Chapter 30
Violet's POV
"Help—" Before I could cry out, a rough hand suddenly reached over and violently snatched away my phone.
"Still trying to call for help?" The lead thug sneered coldly and smashed that expensive new phone hard onto the asphalt.
The screen instantly shattered with a crisp sound, and the call was mercilessly cut off.
"Don't hurt me!" I screamed, my voice distorted by extreme fear. I clutched the violin case tightly to my chest, shaking all over like a leaf in the autumn wind, "Money... I'll give you all my money! Please let me go!"
I frantically reached into my pocket, taking out the hundred-dollar bills I'd gotten tonight at L'Aura restaurant along with the crumpled change the landlord had returned to me, throwing it all on the ground.
The thug with the knife crouched down, greedily picking up the bills on the ground. Counting them by the dim streetlight, he whistled: "Yo, this chick's pretty loaded."
But he didn't back away.
His gaze traveled up from my ankles, stopping on my disheveled hair from running and my terrified face, a nauseating lecherous glint flashing in his eyes.
"We'll take the money," he stuffed the money in his pocket and stepped forward, grabbing my collar and showing disgusting yellow teeth, "But we gotta have some fun with you too."
"No! Let go of me!" I struggled desperately, kicking and hitting him with my hands and feet.
But my meager strength was a joke in front of a grown man.
"Bitch, still trying to dodge!" Another thug stepped forward and viciously slapped me across the face.
With a crisp "slap," my head buzzed, half my face instantly went numb, and I tasted the strong flavor of blood in my mouth.
The huge impact made me fall heavily to the ground. My old knee injury completely tore open, the piercing pain making my vision go black.
"Drag her over there." The leader ordered impatiently.
They grabbed my hair and arms like dragging a rag doll, pulling me toward the garbage pile at the deepest part of the alley.
The rough ground tore through my clothes, gravel embedding into my skin. I desperately protected the violin case in my arms, desperate tears blurring my vision.
Someone please save me... Julian...
Just as a filthy hand was about to tear at my coat, an extremely sharp braking sound suddenly came from the alley entrance.
Intense high beams cut through the alley's darkness like swords, blinding everyone.
Accompanied by uniform heavy footsteps, several bodyguards in suits rushed in like ghosts.
"Who the—" The thug's words weren't finished before he was kicked flying, crashing heavily into the brick wall with a teeth-grinding thud.
I collapsed on the filthy ground, my vision already blurred by tears and blood.
In the blinding light, I saw a tall, upright figure striding toward me.
That familiar dark black suit, those light gray eyes that seemed able to freeze everything.
Julian.
He really came.
My nerves, stretched to the limit, completely snapped at this moment. I opened my mouth wanting to call his name, but couldn't make a sound.
Darkness surged in like a tide, and I completely lost consciousness.
...
The smell of disinfectant drifted into my nostrils.
I slowly opened my heavy eyelids to see a white ceiling and soft wall lamps.
Every part of my body was crying out in pain, especially my cheek and knee.
"Awake?" A low, hoarse voice sounded in my ear.
I slowly turned my head to see Julian sitting on the single sofa beside the hospital bed.
He was still wearing last night's suit, just with the jacket off and his tie pulled loose, his brow showing undisguisable fatigue.
Those deep gray eyes were now full of unresolvable gloom and worry.
"Mr. Hall..." As soon as I spoke, I found my voice terribly hoarse.
"Don't move." He immediately stood up, pressing down on my shoulder as I tried to sit up.
Then he pressed the call button at the head of the bed, his voice returning to its usual calm, "Have the doctor come immediately."
In less than half a minute, several doctors in white coats quickly walked into this luxurious VIP room. They carefully checked all my indicators and asked several questions.
"Mr. Hall, Miss Kane's vital signs are very stable." The attending physician reported respectfully, "Apart from the soft tissue contusion on her face and the torn wound on her knee that need rest, she hasn't suffered any other substantial harm. She just fainted from excessive fright."
Hearing "hasn't suffered any substantial harm," Julian's tense jawline finally relaxed slightly.
He waved his hand, signaling the doctors to leave.
The room became quiet again.
Julian walked to the bedside, looking down at me.
The hallway light fell through the blinds onto his profile, outlining his cold, hard features.
"Those three thugs have already been handed over to the police station by Mark." He spoke, his voice cold as ice, "They'll spend the rest of their lives in prison and will never get out."
I looked at him, the desperate feeling from last night in that dark alley flooding back into my mind.
If he hadn't arrived in time, what would have happened to me?
The strength and pretense I'd been maintaining all along completely crumbled at this moment.
Tears poured out of my eyes without warning, sliding down my cheeks and stinging the abrasions on my face.
I bit my pale lower lip hard, trying to swallow back the sobs, but my thin shoulders trembled violently beyond my control.
Seeing me cry, the coldness in Julian's eyes instantly shattered. He sighed, sat down on the edge of the bed, and his warm fingertips gently wiped away the tears at the corner of my eyes.
"Don't cry anymore, it's over." His movements were incredibly gentle, as if handling a fragile treasure, "Violet, you're safe."
The gentler he was, the more my grievances overflowed like a burst dam.
Not only was I humiliated by my ex-boyfriend and kicked out by my landlord, I was almost violated on the streets.
What had I done wrong to deserve all this?
I couldn't help but turn my head, burying my face in the white pillow, my suppressed crying gradually becoming heart-wrenching sobs.
Julian didn't speak, just sat there quietly, his large palm gently patting my back, using his unique calm presence to smooth away the fear in my heart bit by bit.
I don't know how long I cried, but my emotions finally gradually calmed down, leaving only intermittent gasps.
Julian poured a glass of warm water and held it to my lips. After watching me drink, he placed the glass back on the bedside table.
"I've already had Mark arrange a high-end apartment with the highest security level in Manhattan's Upper East Side for you." His gaze fell on my face, his tone unquestionably forceful, "After you're discharged, move there directly. That place in Brooklyn—you are never to set foot there again for the rest of your life."