Chapter 263
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Jake grabbed Marina by the throat without warning, slamming her onto the table. He leaned in, his face just inches from hers.
“You really think I wouldn’t lay a hand on you?” Jake sneered.
“Still pretending you’re the high and mighty lady from the Finley family? Give me a break. The Finleys are barely hanging on in Vrufield’s elite circle these days.”
Marina struggled, leaving several scratch marks across Jake’s face
That just pissed Jake off even more. He leaned in, trying to steal kiss from her.
Just then, someone messed with the lock, and the door burst open from outside.
Jake’s face fell. He looked up at the doorway, snapping angrily.
“Can’t you see I’m in the middle of something here?” he barked.
But his voice trailed off at the end, suddenly lacking confidence.
At the same time, Marina grabbed the wine bottle sitting on the table. The instant Jake got distracted, she smashed it against his head.
Jake cried out in pain, clutching his head and stumbling back a few steps.
He let go of her neck, and Marina gasped for air, greedily drawing in each breath.
The next moment, Jake, still looming in front of her, was sent flying with a powerful kick.
Marina glanced sideways, finally noticing Daron standing at her side, his expression dark and icy.
He reached out and yanked Marina behind him, putting himself between her and danger.
All of Jake’s bravado vanished in front of Daron, and he plastered on a sycophantic grin.
“Daron, what are you doing here? I messed up, seriously! I thought you weren’t into her, so I figured it was okay to…” Jake started to explain, but before he could finish, he let out a sharp cry.
Before Jake could finish, Daron strode forward and stomped down hard on the back of his hand. Jake screamed in agony.
But Daron didn’t even flinch, grinding his shoe down even harder.
“So, do you get it now?” Daron asked coldly.
Jake nodded like a bobblehead, not even daring to try and pull Daron’s foot off his hand.
“I get it, Daron. I was wrong. Seriously, I swear!” Jake pleaded.
Seeing that Marina was safe, Finn told the security team to leave. Even though he trusted his staff to keep their mouths shut, he still gave them a stern warning to make absolutely sure this incident stayed buried.
He was also relieved that this was the Plum Grove room, the most secluded private room in Gracefall Dining. Hardly any important guests ever got seated here.
So, aside from the people directly involved, almost no one else would ever find out what went down.
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Chapter 263
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Back when they were waiting for the door to be unlocked, Finn could tell Daron was barely holding back his temper. He looked ready to explode at any second.
After all, this was Finn’s own turf, and the Taylor Family had the Milner Family backing them up. Plus, Jake’s dad had been on a winning streak these past few years. Finn had to tread carefully, no point in making powerful enemies over this.
After Daron had landed a few brutal kicks to Jake’s gut, leaving bin doubled over in agony and unable to even speak, Finn finally stepped into the private room, putting on his mediator act
“Daron, Jake’s a regular here, so do me a favor and let me handle this. Marina’s just a kid. She looks terrified. Why don’t you take her home? I promise, Jake won’t come near her, not for years, I swear,” Finn said, trying to smooth things over.
Daron stood there, his face expressionless and cold, saying nothing.
Finn gave Jake a sharp kick with his foot as Jake lay sprawled on the floor.
Jake bobbed his head, wincing in pain.
“I promise, if I ever run into Marina…” Jake began, but Daron’s icy glare cut him off.
Jake instantly backtracked. “I swear, if I ever see Ms. Finley, I’ll steer clear. I won’t ever show my face or bother her again.”
Daron snorted coldly, his eyes icy and sharp as he stared Jake down. “Don’t forget what you said today.”
Jake nodded.
Daron just yanked Marina by the hand and dragged her out, not saying a word.
Her wrist ached from his iron grip, but seeing how cold and intimidating Daron looked, Marina didn’t dare complain. She just scurried after him, not even daring to breathe too loud.
Once they stepped out of Gracefall Dining, the man in front of Marina came to a sudden halt.
Marina stopped as well, looking up at him.
She noticed the Finley family’s car parked right at the entrance, with Elnora’s assistant standing by the door, holding it open for her sister.
Elnora bent down and stepped out of the car, dressed in a sharp suit. She must’ve come straight from the office.
As soon as Marina saw her, she hurried over. “Sis…”
But she hadn’t even taken two steps before Daron yanked her back.
Elnora stepped out of the car and stood her ground by the door, her eyes locking onto Daron as she said coolly,
“You’re hurting her,” she told Daron.
Daron snorted. “Hurting her? Compared to what went down in that room, this is nothing.”
Still, even as he said that, he eased up his grip on Marina’s wrist.
Elnora just raised an eyebrow, saying nothing.
Daron looked at Elnora, his face twisted in pure sarcasm.
“Ms. Finley, you sure know how to work the system. Tell me, if I hadn’t shown up at Gracefall Dining today, were you really going to just stand there and let your sister get pushed around by Jake?
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Chapter 263
“Or was this all part of your plan to suck up to the Crosby family and grab yourself a spot at the top?”
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“My sister’s not like that!” Marina protested, jumping to defend nora. But before she could say another word, Daron shot her a death glare.
Elnora wasn’t fazed at all by Daron’s accusation. Instead, she wore a smug, triumphant smile, like she’d already won.
“Mr. Zamora, seriously? If I wanted to use my sister to climb up in the world, wouldn’t I have hitched my wagon to you first? The Taylors? Please, they’re small potatoes compared to you.”
“Too bad for you, though, my sister doesn’t want anything to do with your tree,” she shot back, smirking.
Daron’s eyes were icy cold, and Marina didn’t dare look at him. She ducked her head, feeling nervous. Just when she thought he’d loosened his grip, he squeezed her wrist again, so tight it actually hurt.
Elnora, meanwhile, was totally calm. She stared right back at Daron, her lips curled in a barely–there, teasing smile.
“Since you’re so concerned about my sister, Mr. Zamora, why not use your fancy connections and set her up with someone who’s actually worth it?” Elnora shot back, her words full of challenge.
Daron gave Elnora a cold look. Just then, the driver pulled up and hopped out to open the car door.
With a stormy expression, Daron tried to pull Marina into the car with him.
But Elnora walked over, lifted her heel, and nudged the door closed right in his face.
“You know how it is. Now that the Finley family’s barely hanging on, we can only talk marriage with families like the Crosbys. Didn’t you say you’d introduce her to some eligible bachelors?” Elnora said, not bothering to hide the sarcasm.
Elnora was clearly doing it on purpose, trying to make Daron say it out loud, right in front of both her and Marina. That he was going to play matchmaker for Marina.
Daron let out a sigh, half annoyed, half amused by Elnora’s way of playing gatekeeper. He couldn’t help but let out a dry laugh.
“Fine,” Daron shot back.
Elnora raised an eyebrow, casting a sly look at Marina behind Daron.
Marina’s heart twinged, and she instinctively tried to yank her hand out of Daron’s grasp.
Daron just squeezed her wrist even tighter, letting out a cold, biting chuckle. His words came out through clenched teeth.
“So, Ms. Finley, am I good enough for her?” Daron shot back, his voice tight with sarcasm and barely contained anger.
Marina’s head snapped up in shock, her gaze instantly dimming as a mist of pain clouded her eyes.
Elnora gave a subtle, mocking smile.
“Come on, Mr. Zamora, you really think you fit the bill for ‘young and promising‘? According to modern medicine, guys between 36 and 59 are officially middle–aged. You’re just about there, aren’t you?” said Elnora.
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