Chapter 21
Julia’s POV
I slowly lifted my face upward, my breath coming in ragged gasps, and to my surprise, I saw Lucas. His expression stunned as he looked down on me. Seeing Lucas, that was a relief, knowing I had ran into my saviour.
I stuttered, my words came as a frantic mess as I tried to explain. “They’re… they’re coming after me!” My voice cracked, my body shaking from fear and exhaustion.
Lucas’s brows furrowed. He barely had time to process my words before the two bodyguards in dark suits stepped forward, their expressions were cold.
“Hand the girl over,” one of them demanded.
Panic surged through me, and I did the only thing I could think of, I moved closer to him as I pressed myself against his chest, my fingers clutching to his clothes.
Lucas took a step backward, and for a split second, my heart clenched. He didn’t want to help me. He was going to leave me to them.
But then, without a word, he shrugged off his jacket and draped it over my shoulders. The jacket swallowed me, shielding my exposed skin. Only then did I realize the state I was in, my clothes were ripped, half–torn, my body barely covered.
Lucas’s voice was steel. “Who the hell are you to make demands of me?” He shoved me back behind him as he stepped forward towards them.
The bodyguards hesitated, their postures stiff the moment they saw how dangerous he looked. Before they could answer, Jude’s voice cut through the tension.
“What the fuck is going on here?”
My breath caught in my throat as he strode toward us, annoyance written all over his face. His hair was messy, his shirt untucked from the earlier fight with him. His eyes gleamed with arrogance.
The bodyguards turned to him. “Sir, a man is detaining the girl.”
Jude’s lips curled into a sneer. “Which blind fool dares to snatch the bitch I’ve set my eyes on?” His voice dripped with vile entitlement.
Jude was confident, too confident. He had convinced himself that Alex’s backing made him superior.. But the moment his eyes locked onto Lucas, all that bravado feeling disappeared. His sneer was gone, replaced with shock, his steps faltered as his gaze locked into Lucas’s.
Lucas stood motionless, his presence alone commanding the fear. His gaze bored into Jude, dark and unrelenting.
“You touched her, didn’t you?” Lucas’s voice sounded calm. He took a step forward.
Jude took an unconscious step back as he stuttered. “I…”
“Answer me,” Lucas cut him off, taking another measured step forward. “Or would you rather I rip your tongue out?”
Jude tried to smirk, to salvage what was left of his dominance, but his lips barely held the shape. “She…she came to me willingly…”
The words had barely left his mouth before Lucas’s fist slammed into his face. The impact was brutal. A sickening crunch echoed through, followed by gush of blood spilling over Jude’s lips. A tooth clattered to the floor.
Jude staggered back, clutching his mouth as blood dribbled between his fingers. He spat to the side, blood staining the ground.
“You lying sack of shit,” Lucas snarled, seizing Jude by the collar and shoving him against the wall.
Jude’s breath hitched. He wiped his face and his gaze bored into Lucas’s “You think you can interfere? Do you even know who’s backing me?”
Lucas tilted his head slightly, his expression unreadable, right before he struck Jude again. This time, the blow sent him reeling.
Jude’s eyes darted toward his bodyguards, One side of his face was already swollen and had turned red from the blow. “What the hell are you waiting for? Beat him up!” He screamed at them.
The guards hesitated, exchanging glances. Then, as if wordlessly disagreeing, they turned and ran.
Jude’s stomach dropped. “Come back here!” His voice cracked, his panic rising. “That’s an order, you…”
Another punch silenced him. Jude doubled over with a choked gasp, crumpling to his knees.
Lucas loomed over him, eyes as cold as ever, I had never seen Lucas’s eyes this cold. In fact, he looked like a heartless beast. As if Jude’s blood didn’t ignite any emotions inside him. “Who sent you?”
Chapter 21
.25 Bonus
Jude wheezed, sucking in painful breaths. He didn’t answer.
Lucas crouched, fisting a hand in his hair and yanking his head up. His voice was low and weak. “I don’t ask twice.”
Jude whimpered. His pride, his arrogance, none of it mattered now. “Alex!” he blurted, the name burning on his tongue. “Alex sent me!”
Lucas’s jaw tightened. His grip loosened, and without another word, he let Jude collapse onto the floor like the worthless trash he was.
Then, he pulled out his phone.
I watched, stunned, as he dialed a number and lifted it to his ear. His voice, when he spoke, was deathly cold.
“Alex Carter, Austra Grand Hotel, I’ll wait.”
