Chapter 126
I heard retching and whipped around to find Amelia hunched over a trash can, hurling her guts out.
Seriously? Of all times, she had to pick now?
I grumbled under my breath while rubbing her back so she wouldn't choke.
When she finally stopped, I tried flagging down a server for some water. After waiting around with no luck...
"Amelia, stay here. I'll grab you some water."
Amelia mumbled something that sounded like agreement.
But as I was heading back with the water, a sharp crash of shattering glass cut through the noise.
"Holy crap! That chick just smashed a bottle over that rich kid's head!"
"That's the trade mogul's son—Mr. Diaz. She's picking the wrong fight if she thinks she'll walk away from this."
"I don't know, man. She doesn't look like a nobody either. Didn't you see her security clearing people out? Probably some rich heiress..."
Hearing that, Amelia immediately came to mind. I quickened my pace.
Halfway there, I heard someone shout Amelia's name.
"...Amelia, don't act all high and mighty! The only reason I even bothered with you is because of your last name. And you treated me like your personal errand boy!"
"Lucky for me, my parents got the inside scoop—your side of the family doesn't mean squat to the Percys. They told me to cut my losses before I wasted any more time on you!"
I shoved through the crowd just in time to see some guy pinning Amelia face-down on the table. Her eyes were bloodshot with rage.
Fury ignited in my chest.
"Get your hands off her!"
I charged forward and hurled the water glass at him.
Jay Diaz dodged. I used the opening to pull Amelia up and shield her behind me.
"If you know she's a Percy, how dare you humiliate her like this? Aren't you afraid of what the Percy family will do?"
Jay turned to face us with a dismissive sneer.
"Everyone knows Leopold runs the Percy family now. The second branch? Just a bunch of pampered freeloaders. So what if I disrespect her? You think Leopold would risk crossing the Diaz family over her?"
My stomach dropped.
I'd sensed tension between Leopold and the second branch before, but I never imagined it was this bad.
Even outsiders felt bold enough to treat Amelia like trash.
"Amelia is Leopold's only cousin. If you lay a finger on her, he'll make you regret it!"
Jay looked me up and down, amusement flickering in his eyes.
"I like your spirit. Makes me wonder if you're this feisty in bed too."
"Cindy, this guy's scum. Don't engage—just go!"
Amelia lowered her voice and tried to drag me toward the exit.
But the moment I turned, Jay's cronies blocked our path.
"Mr. Diaz, we're really lucky tonight. Isn't this the chick from that video—the one messing around with some old guy?"
Every muscle in my body tensed. They knew about the video, too.
"Oh yeah, I remember now." Someone pointed at me. "She won that ballet competition a while back. Tried using her looks to climb into Mr. Percy's bed and ended up making a fool of herself instead."
At that, Jay's expression turned lewd.
"I've heard dancers have special... skills. Guess we'll all find out tonight."
The men around him broke into sleazy grins.
"Mr. Diaz is too generous. Haha."
"Yeah, let's see what makes the woman who almost hooked Mr. Percy so special."
Their laughter grated on my ears, panic clawing its way up my throat.
"Cindy, what do we do?" Amelia's fear was palpable as she gripped my arm. "Should we call Leopold?"
"I don't have my phone." I'd left it at our booth. "Where are your bodyguards?"
Amelia looked miserable. "I sent them away. This is all my fault—I never should've come looking for him!"
Before I could respond, someone yanked us apart and shoved me toward Jay.
"Mr. Diaz, quit wasting time. Take her to a room and have your fun already!"
"Cindy!" Amelia tried to fight back but couldn't break free.
I stumbled right into Jay's arms.
Laughter erupted around us, like they were celebrating their prize catch.
"Stop playing innocent. I'll make sure you have a good time tonight!"
Jay's lecherous grin widened as his hands roamed from my waist upward.
Watching him let his guard down, I seized the moment and drove my foot straight between his legs.
Jay, who'd been grinning smugly seconds ago, collapsed to the ground clutching himself, his face twisted in agony.
"Mr. Diaz!" His cronies rushed toward him.
Taking advantage of the chaos, I broke through and grabbed Amelia's hand, bolting for the exit.
"Cindy, you're a total badass!"
Even while running, Amelia managed to throw me a thumbs-up.
I didn't have time for commentary. I snatched my phone and bag from the table and made a beeline for the door.
"Stop them!"
Jay's furious command echoed behind us.
Right as we were about to escape, his men caught us from behind.
"You bitch! How dare you kick me!"
Jay cursed and raised his hand to slap me.
"Cindy!"
Amelia's face went pale with fear. She tried to intervene but couldn't break free herself.
Pinned in place, I had nowhere to go.
Just as his palm was about to connect with my face, a long-fingered hand shot out and caught his wrist mid-swing.
"Touch her? You're not worthy."
The next second, Jay went flying.
A swarm of bodyguards converged from both sides, surrounding Jay and his crew.
At the same time, the music cut out. The bar fell silent.
"Leopold, thank God you're here." Relief flooded Amelia's face.
I turned around—it really was Leopold. How was he here?
"If I didn't come, what? Was I supposed to watch you two get beaten up?" Leopold's tone was flat.
"We weren't just standing there." Amelia shook her head sheepishly. "Cindy kicked him, so he came after us for revenge. If you hadn't shown up, we'd be screwed."
"You kicked him?" Something flickered in Leopold's eyes as he turned to me.
Thinking he disapproved, I answered coldly. "Yes. Is that a problem?"
Before being with him, my parents had spoiled me rotten—I'd been willful and proud. But after getting together with Leopold, I'd smoothed out my edges without realizing I'd always had the right to be as fierce as I wanted.
"Your leg's still injured. Don't be so reckless next time."
Leopold's words left me momentarily confused. Was he... worried about me?
"Mr. Percy, I'm honored you came personally. Tonight was all a misunderstanding. Given our families' business relationship, could you let this slide just this once?"
Surrounded and outmatched, Jay quickly tried to save face.
Amelia and I both assumed Leopold would refuse. But to our shock, he nodded. "Sure."
Joy lit up Jay's face.
"Mr. Percy is truly magnanimous. We really appreciate you not holding this against us. If there's any future collaboration, the Diaz family will prioritize working with you—"
"Business can wait." Leopold cut him off casually, then ordered his bodyguards, "Break his arm."
The smile froze on Jay's face. Before he could even process what was happening, his arm was snapped.
He let out an agonized scream, his face sheet-white as he writhed on the floor.
Amelia and I both went cold.
"Stop staring. Come with me."
Sensing Leopold was about to chew us out, Amelia and I hesitated before following.