Chapter 145 He won’t tell you because…
Nora’s POV
I realized that I no longer wanted Hank to give me space. The more he ignored me, the more I found myself missing him. Even though my time at his house was brief, his words lingered in my mind.
At times, I questioned if I made the right decision, but my instincts urged me to reconsider and give him a chance.
After ensuring Molly was safe with Gio and expecting a child, I wanted to approach Hank but felt hesitant, fearing that I had lost my opportunity by constantly pushing him away.
As I watched the calming waves, a sudden touch on my backside startled me. "Hey, beautiful," a voice interrupted my thoughts. Reacting swiftly, I turned around and delivered a firm slap to the man's face.
"What the hell," he exclaimed, clearly taken aback. It was Cage, or whoever he was.
Sarcastically, I inquired about his companion. "Where's your girl?" He smirked. "I sent her away because I wanted to talk to you. I can tell you're interested in me by the way you look at me."
Disgusted, I retorted, "Interested in you? You must be delusional because I have no interest in you whatsoever."
“Come on, I know you want me," he attempted to wrap his arm around my waist, but I swiftly stepped back. "Stay away from me," I warned firmly.
He ignored my warning, but fortunately, Don and Hank arrived, bringing me relief.
What caught me off guard was how the man turned the situation against me, but I was grateful to have Hank on my side. It piqued my curiosity that Hank knew both Carter and Cage, and Cage appeared to be afraid of him.
During dinner, I wanted to sit next to Hank, but hesitated due to the cold treatment he had given me on the flight. I ended up sitting away from him, only to realize my mistake later.
Cage sat beside me, and my heart sank as I watched a girl flirt with Hank and him not showing any disapproval.
It reminded me of what Molly had mentioned about another woman trying to steal him.
Hank's behavior sometimes made me apprehensive, especially when he avoided discussing his connection with Carter and walked away without giving me any further attention.
Suddenly, I felt a leg near mine, prompting me to shift uncomfortably and scan for empty seats, but there were none available.
The chef had arranged the seating based on the number of guests currently present, leaving me to navigate the awkward situation.
"Cage’s hand caressed my thigh, and I couldn't tolerate it any longer. As I lowered my fork, he had already withdrawn his hand but pressed his calf against mine. I gritted my teeth and stabbed him in the calf.
To my surprise, he screamed like a woman and hurled insults at me, but I feigned ignorance of his accusations. Octavia, looking furious, asked,
"What happened? Why did you stab him?" as the emergency team tended to Cage's injury. I smiled at her.
"I felt something crawling on my leg, so I thought it was a snake and stabbed it. I didn't expect it to be your man," I explained.
Don, Hank, and most of the men at the table burst into laughter at my words, but Octavia was not amused, especially when Cage denied my explanation.
"It's a lie, babe. She was the one seducing me the whole time, and when I rejected her, she stabbed me," Cage claimed, his pitiful expression making me want to gag. Octavia believed him.
"You've been eyeing my man for so long, and I'm tired of it."
"Excuse me?" I moved away from the chair, and Octavia moved closer, hand raised to slap me. Before her hand could reach my cheek, Hank intercepted and caught it midair.
"Octavia, how can you believe this nonsense?" Hank questioned.
"Babe, I love you, and they're all just jealous. I don't want to be here anymore. Let's go," Cage interjected as the medical team finished dressing his injury.
Clearly, he wanted to escape from the problem he caused but Octavia loved him too much to the point of stupidity where she only believes every nonsense he says.
"You know no one here is jealous of you. You're just afraid of being exposed," Hank retorted, but Octavia remained unconvinced.
“Hank, that's enough. Cage used to be in a gang when we met, but he's a changed man. This isn't the first time I've seen women like this trying to seduce him." She glared disdainfully at me, I couldn’t keep calm.
"Don't you dare call me names," I retorted, no longer concerned that she was Roger's biological mother or if Don would be upset.
Suddenly, Don spoke up, hoping she would listen, but she didn't.
"Octavia, I can tell you for a fact that all he's interested in is your money," Don said but Octavia was in tears.
"Vanni, I loved you for the best part of my life, and yet you never wanted me. Now that I've found a man who loves me, you're trying to ruin it for me."
Don looked defeated. "My wish all along has been for you to find love, but not with this scam."
"But with your best friend?" Octavia asked directly, and I caught a hint. So, Don wanted her with Hank?
"Enough, Octavia," Hank's voice cut through. "That day at the old mansion, I saw a different side of you and thought we could have something. But you didn't want that, and trust me, I've gotten over you," Hank said seriously, and I pursed my lips.
So, Octavia was the one he wanted. No wonder he was upset when I kissed him. But what made him change his mind?
"It's your loss that you rejected Hank because he's my dream man," the girl who had been flirting with him earlier said. Her father was smiling, but Hank had a way of bursting women's bubbles.
“I'm sorry, Natasha. You are young, beautiful, and smart, but you are too young for me," he said. Natasha paled instantly and ran outside, followed by her father. He turned to Octavia and said,
"If he dares touch Nora again, I will cut him into pieces, limb by limb."
His words brought tears to my eyes, as I didn’t expect him to still be protective of me and Don added, "Tomorrow is my wedding day, and I don't want this drama. My wife is pregnant, and all I want is to make her happy. I think Cage should leave, and I don't care if you want to go with him."
Pain filled Octavia's eyes. "Vanni, are you sending me away when she was the one who tried to seduce my man?"
"I don't care about that asshole, you fool," I interrupted, my gaze landing on Hank as I said things I should not have said. “Hank is the only man I ever loved at first sight, and he's still the only one I care about," I blurted out.
Damn my stupid mouth but the look in his eyes made it all worth it. His gaze softened and so did his words towards me.
"If you love me, then why do you keep hurting me?" he asked, and I was honest with him.
"Because I thought you were a normal guy until I woke up in your house. Hank, I don't believe you made your money through your security company or karate school,” I hinted, a perplexed look crossed his face, but then Cage made a gut-wrenching revelation.
"He won't tell you what he does because he's a hitman."