Chapter 6

Hannah pulled Gina out of the room.

But they were immediately blocked by the bodyguards brought by the old men.

Gina pushed Hannah aside. “We can’t both get caught here. I’ll distract them; you go and find help!”

Hannah knew now wasn’t the time to be stubborn.

If she ran for help, there was still a chance of getting saved. But if she stayed, they would both face dire consequences.

Hannah gave Gina a deep, determined look, full of sincerity and resolve.

They had only known each other for a day, but Gina inexplicably believed that Hannah would come back to rescue her.

Hannah turned to run, but Zack quickly grabbed her by the hair.

Pain shot through her scalp, and tears sprang to her eyes.

Zack cursed loudly, spitting a mix of insults, obscenities, and threats as he shoved Hannah against the railing.

His eyes were full of desire as they lingered on the curve of her chest, his gaze so blatant it was as if he had already undressed her.

Hannah kneed him sharply.

Zack winced, his face contorting with pain, and he slapped Hannah hard across the face.

Then he glanced at his bodyguards. Four large men rushed over, pinning Hannah against the railing in a spread-eagle position as if she were theirs to take.

Zack ripped off his tie. “You think I’m not worthy of you? I’ll teach you a lesson right here, right now.”

In the corridor, people were passing by, but seeing the commotion that looked like something out of a mob scene, no one dared to intervene, afraid of getting caught in the trouble themselves.

Zack grew bolder, reaching for Hannah’s pants.

The moment she felt his touch at her waist, Hannah’s entire body shivered. She bit her lip hard and glanced around—this was the second floor. A jump from here wouldn’t kill her.

Closing her eyes, Hannah leaned back with all her might.

The bodyguards had been holding her down, but when Zack started pulling at her clothes, they loosened their grip, never expecting Hannah to actually jump.

With her eyes shut tight, she fell backward, clutching her head. But instead of the impact she was bracing for, she landed in a wide chest that smelled faintly of peppermint.

Hannah opened her eyes in disbelief. She saw...

Sebastian!

Sebastian's expression was cold as he looked down at her, his gaze lingering for a moment on her swollen face. “Get down.”

Hannah snapped back to reality, immediately scrambling out of Sebastian’s arms. She quietly pleaded, “Uncle, my friend is still upstairs. Can you please help me?”

Sebastian lowered his arm.

Joe noticed something unusual in Sebastian's movements—his arm seemed to have been hit when he caught Hannah. He hadn’t even had time to react.

By the time Joe recognized the face of the person who had fallen, realizing it was Hannah, it was already too late.

He hadn’t expected Sebastian to step in.

The club owner, David Cooke, beside Sebastian, was already terrified, his back drenched in a cold sweat. "Mr. Spencer, are you alright?"

Sebastian's voice was low, rough, and carried a dangerous edge. “What’s the meaning of this, Mr. Cooke, are you running a brothel instead of a club?”

He didn’t bother to spare anyone's dignity.

The color drained from David’s face, and he quickly ordered his staff to go upstairs and get Gina out.

Hannah’s eyes trembled slightly. Her lashes fluttered like butterfly wings, delicate and beautiful. Her porcelain-white face bore the look of someone who had narrowly escaped disaster. She looked earnestly at Sebastian's captivating face. "Thank you, Uncle, for stepping in to help."

Sebastian shot her a cold glance, tossing his coat over to her. “Annoying.”

Hannah's face flushed with embarrassment as she glanced down at her torn clothes and carefully put on the coat. Her voice, hoarse and a bit teary, murmured, "I'm sorry."

Sebastian's brow furrowed deeply, his jaw clenched tight. He turned sharply and walked away with determined strides.

Gina returned safely to Hannah’s side, clearly shaken, her makeup streaked with tears. “Hannah…”

Hannah patted her shoulder in a gesture of comfort.

Gina wiped her eyes. “There goes the contract.”

Hannah fell silent.

…

The next day.

Zack and his associates were taken away by the authorities on charges of tax evasion, embezzlement, falsifying accounts, and various other crimes.

