Chapter 84 The Ambush.

Chapter 84 The Ambush.


Chapter 84.

Bunny’s POV.

I arrived at the restaurant, looking carefully around the elegant space to locate the exact table Clara had sent to me via text.

The private driver at the house… the one Xavier had strictly instructed to always carry me around wherever I wanted to go… had desperately requested to drive me here. He had practically begged to follow me, but I had flatly rejected him. I didn’t want his favor. I didn’t want a single favor coming from Xavier Thorne ever again.

And I know this might sound completely crazy to anyone else, but since I already knew that his affection for me was nothing but a fake game, then I had absolutely no reason to continue clinging to him or his wealth. I needed to cut the strings immediately.

I walked past the neatly set tables until my eyes landed on Clara. I walked straight over to where she was sitting.

“You look beautiful,” she said, her eyes scanning my outfit the moment I reached the table.

I simply let out a small, tight smile. I was wearing a beautiful but casual set of clothes… a pair of high-waisted, well-tailored vintage trousers that accentuated my hourglass frame, paired with a simple, cream-colored semi-crop top that sat comfortably against my skin. It was effortless, but it was far away from the luxury dresses Xavier had been buying for me over the last three days.

“Thank you,” I replied softly, pulling out the chair and dropping heavily into it. Once I was fully seated, I let out a soft, long exhale, trying to rid my lungs of the heavy tension that had been suffocating me all afternoon.

“How do you feel now?” Clara asked suddenly, leaning her forearms against the table.

I pulled my brows together in a tight knot, forcing myself to look completely oblivious. I wasn’t ready to break down in public just yet. “How do I feel? About what exactly?”

Clara stared at me for a brief, silent second, her expression turning incredibly serious before she sighed. “Really, Bunny? Did you honestly think I am a baby? You have absolutely no reason to act oblivious with me, Bunny. I already know you and Xavier have been hooking up lately. And most importantly… I heard every single thing that Daniel said to you on campus today.”

Hearing her say it out loud made my heart tighten with a sharp, physical pain. The wall of defense I was trying to hold up completely crumbled, and I began to pour my heart out to her right there, my voice shaking with emotion.

“I didn’t mean to keep it away from you, Clara. I swear I didn’t,” I whimpered, the tears already blurring my vision. “But I know how much you dislike Xavier because of how raw and dangerous he is. I knew you would worry or judge him, so I have been trying so hard to keep the whole thing away from you… but look what happened now. Look at how it all turned out.”

Clara let out a deep exhale. Without a single drop of judgment in her eyes, she dragged her chair much closer to mine, reaching out and pulling my trembling body firmly into her arms. “Cry all you want, Bunny. Just let out all your pain. I am right here for you.”

I buried my face in Clara’s shoulder, sobbing quietly as the sheer humiliation of the bet washed over me again.

Clara rubbed my back gently, her voice soft but firm against my ear. “You should not have hidden it from me in the first place, Bunny. You should have just told me everything. I know I don’t like him because of his cold, ruthless nature, but I am your best friend… I would have supported you anyway. Or at the very least, I would have helped pull some strings behind the scenes to be absolutely certain that his affection for you was real before you fell for him. But look at you now, you are completely heartbroken.”

I slowly pulled back, wiping the hot tears from my face with the back of my hand. My sobbing finally began to slow down.

Clara looked at me, giving my hands a comforting squeeze. “You have absolutely no reason to cry over a man like that, Bunny. You are young, you are incredibly beautiful, and you are another man’s dream girl, okay? Don’t let him make you feel small.”

I nodded my head gently, accepting her words, but deep down, a heavy weight settled in my stomach. I did not know how to bring myself to tell my best friend the full truth… that Xavier and I had already had sex several times, and that I felt so deeply connected to the fool that it felt like my soul was tearing apart. I kept that part tightly locked away in my mind.

The heavy atmosphere at the table began to lighten up a bit. The tears were finally put on pause.

We began to eat the delicious food that Clara had already ordered for the both of us. We chewed in silence for a while until Clara suddenly paused, her fork hovering in the air as she looked at me.

“By the way, why didn’t you let my driver pick you up from your house today? I told him to go to your street.”

I stilled instantly, the food in my mouth suddenly tasting like ash. I forced myself to swallow it down hard before answering in a low voice.

“I no longer live there, Clara.”

Clara’s brows pulled together in deep concern, her eyes widening. “Why? What happened?”

I let out a heavy, painful exhale, looking down at my plate. “My aunt… she sent me out of the house. She threw me out completely.”

The moment the words left my mouth, Clara’s face contorted with absolute rage. She slammed her fork down onto the table, her voice rising in anger. “What?! That wicked, wretched woman! How could she do that to her own flesh and blood? After everything you’ve endured? She is an absolute monster, Bunny! God will punish her for treating you like an outcast!”

She carried on cursing my aunt for a full minute, defending me with so much passion that it warmed my cold heart. After she finally calmed down, she wiped her mouth with a napkin and looked at me intently.

“Where are you staying now, Bunny? If you aren’t at her house, where have you been sleeping?”

I exhaled slowly, hesitating for a brief second as my heart pounded against my ribs. The truth felt incredibly heavy in my mouth.

“I am staying with Xavier,” I whispered.

The moment those words left my lips, I noticed Clara’s fingers instantly tightening around her fork until her knuckles turned completely white. A heavy flash of something unreadable crossed her face, and it made me feel horribly bad. I knew I had messed up by running straight to him, and at this point, I really just didn’t want to be judged by the only person who cared about me.

To my greatest surprise, however, Clara didn’t yell or judge me. She just leaned forward across the table, her voice dropping into a soft, hurt whisper. “Why did you not tell me you didn’t have a place to stay, Bunny? You could have come to me.”

I bit hard on my lower lip, looking down in shame. “I am so sorry, Clara.”

Clara just shook her head and gave me a small smile. “It’s fine. You have me now.”

We resumed eating our food, the tension slowly draining from the air. But while we were chewing, my mind began to drift back to the house Xavier had bought for me. I contemplated whether to tell Clara that he had actually put a whole luxury building in my name, but I quickly canceled the thought. After all, I was going to move out of that place as soon as possible. There was no point in bringing it up.

I was still completely buried in my thoughts when Clara suddenly pushed her chair back and stood up.

“I will be right back, Bunny. I need to quickly use the restroom,” she said, gesturing toward the back corridor.

I nodded my head gently, watching her walk away before turning back to my plate. I was completely done eating my food now, so I just sat back, waiting patiently for my best friend to return.

But within a few short minutes, a sudden, loud commotion began to erupt from the outside courtyard. Shouting, screaming, and the screeching of car tires echoed through the glass windows.

What on earth is happening out there? I thought, my heart skipping a nervous beat.

I nervously pushed my chair back, trying to stand up so I could go take a quick peek through the window. But before my feet could even fully plant on the floor, the heavy wooden doors of the restaurant’s main entrance burst open with a violent crash.

A group of heavily armed men surged into the dining room like a wave of nightmares, their faces covered and their massive guns pointed directly at everyone in the room.

“Nobody move! Get the fuck down on the floor right now!” a harsh, booming voice roared.

Pure, paralyzing fear surged through my body instantly. My brain completely froze, and before I could even think about running or hiding, my instincts took over. I sank straight down to the hard floor, kneeling and bowing my head low to the ground, shaking violently in the exact same terrified way that every other customer in the restaurant was doing.