Chapter 17 Get Your F*cking Hands Off Her
"How long have you been working as a janitor in this apartment?" Damian asked, breaking the silence that had enveloped them.
Lee looked up, startled by the sudden interruption. "Oh! For about a year now, sir," he answered cautiously.
"Putting a veteran in the position of apartment janitor. You can tell the manager in charge of this apartment that he's wasting resources," Damian said, his sarcasm not lost on Lee.
"Ah, please don't say that. I'm just a wreck, and I'm grateful to Mr. Alston for allowing me to be the janitor here," Lee replied, his voice tinged with gratitude. He shook his left arm, which had lost its palm, a gesture that spoke of his past struggles.
However, he soon felt something was off. "How did you know I was a veteran? I've never mentioned it to anyone."
"It was just a hunch," Damian replied nonchalantly, masking his true intentions. He gave Lee a friendly smile and asked, "Can you tell me something about the neighbor living downstairs from me? I just moved here and hope my neighbor is a friendly type."
"Believe me, you won't find a kinder or more approachable lady on this earth than Mrs. Alicia. Maybe I shouldn't say this, but she's the best in this building," Lee said, flashing a big smile at the mention of Alicia.
A feeling of pride bubbled up from the bottom of Damian's heart as he heard someone give his mate such high praise. "Is that so? Then I'm relieved," Damian replied with a smile, then didn't ask any more questions and went jogging in a happy mood.
At 6 p.m. the next day, Alicia arrived at the Times Hotel for the celebration, wearing a burgundy dress with a lavender scent. The grand ballroom was filled with crystal chandeliers glittering overhead, and she could hear the clinking of glasses and the murmur of voices.
Noticing that her colleagues had all brought friends or partners, Alicia felt a pang of loneliness. She could have called her bestie, but Mae had given notice two weeks ago that she was shutting down communications to focus on her experiments. So, she hadn't contacted her.
Suddenly, Alicia thought of Damian, who was attending a wine auction on one of the floors of the hotel. She sighed, feeling a bit regretful that she hadn't said yes to Damian's invitation.
Rhett spotted Alicia and made his way over to her with a smile. "Alicia, my dear, where is Mr. Howard?" he asked warmly.
"He said he had a quick appointment and wouldn't be here today," Alicia lied, avoiding his gaze and feeling a wave of guilt wash over her.
"Oh, that's too bad," Rhett replied, his disappointment evident. He had organized the party under the impression that Damian would be accompanying Alicia, having heard him mention the good buffet at the Times Hotel the day before.
"Anyway, congratulations on becoming the Mid-Level Designer!" Rhett said, offering her a glass of champagne.
"Thanks," Alicia said, forcing a smile as she accepted the drink. She wasn't really in the mood for celebration, knowing that the promotion to Mid-Level Designer was credited to her mate's profile rather than her own efforts. She took a sip of the champagne, trying to join in with the festivities.
Nadia approached and raised her glass. "A toast to Alicia, our newest mid-level designer! You deserve it!" she exclaimed.
Alicia clinked her glass to Nadia's, taking another sip of her champagne as the bubbles tickled her throat. She knew she shouldn't drink too much, especially after what had happened last week, but she had to accept all the congratulations and clinking glasses from her colleagues.
As the night went on, Alicia began to feel a little tipsy. She excused herself from the crowd and headed for the elevator, eager to go home and rest.
Just as she entered the elevator, a slightly drunk middle-aged Alpha stumbled in. He reeked of strong whiskey, and Alicia felt a sense of unease. She pressed the open button, hoping to leave and wait for the next elevator, but the bald Alpha pressed the door-closing button, realizing that Alicia was alone.
"Hey, beauty," he slurred, getting too close for comfort. "You're all by yourself? It's not safe, you know."
Alicia tensed up, taking a step back. "Sorry, I'm married," she said, hoping he would leave her alone.
But the Alpha didn't believe her. "Married, huh? So where's your ring?" he asked, grabbing her wrist and smelling her finger. "You smell so good."
"Let go of me," Alicia demanded, feeling a sense of panic rising within her. But the bald Alpha ignored her, moving his hand to her backside and pressing the button for the 26th floor.
"No! Please don't do that." She felt wave of disgust She tried to pull away, but the Alpha was stronger than her, and his hand was rubbing her back. A surge of panic rise up in her chest. She had to do something or he would hurt her.
Alicia bit hard on the drunk's wrist. He yelped in pain and let her go, and Alicia took the opportunity to slam the button for the next floor, but the button didn't respond. Even though it had reached the 26th floor, the elevator was still climbing upwards.
The drunkard became sober from the pain but he ignored the elevator anomaly because Alicia's actions had completely angered him. He wasn't going to let her go so easily.
"You bch!" He cursed and lunged at Alicia, pinning her down in the elevator and choking her.
"Help!" Alicia's face flushed red feeling unable to breathe. She struggled desperately, but the lack of oxygen made it impossible for her to exert her strength. With his free hand, the drunken man roughly tore Alicia's gown. White skin and perky breasts were exposed to the air. The man stared at Alicia's breasts then rubbed them hard.
In a moment of sheer desperation, Alicia's hand darted down to the evening clutch purse lying on the ground, and she swung it with all her might, striking the man on the head. Her blow was fierce, but it was too late; the elevator had stopped, and she had no energy left to break free and flee for her life.
"You slut! No one can save you!" the man snarled, tightening his grip on her neck and then preparing to strike her with his fist. With tears streaming from her eyes, Alicia braced herself for the inevitable.
Yet the punch never landed on her face. "Get your fcking hands off her!" A voice bellowed, and the man who had held her neck was suddenly forced to let go. Alicia opened her eyes and saw Damian, who loomed like a giant in her eyes, clutching the bald Alpha's wrist.
With a fierce expression etched on his face, Damian grabbed the bald man by his collar and lifted him off Alicia's body like a chicken. Alicia, who had been deprived of oxygen and had purple lips, struggled to catch her breath as she huddled in the corner of the elevator, her body trembling with fear. Tears streamed down her face as she shielded her breasts, feeling violated and helpless.
In the meantime, Damian tightened his grip around the bald man's neck, his fury boiling over. He wanted to kill this bastard for what he had done to his mate.
Alicia coughed and gasped for air, feeling as though she had returned from the brink of death. Suddenly, she smelled a strong and pungent fragrance of lavender, which she had never encountered before.
Alicia looked over at Damian, whose ominous countenance was more frightening than the black clouds during a thunderstorm. His eyes widened, and a low growl escaped his lips, indicating that he was about to shift into his wolf form.
Lyon arrived at the elevator ten seconds after Damian, stunned by the scene before him. The bald man was hanging mid-air, struggling to free himself as Alpha choked him.
"No, Alpha, don't!" Lyon shouted at Damian, reminding him that he could not shift here in the Times Hotel, which belonged to the Silver Moon Pack. Shifting and killing someone in a public place would lead to chaos and inevitably attract the attention of Alpha Victor. Damian's ten-year plan of vengeance would go to waste if he were to get caught.
Despite the overpowering aura that emanated from Damian's transformation, Alicia mustered the strength to stand up and grab his arm. She begged him in a shaky, hoarse voice to stop, knowing that shifting here would be illegal and would land Damian in jail.
"Damian, please! Don't shift," she implored him, her eyes filling with tears.