Facade of Love

Chapter 417 A Sudden Appearance

Yara fixed me with a fierce glare, her face stormy. Inch's words only made her mood sour further. She snapped, "Furious? What does Charlie have to be furious about? If my father found out he's keeping a woman here, he would be the first to take him down. He's supposed to marry me. How dare he fool around? Beating her was letting her off easy. I’m here to finish the job."

Inch's frown deepened, but he stood his ground, still in front of me. "I'm just following orders to protect her, Ms. Yara. Let's wait for the boss to get back before we sort this out."

"Get out of my way!" Yara shoved Inch hard, but he stood his ground like a rock, which only made her more livid.

She turned to the onlookers trailing behind her and shouted, "What's wrong with you people? Are you just going to stand there? Pull him off me!"

Suddenly, everyone closed in. Inch had his own crew, yet they seemed too chicken to cross Ms. Yara, with not one of them daring to make a peep.

Yara marched right up to me, her eyes shooting daggers. She spotted the medicine bottle in Rebecca's hand, and with a swift flick of her wrist, sent it crashing to the floor. "You think you deserve medicine, you lowlife?" she spat at me.

I was perched on a chair, and as her hand came flying toward me, I dodged on instinct, catching her wrist, my eyebrows knitting together. I pushed back, sending her hand flying.

Her face twisted in rage at my defiance. She grabbed a chair and swung it at me like a baseball bat.

"Ms. Scott!" Inch, trapped in the crowd, could only cry out in horror.

I could not even react. Yara's pride gave me no room to fight back; she was like a storm, ready to crush me just to let off steam.

The chair was coming down fast, and all I could do was shut my eyes tight, bracing for the blow.

Crack!

"Ouch!"

The thud of the chair and a muffled gasp filled the air.

Realizing I was not in agony took my brain a second. I blinked my eyes open, and there he was. A towering figure had stepped in front of me, taking the hit. The chair had landed squarely on his arm, and a ribbon of blood was now winding its way down from his wrist.

"Charlie!" That shout was not mine—it belonged to Yara. Her normally proud face was caught off- guard, now a mix of shock and disbelief. Her features, not exactly delicate on a good day, twisted into something less than pretty.

Standing next to guys like Lucas and Inch, who could have stepped out of a teen magazine, her looks seemed even more out of place. This is the property of Nô-velDrama.Org.

Lucas's brow creased slightly—maybe from pain, maybe not. He did not bother looking at her. Instead, he turned to me, his cool gaze asking, "Everything okay?"

I bit my lip, not shaking or nodding, just met his eyes. The surprise inside me had not faded.

He did not wait for my answer, probably not expecting one. He faced Yara again, his voice icy and distant, "Finished with your tantrum? I'll get someone to take you home."

There was no blame in his tone, just a chill that made it clear she was nothing more than an acquaintance.

Yara, already pale, seemed to lose all color at his words. She opened her mouth, brows knitted tightly, as if she wanted to say something. Lucas, however, did not even give her a glance.

She bit her lip, swallowed her words, and shot me a resentful look before turning to Lucas with a forced apology, "Charlie, I'm sorry, I never meant to hurt you."

Lucas did not reply, just turned his back on her, his attention on the wound I had. His frown grew deeper.

I did not care, my focus still on Yara. She seemed desperate for Lucas's attention, and not getting it left her looking lost. She walked away with heavy reluctance, glancing back at Lucas's retreating figure with every few steps.

So, was this a classic case of a crush where she was all in, and he was just not that into her?

"How did you get hurt?" The guy in front of me demanded, his voice a mix of ice and steel. It felt less like a question and more like an accusation.

I bit my lip and stayed silent, pulling my gaze away. I walked back to where I had been sitting, cool and detached, and watched him without much interest.

Inch was free again and sidled up to Lucas, his head hung low and full of regret. "I'm sorry, sir. I failed to protect Ms. Scott. I let Ms. Yara slip through. It won't happen again."

Lucas gave him a quick, emotionless glance, his lips tight. "You know what you need to do, right?"