Please!" Anna cried out in panic, her voice cracking. Leo was already bleeding, but her plea seemed to fall on deaf ears. "Just stop it! It was only a kiss!"

"Please let go of him, Alpha Darius!" Victoria shouted as she ran up to them and threw herself over Leo in a protective crouch. "He doesn’t know what he’s doing! He’s not in his right mind....he’s crazy!"

Darius raised his arm for another brutal punch, but seeing Victoria shielding Leo made him hesitate. For a moment, it looked like he might stop.

Then Zephyr stepped in.

Without a word, he appeared behind Victoria, grabbed her by the arm, and forcefully dragged her away from Leo, giving Darius the opening he needed.

Darius wasted no time.

He lunged forward, his fists crashing down onto Leo’s face with renewed rage, each punch more violent than the last, as if trying to erase Leo’s existence with sheer brute force.

"Stop it! Please, stop it!!" Victoria screamed, thrashing against Zephyr’s iron grip. "I said he’s crazy!"

"I said that’s enough!!!" Anna’s voice cut through the chaos, sharp and filled with fury.

SLAP!

The sound echoed across the mall as Anna slapped Darius hard across the face.

He froze mid-punch, shocked by the sting.

"Are you only going to stop once you’ve killed him?!" she shouted, her voice trembling.

"Just what are you doing Anna? How could you be calm that someone like him kissed you? Besides what’s wrong? You don’t act this way. You’re one fierce lady I know, the one who doesn’t accept nonsense but you’re acting different now and it’s annoying." Auren chimed in with confusion etched on his face.

"You actually slapped Darius... for that low life?" Nicole said in disbelief, her eyes wide with shock. "Unbelievable."

Then she turned her glare onto Victoria, who was still being held tightly by Zephyr.

"This was your doing, wasn’t it?" Nicole accused, her voice laced with venom. "You told your bodyguard to do this, didn’t you? Of course you did. You set him up to kiss Anna just so her affection for you would grow even stronger!"

Her words dripped with malice.

"You really will stoop to anything just to cling to power, won’t you? To stay relevant? You’re nothing but an attention-seeking parasite."

"Victoria didn’t ask me to do anything," Leo managed to croak out through clenched teeth, spitting blood onto the marble floor as he coughed. "Fuck... isn’t this body supposed to be a bodyguard? Then why the hell is it so damn weak?" he muttered to himself, cradling his ribs with a grimace.

"You still have the mouth to talk, you filthy lowlife?" Nicole snapped, her voice rising in fury. "Seems like you really do have a death wish!"

Meanwhile, the surrounding mall-goers had pulled out their phones, excitedly filming the unfolding drama. Anything involving the Alphas or students from the Elite Academy was guaranteed to go viral.

"Take those videos down or you’ll be dealt with," Auren warned, his voice low and cold with authority. The threat was enough. The onlookers quickly lowered their phones and scattered, pretending to resume their shopping.

"Just let him go," Anna said softly, stepping forward and offering her hand to Leo, who was still groaning on the ground. Despite the blood on his lips and the pain evident in his eyes, he reached out and took her hand with a tired but warm smile.

Anna then turned to Darius, offering him her other hand to help him up. But instead of taking it, Darius shoved it aside and pushed himself off the floor on his own, pride refusing to accept help.

"Why did you lay your filthy hands on my sister?" Darius growled, eyes locked on Leo, who was now scratching his ear casually as if Darius’s words were no more than a fly buzzing near his head. "You clearly had a motive. And once I’ve applied the appropriate punishments, you’ll spill whatever scheme you’re hiding."

"I said he’s crazy!" Victoria shouted, exasperated, her chest rising and falling with every breath as Zephyr finally released her hence she ran up to them. "How many times do I have to repeat myself?! I’ll apologize to Anna for the kiss. I’ll even make him apologize! Just stop this madness!"

But Darius was far from done.

"Did you kiss her just to pass some slow-acting poison into her mouth?" he continued, his words like sharp daggers thrown at Leo. "Auren...summon the doctor to the mansion. I want a full inspection. I have to know what the Ashford family is planning."

The moment those words left Darius’s mouth, Anna’s expression faltered. Her shoulders slackened, and she instinctively touched her lips, then her neck. A cold shiver ran down her spine as unease settled deep in her chest. Even though Leo looked like Victoria’s bodyguard....despite the blood, despite the fierce exterior....her heart began to fill with fear. He seemed harmless... but could he be?

After all, many people in the park had reasons to hate her family.

"The Ashford family?!" Mirabel, who had been silently enjoying the commotion from the sidelines, finally stepped forward with panic rising in her tone. "You’re including the entire family now? Just because of a kiss?!"

"You’re taking this too far, Darius!" Victoria voiced out. "What does a kiss have to do with poison?! Do you really think someone would risk their life to poison Anna right in front of three Alphas?"

"You’re the one who said your bodyguard is crazy," Darius replied, smirking coldly. "We’ll see just how crazy he is. And once the healer confirms that my sister is okay, only then will I decide what punishment fits for kissing her."

"As for now... both you and your bodyguard will be locked in the dungeon beneath my mansion. And while you’re down there, the healer will examine Anna thoroughly. If there’s even the slightest thing wrong with her..."

He didn’t finish his sentence.

The implication hung in the air...

"Dungeon? Why the dungeon, Darius?" Anna asked, her voice wavering with disbelief as she grabbed his arm. "I know you’re trying to protect me, but locking them up? They’re not criminals!"

"If we’re going, then we might as well get it over with," Leo said suddenly, his voice low and tired. One hand was pressed against his side while he let out a heavy sigh, like someone resigned to a fate already decided.

Victoria scoffed under her breath. But the calmness in Leo’s tone, the strange flicker in his eyes.....it was unnerving. It was obvious he had a plan... one he hadn’t bothered to share with her.

Her gaze slowly drifted from Leo to the Alphas...Darius, Zephyr, Auren and then to the girls: Anna, Nicole, and Mirabel. Something about the way they were watching her... something cold settled in her stomach.

Darius is just trying to protect his sister, she reminded herself. But Zephyr... Auren... even Nicole... They look far too pleased with how this is turning out. They’re enjoying this. They’ve been waiting for a moment like this. A reason to strike back.

They believe this is their chance to get revenge on me... for how I’ve treated them. And maybe... one of them is thinking even darker thoughts. Maybe they’ll try to make sure Leo and I never return from that dungeon. They could actually poison Anna themselves just to frame the Ashford family? The ones who could do that is either Nicole or Mirabel.

Her fists clenched at her sides, frustration simmering under her skin.

But then, just what the hell is Leo up to? What’s going on in that reckless head of his?!