Chapter 234: Falling Out

But Xavier was an old fox after all. He quickly composed himself and became even more polite toward me.

Halfway through the banquet, I got up and left the private room.

When they saw me come out, Owen and York approached me and said, "Ms. Lockwood, are you okay?"

I shook my head. "I'm fine. You two go next door and order some food. I'll call you if I need anything."

Hearing this, they nodded and said, "Okay, we'll be right next door. Be careful."

I was betting Knox wouldn't try anything because I knew he valued the Pemberton Group too much. Today I came to the Pemberton Group to discuss cooperation. If something happened, both he and the Pemberton family would be held responsible.

But that didn't stop Knox from occasionally jumping out to disgust me!

When I came out of the restroom, I saw Knox in the hallway.

The moment he saw me, his eyes lit up, and he reached out to block my way.

"Helena, are you okay?"

I looked up and saw his flushed cheeks, knowing he'd had quite a bit to drink. I frowned. "I'm fine, but you've had a lot to drink, haven't you?"

A smile instantly appeared on Knox's face. "Helena, are you worried about me?"

I glanced at him. "Knox, what's wrong with you? What made you think I was worried about you?"

As soon as I said this, the smile on Knox's face froze. His lips moved. "Helena, weren't you just showing concern for me?"

"If you can't understand plain English, I can repeat it for you."

I looked coldly at Knox. "Where did you learn this habit of being so full of yourself?"

"Helena, can't you just admit you care about me? You know I still love you deeply. How can you say such hurtful things?"

Seeing Knox getting angry and embarrassed, I didn't want to argue with him anymore. This scumbag wasn't worth any more of my time.

Seeing I was about to leave, Knox grabbed my arm, his expression pleading. "Helena, please don't go. What I said in the car was true. I really don't want to marry Natasha. The person I've always wanted to marry is you!"

"What's wrong with you!"

I tried to pull my arm away. Seeing me resist, Knox suddenly pulled hard and hugged me tightly.

My face hit his rigid chest, making my head dizzy with pain. I struggled desperately, shouting, "Owen, York!"

While shouting, I kept hitting Knox with my hands, but the strength difference between men and women made it impossible to break free from his grip.

Knox held me tightly, murmuring, "Helena, I won't let you go. You're mine, mine. No one can take you from me!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a fist slammed into his face. Knox cried out and fell to the ground.

"Ms. Lockwood, are you okay?"

It was York and Owen. Seeing I was still in shock, York immediately shielded me behind him, while Owen rushed forward and kicked Knox on the ground twice.

Knox's screams finally alarmed Xavier and the others inside. When they came out and saw Knox lying on the ground, they were stunned.

"Stop! What are you doing!"

Xavier shouted, rushing over to pull Knox away.

Knox hung his head, clearly drunk, which made Xavier frown. But when he saw the red swelling on Knox's face, he became furious.

"Helena, the Pemberton family has treated you well. Why would you hurt someone!"

Having regained my composure, I looked at Knox with disgust. "Because Knox was being disgusting."

"You!"

Hearing my words, Xavier couldn't hide the anger in his eyes. He pointed at my nose and cursed, "Helena, who do you think you are? You're nothing but a woman my son dumped. And here you are hitting my son. Do you really think the Pemberton family can't do anything about you?"

"That's right, Ms. Lockwood, what are you doing? We were having a nice dinner. Why did you cause such a scene?"

"Exactly. Mr. Pemberton spent a fortune hosting you today, Ms. Lockwood. You shouldn't be so ungrateful."

I looked up and saw many shareholders from the Pemberton Group speaking up in accusation. I lowered my eyes, ignoring these people, and said to York, "Find the restaurant owner and pull up the surveillance footage."

"Okay."

York responded and ran off. When he returned, he was carrying a laptop.

In front of everyone, he pressed play. Soon, the scene of Knox blocking me earlier appeared clearly on the screen for everyone.

After the playback, York put away the laptop and looked seriously at Xavier. "Mr. Pemberton, your son harassed Ms. Lockwood. We reserve the right to pursue this matter. Please have him give us an explanation when he sobers up."

After York finished speaking, Xavier's face immediately darkened.

After a moment, he glanced at Knox, who was slumped over in a daze, and said angrily, "This bastard!"

Then he looked at me apologetically. "Helena, don't be angry. This is Knox's fault. Don't worry, when he wakes up, I'll make sure he comes to apologize."

I looked coldly at Knox. "Forget the apology. Just keep your son in check. I don't want to see him again."

"Also, Mr. Pemberton, our cooperation ends here. If there's any work-related business in the future, let's handle it by phone."

With that, I turned and left.

Seeing me leave, Xavier hurriedly pushed Knox to the shareholders nearby and chased after me.

"Helena, what are you doing? Knox just had too much to drink. People make mistakes when they're drunk. It shouldn’t be taken seriously."

Xavier kept apologizing all the way to the elevator. "You know Knox respects you very much. This time he just drank too much and couldn't control himself. Please forgive him this once. I promise you, he won't dare do it again."

I turned to look at Xavier. His expression was panicked, nothing like his arrogant manner from before.

"Mr. Pemberton, from the moment I arrived today, you and Knox have been setting traps, waiting for me to fall into them one by one, haven't you?"

I thought back to the scene in the car. Knox hadn't harassed me then—not because he didn't dare, but because he was restraining himself. After a few drinks, he stopped pretending.

Thinking of this, I looked coldly at Xavier. "Mr. Pemberton, I know exactly what you and Knox are plotting. But be careful—if you’re too clever for your own good, you might end up with nothing!"

As I finished speaking, the elevator stopped.

"Ms. Lockwood, let's go!"

York and Owen escorted me into the elevator. As the doors closed, I saw Xavier standing there with an ugly expression.

Back in the car, York said angrily, "Ms. Lockwood, should we call the police?"

Calling the police could wait.

I wouldn't let Knox off, but he and Natasha were about to get married. Even if I wanted revenge, it should wait until after their wedding.

With this in mind, I shook my head. "No, don't make a big deal out of this for now. I have my own plans."