Chapter 91
Griffin sat across from her, wearing a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms, revealing a stretch of lean wrist.
A warm smile played on his face as he pulled a card from his wallet and slid it across to Lucinda. "Lucinda, this is the design fee from that project last time. You never accepted it, and it's been weighing on me."
Lucinda glanced at the card and shook her head. "You don't need to, Griffin. I didn't contribute that much to your project back then."
"Didn't contribute much?" Griffin laughed, his smile tinged with emotion. "That proposal of yours saved me hundreds of millions. Without you, that project would've been a total loss, and this resort never would've gotten off the ground."
He paused, pushing the card closer to her. "Take it. If you don't, I'll owe you for the rest of my life."
Lucinda looked at him, silent for a moment, then reached out to push the card back.
But Griffin's hand moved first, covering hers and pressing the card firmly into her palm. "Don't push it away. If you keep refusing, I'm going to get upset."
His eyes were sincere, his hand still holding hers.
Lucinda glanced down at their clasped hands and was about to say something—
"What the hell are you two doing?"
An angry voice exploded from the doorway.
Marshall shoved the door open and stormed inside.
His face was flushed—whether from alcohol or rage, it was hard to say. His eyes were bloodshot, locked onto Griffin's hand holding Lucinda's.
He rushed over, slapped Griffin's hand away, and positioned himself in front of Lucinda. He turned his head to glare at her.
"Lucinda, have you no shame?"
Lucinda leaned back into the sofa, lifting her eyes to look at him calmly.
"Just now by the pool, you were walking around in a bathrobe. And now you're here cozying up to this man. Allegra was right—you're just servicing sugar daddies, one after another. Don't you find it filthy?" His voice grew louder, his chest heaving violently, clearly at the height of his fury. "If you need money, tell me! I'll give it to you! Why do you have to degrade yourself like this? Do you have any respect for yourself?"
He didn't notice that with every sentence he spoke, Griffin's expression darkened further.
Finally, Griffin stood up.
He adjusted his shirt cuffs, smoothing out the wrinkles, then walked over to Marshall.
Before Marshall could react, Griffin's fist crashed into his face.
The punch was precise and brutal, landing squarely on Marshall's nose.
Marshall staggered backward several steps, collided with a lounge chair, and fell to the ground along with it.
Blood gushed from his nose instantly, streaming down past his lips and dripping onto his white shirt collar—a jarring sight.
"You—"
Marshall clutched his face, staring at Griffin in disbelief.
Griffin looked down at him, every trace of warmth gone from his face.
"Watch your mouth." His words came slowly and deliberately. "If you dare say one more disrespectful word about her, you'll walk in here standing and crawl out."
He bent down, grabbed Marshall by the collar, and yanked him off the ground. With a sharp motion, he flung Marshall backward. His back slammed into the wall with a heavy thud.
A decorative painting on the wall shook loose and crashed to the floor, the glass frame shattering into pieces.
Marshall felt like his insides had been rearranged. He let out a pained grunt, slid down the wall, and crouched on the floor, covering his nose as blood seeped between his fingers.
He looked up at Griffin, his lips trembling, trying to say something. But when he met those cold, ruthless eyes, all his words stuck in his throat.
A flurry of footsteps sounded from the doorway.
"Marshall!"
Allegra was the first to rush in, followed by a crowd of classmates.
She saw Marshall crouched on the floor, his face covered in blood, and screamed. She ran over and grabbed him. "Marshall! What happened? Who did this to you?"
She looked up, her gaze landing on Griffin, then Lucinda. Her eyes instantly reddened. "How dare you hit someone! Is there no law anymore?"
Griffin stood there, hands in his pockets, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly.
"Law?" His voice was measured. "Here, I am the law. Don't like it? Go ahead and sue."
Allegra was momentarily silenced by his presence. Then she turned her head and suddenly spotted Lucinda beside Griffin.
Her pupils dilated. She glanced between Griffin and Lucinda, instantly understanding.
So this man who'd thrown the punch was Lucinda's new sugar daddy.
Thinking about how Marshall had been pining over Lucinda just moments ago back in the private room, Allegra's heart twisted with resentment.
Her eyes darted around. An idea struck her. Her mouth curved as she deliberately addressed him. "Lucinda, Marshall got beaten because of you! Can't you at least say a few words in his defense?"
Sure enough, Marshall's expression darkened immediately.
Lucinda remained seated on the sofa, still holding her glass of wine.
She lifted her eyes and glanced at Allegra—a look so indifferent, as though she were looking at an insignificant passerby.
Then she lowered her head, took a sip of wine, and said nothing.
Allegra's expression soured further. She bit her lip and deliberately spoke up in front of everyone. "Lucinda, you've serviced so many men out there. Marshall only spoke the truth—did you really have to have him beaten? Aren't you afraid of disgracing the Wipere family?"
Tamsin, who had been standing off to the side watching the drama unfold, instantly darkened at those words.
She set down her juice glass and walked up to Allegra, looking down at her from above. "Say that again."
Allegra lifted her head and looked at Tamsin.
She'd never seen this woman before. She was wearing a simple black dress, not a single designer label on her—probably just another nobody from some backwater town, just like Lucinda.
Allegra straightened her posture and pulled her lips into a disdainful smile. "I said, your friend has serviced a lot of men. What, can't handle the truth?"
Tamsin's mouth curved slightly.
The next second, her palm landed squarely across Allegra's face.
The sharp crack echoed across the quiet poolside.
Allegra's head snapped to the side. She tumbled away from Marshall's side.
She clutched her face, staring up in disbelief.
Tamsin flexed her wrist. "That slap was for Lucinda. Say one more word, and you won't leave this place today."
She paused, looking down at Allegra. "Remember this—Lucinda is under my protection, Tamsin Boleyn's protection. Anyone who messes with her messes with me."
Allegra held her face, her lips trembling. She couldn't get a single word out.
This bitch—why did her slap hurt so much?
And the worst part? She couldn't fight back. All she could do was cower in the corner, shaking.
The classmates standing by the door exchanged glances. Someone recognized Tamsin, and their face went pale.
"Tamsin… as in, the Boleyn family's Tamsin?"
"Which Boleyn family?"
"What do you mean which one? The Boleyn family from the south side—the real estate empire. The one worth billions!"