Chapter 102 How Dare You Touch Her?
Emma suddenly smiled, slowly straightening up.
"True, we can't convict you legally, but..."
"We can damn well deal with you right now!" Evelyn snarled, cracking her knuckles with menacing pops.
Before the words had fully left her mouth, Evelyn lunged forward!
She grabbed a fistful of Zoe's perfectly styled hair and delivered two sharp slaps—crack, crack—that echoed through the apartment with satisfying resonance.
The blows left Zoe seeing stars, and she shrieked in outrage.
"How dare you hit me!"
All pretense of being a refined socialite vanished as she threw herself at Evelyn with claws extended, and the three women instantly became a tangle of fury.
The living room erupted into chaos—designer handbags scattered across the floor, a stiletto heel went flying, creating quite the spectacle.
In the melee, Zoe's manicured nails raked viciously across Emma's forehead, leaving a deep scratch that immediately welled with blood.
It looked serious.
"Emma!"
The sight of blood sent Evelyn into a complete rage, her eyes blazing red.
She went absolutely feral, pinning Zoe to the couch and straddling her, raining down slaps like hailstones.
"You shameless bitch! How dare you get smart with me?"
"Ah! Help! You're all psychotic! Someone help me!" Zoe screamed, regretting not bringing bodyguards.
She hadn't expected this woman to be such a fierce fighter!
Fortunately, Emma pulled Evelyn back in time. "Evelyn, stop."
Any more and Zoe might actually pass out.
Evelyn panted heavily, her chest heaving, but allowed Emma to restrain her.
She shook out her stinging hands and grabbed her phone from the coffee table, quickly dialing a number.
"Matthew! Emma's been hurt! That bitch Zoe practically disfigured her! Get over here now! We're at the apartment!"
After hanging up, she swiped to another contact.
"Nicholas! Your shameless mistress just attacked Emma! Her face is bleeding—get your ass over here and pay the medical bills!"
Zoe slumped disheveled on the couch, blood at the corner of her mouth, completely stunned by Evelyn's tactical maneuver.
...
Harrison Group's executive floor.
Charlie hung up the phone, sweat beading on his temples as he hurried into the CEO's office.
"Mr. Harrison, there's been an altercation between Mrs. Harrison and Miss Perez at the apartment. They got into a fight. Should you perhaps go check on the situation?"
Nicholas kept his head down, reviewing documents, not even lifting his eyes. His voice was cold as winter.
"Don't bother with her!"
"From now on, she's no longer Mrs. Harrison."
Charlie's throat tightened. He didn't dare say another word, quickly agreeing and retreating from the office.
It seemed the CEO had truly made up his mind this time! Though oddly, he wasn't even concerned about Zoe—now that was unprecedented!
...
Back at the apartment.
Within minutes, the door burst open.
Matthew strode in with an aura of barely contained fury, his presence filling the room like a gathering storm.
His gaze swept over the destruction in the living room, but when he saw that angry red gash across Emma's forehead, the temperature around him seemed to plummet to absolute zero.
Those deep eyes blazed with murderous rage, as if he could tear someone apart with his bare hands.
He gave a single look.
The two black-suited bodyguards behind him immediately understood, stepping forward to haul the limp Zoe up from the couch, one on each arm.
"This woman is never to come within a block of this apartment again."
Matthew's voice carried no warmth whatsoever.
Zoe screamed and struggled, but the bodyguards dragged her out mercilessly, her exit utterly pathetic.
"Matthew, they started it! Look what they did to me!"
How dare she try to play victim in front of him?
Matthew quickly approached Emma, carefully retrieving antiseptic and cotton swabs from the first aid kit.
He knelt on one knee, treating the wound on her forehead with the gentlest touch.
The antiseptic stung, making Emma hiss sharply through her teeth, her brow furrowing in pain.
Evelyn stood beside them, her eyes red-rimmed, her voice thick with tears.
"Emma, it must hurt so much... This is all my fault. I failed to protect you. I'm useless—how could I let you get hurt?"
Emma looked at her friend's dramatic performance, the corner of her mouth twitching with suppressed amusement.
She shook her head, her voice calm. "It's not your fault. It doesn't hurt."
"It's all on me!" Evelyn immediately jumped back in, seething with indignation. "No, wait—it's all Nicholas's fault! Always spoiling that bitch Zoe, making her so arrogant and vicious. Now she's bold enough to come here and attack people!"
She studied Emma's forehead with lingering fear.
"Thank God it's just your forehead and not your beautiful face! She was actually reaching for a fruit knife! If she'd cut your face, it would have been disaster."
A crystal tear rolled down Evelyn's cheek.
Emma reached up to pat her friend's hand gently, her tone still calm.
"Don't be upset. This little scratch will heal in a couple days. With a band-aid, it won't even affect my stunning looks, right?"
She turned to Matthew, forcing a reassuring smile. "Matthew, I'm fine. Don't worry. Zoe wouldn't dare do anything too serious. Next time, I'll make sure not to let her in, or I'll just avoid her when I see her."
Matthew's frown deepened, fury radiating from him.
"Why should you have to avoid her?"
He took a deep breath, fighting to control his anger, his voice softening slightly but carrying undeniable authority.
"Rest well. I'll check on you later."
With that, he turned and strode out, his fury still simmering beneath the surface.
Evelyn watched Matthew's retreating figure, then turned to Emma with a mischievous wink and a triumphant smile.
Mission accomplished—the fish had taken the bait!
...
In a dimly lit private room at an exclusive club, the air hung thick with tension.
Matthew's gaze was like ice as he fixed his stare on Zoe.
He approached step by step, his towering shadow gradually swallowing her completely.
"Didn't I tell you," his voice was low but carried crushing authority, "that I'd overlook whatever else you did, but you actually dared to hurt her?"
Before the words finished leaving his mouth, Matthew's hand shot out to grip Zoe's throat.
The force was so intense that Zoe's face immediately flushed crimson.
She made strangled whimpering sounds, her hands flailing helplessly against his iron grip. "She... she started it..."
Oxygen grew scarce, and death's shadow loomed closer.
Matthew watched her face contort in oxygen-starved agony. One more ounce of pressure and this woman would disappear from the world forever.
But no.
He couldn't discard this chess piece yet.
He needed Nicholas to continue suffering.
With this thought, the violence in Matthew's eyes intensified, and he suddenly flung her away with brutal force.
Zoe flew like a rag doll, crashing hard onto the cold floor with a sickening thud.
She curled up on the ground, gulping air greedily, her throat burning with pain.
Matthew loomed over her, his gaze cruel and laden with naked threat.
"If you ever hurt her again, I'll cut off your hands. You know I always keep my word!"
Zoe lay sprawled on the floor, utterly wretched.
The initial terror, after the violent coughing and suffocation, strangely transformed into a surge of overwhelming rage.
She braced herself against the cold floor, slowly pushing herself up, her disheveled hair plastering to her sweat-dampened face.
Suddenly, she burst into wild laughter!
The sound was shrill, carrying the desperate madness of someone with nothing left to lose.