CHAPTER 98: ZARA IN ANOTHER DANGER

Zara burst into the restroom, pulse racing, breathing rapidly. She stumbled toward the sink, her body shaking. She twisted the tap urgently and splashed the cold water onto her face over and over until she was breathless.

With a gasp, she finally raised her gaze to the mirror. Her eyes were red and glassy from tears, lips slightly parted as she struggled to breathe through the whirlwind of emotions.

The idea that her reward wasn’t earned through her own talent but handed to her because of someone else’s influence weighed on her chest, filling her with a mix of shame and humiliation.

Her fingers gripped the counter.

"Why, Nathaniel? Why did you make a decision for me? Don’t you trust me and my talent?"

She wasn’t a damsel in distress. She never had been. Ever since she was a child, she had fought her battles alone, chased her dreams, and carved out her own success. She hadn’t relied on her father’s support when she built her small company from the ground up.

Everything she had accomplished came from her own determination and talent. She was confident she could do it again. She didn’t need his favor.

She inhaled deeply and straightened up.

"I’m not accepting this." She wiped her face and steadied herself. "I’ll talk to Nicole."

Tomorrow, she would go to the Grand Hotel and speak with Nicole directly. She would make sure her worth was recognized on her own terms.

As Zara stepped out of the restroom, two unfamiliar men approached her. Her pace slowed abruptly. The way their eyes shamelessly roamed over her made her stomach twist.

A flicker of alarm sparked in her chest.

She instinctively lowered her gaze and tried to move past them, but they sidestepped into her path, grinning with unsettling amusement.

"Why the rush?" one of them said with mockery. "Stay and chat with us a bit."

Zara’s heart thudded as she took a cautious step back. The sharp stench of alcohol hit her. They were drunk, their intentions far from harmless. Her eyes darted between them.

"Move," she said firmly, masking her fear. "My husband is waiting."

That only seemed to amuse them more. "Let him wait," the other man said with a twisted grin. "Spend the night with us. We’ll show you a better time, give you pleasure that he has never given you before. You won’t even remember his name."

He reached out, trying to grab her hand.

Zara flinched and jerked her arm away, quickly stepping back. "Back off," she warned. "Or I’ll scream."

They exchanged a look, then chuckled darkly. "Go ahead," the other one taunted. "Let’s see if anyone comes."

Panic tightened in her chest. She looked around. This floor was quiet, far from the bustling banquet hall. No rooms nearby. No one to hear her, even if she screamed with all her strength.

She realized she had to do something on her own to get away from them. Fortunately, she had Nathaniel saved as her emergency contact. She tapped the number and made the call.

In the past, she had called him when she was in an accident, and he hadn’t shown up. But that was another time. Things were different now. Nathaniel’s attitude toward her had changed. He had rescued her from kidnappers.

He would come. He had to.

"Don’t come any closer," Zara warned, despite the fear tightening in her chest. She stepped back, her hand gripping the phone tightly, hoping Nathaniel would answer the call. "You’ll regret it if you try anything."

The two men exchanged mocking glances before breaking into cruel laughter. They stepped forward. "Sweetheart, no one is going to save you. Everyone is too busy enjoying the party. Scream all you want. We’d rather you save that voice for later."

Both lunged at her.

Zara spun around, trying to dart back into the restroom, but one of them grabbed her arm and yanked her backward, hard. Her phone slipped from her fingers and clattered onto the floor.

"Let go of me," she screamed, panic surging through her.

The man slammed her against the wall, his hand locking around her throat. "You offended someone you shouldn’t," he snarled. "Now you are going to pay." He leaned in, trying to kiss her as the second man pulled out his phone and started recording.

Zara twisted her face away, repulsed, and shoved at him with all her strength. The revulsion turned her stomach. But he was too strong, defusing her struggles. He gripped her wrists and pinned them above her head.

"Help," she cried out, struggling wildly.

"Shut up," the man growled and clamped a hand over her mouth, muffling her desperate cries. "You fighting back is just turning me on more." His head dipped, and he pressed his lips against the side of her neck.

Zara’s entire body recoiled. "Nathaniel..." she whimpered against his palm, hoping he would reach her in time.

Nathaniel stepped into the green room, his gaze quickly scanning the space. But Zara wasn’t there. In the corner, Bree was folding and collecting the dresses.

"Bree," he called out, walking toward her. "Have you seen Zara?"

Bree looked up, surprised by his sudden presence. "She went to look for you. Didn’t you meet her?"

"I did," he replied. "But then I stopped to talk to a friend. I thought she came back here."

"She hasn’t. Maybe she is still in the hall?"

Nathaniel nodded distractedly and turned to leave, but his phone buzzed in his pocket. He fished it out and glanced down to see Zara’s name flashing across the screen.

A small smile played on his lips. ’She is looking for me too.’

He answered the call. "Hello?"

"Leave me alone," her voice shrieked through the line.

Nathaniel froze, the smile vanishing instantly. His entire body tensed as he sensed something had gone wrong with her.

"Zara?" He bolted out of the green room.

"Hey..." Bree blinked, confused. "What’s going on?"

"Help..." her broken voice came again, slicing through his heart.

Nathaniel’s scalp prickled as dread surged through him. He pressed the phone tightly to his ear and frantically scanned the crowd in the banquet hall, but Zara was nowhere in sight.

People around him laughed and chatted, busy with their own affairs.

"Where are you?" he called desperately. "Talk to me."

He shoved through the doors and dashed out of the hall, his instincts screaming at him to find her immediately.