This helped relieve Hannah and Gina from any repercussions for failing to secure the contract.

Gina leaned in and whispered to Hannah, "I went home last night and cursed that old bastard all night. I don’t know which passing deity heard my complaints, but they sure acted fast. I feel like offering a prayer of gratitude."

Hannah gave a faint smile.

Gina then asked, "What happened after you fell last night?"

Hannah, of course, couldn’t reveal her true identity.

She quickly made up a lie, "I just happened to run into the club owner. He was afraid of getting into trouble, so he rushed to get people to save you."

Gina breathed a sigh of relief.

Just as she was about to speak again, Wendy sent her a message.

Gina stuck out her tongue. "It seems we’re about to get a scolding."

Hannah gave no response.

The two walked into the office, one after the other.

Wendy handed them two sets of documents—one regarding Northwind Group and the other about Eagleworth Group.

She glanced at both of them, frowning slightly. "We’ll overlook last night’s incident for now, but you two lost a major client, so you’ll need to make up for it. These are the two most important cases at the moment. Take a look and decide which one you want to handle."

Hannah reviewed the documents.

She knew that the person in charge of Northwind Group was Sebastian, while the president of Eagleworth Group was Andrew Fletcher.

After a brief moment of thought, Hannah said decisively, "I’ll take Eagleworth."

Wendy leaned back in her chair, her body slightly reclining, hands clasped together. "Mr. Fletcher is known for being charming and charismatic; definitely an easier target than Mr. Spencer. But keep in mind that Mr. Spencer is related to our own CEO, Mr. Shawn Spencer, so he might be more inclined to show some favor."

Hannah gave a faint smile. "If Mr. Shawn knew the project was only won because of family connections, I doubt he’d be very pleased."

Back in the early days when she and Shawn started the company, nearly all of their startup funds were borrowed.

Shawn had always felt the sting of being looked down upon due to his father's humble status, which only fueled his desire to prove himself.

Wendy seemed to consider this for a moment, then nodded in agreement with Hannah’s choice. “Alright, get started on the planning. Whether you can establish yourselves in the sales department will depend on this project.”

…

Hannah took the project file home to work on.

It was eleven at night when Shawn finally staggered back, reeking of alcohol. "Honey? Hannah? Hannah!"

He stumbled over to the study door and pushed it open. "What are you doing in here? I had too much to drink and don’t feel well. Go make me something to eat."

Hannah closed her laptop and stood up.

As she passed by Shawn, who smelled heavily of alcohol, he grabbed her arm and pulled her onto his lap.

With his chin resting on her shoulder, he spoke in a pleading tone, "Honey, what's wrong with you lately? You’ve been so distant with me. Did I do something to make you angry? Just tell me, and I’ll change, okay?"

He looked down at her, just like he used to.

But this time, it was a mistake of principle, the kind Hannah could never tolerate.

She didn't know how to deal with Shawn now, with this huge rift between them. To say she wasn’t hurt would be a lie.

She had known him for eight years and loved him for six. From eighteen to twenty-four, she had given the best years of her life to loving Shawn. How could she possibly let that go?

Shawn continued speaking, "The company’s been a bit busy lately, but once things settle down, we’ll go on our honeymoon. Oh, and tomorrow, we can visit Mom at the hospital and have dinner at Grandma’s in the evening. Does that sound good? Don’t be like this with me, it makes my heart ache. Feel it, go on, feel it…”

He grabbed Hannah's hand and pressed it against his chest.

Underneath her palm, Hannah could feel the strong, steady beat of his heart.

Hannah frowned, struggling against him. "Shawn, you're drunk. Let go of me!"

With a mix of holding and lifting, Shawn pressed Hannah down onto the carpet, leaning in to kiss her lips.

Hannah quickly turned her face away, his heated kiss landing on the side of her cheek.

Shawn didn’t seem to mind; his breath grew increasingly seductive and reckless. "Honey, how about we make up for our wedding night tonight?"

His hand slid down, tugging at the hem of her nightgown.