Chapter 104
Chapter 104
Lavern reached up, moving quickly to unbutton Marina’s shirt.
He lifted his head, desperate to see how she’d respond.
But just as he looked up, Marina’s hand landed on the ashtray. She grabbed it and brought it crashing down on his head with all her strength.
In just a few seconds, Lavern was slammed with a blinding headache and dizziness.
Blood streamed down his forehead, dripping into his eyes until everything looked red.
He just gawked at Marina, disbelief written all over his face.
He never imagined Marina would be so ruthless with him.
But after the initial shock, Lavern almost felt relieved.
‘Honestly, maybe this is better,‘ Lavern thought to himself. ‘If she’s vented her anger, maybe she’ll stop freezing me out!‘
He reached up to wipe the blood from his eye, but Marina instinctively threw up her hand to shield herself.
Lavern paused, his expression freezing when he saw her flinch.
“You think I’m gonna hit you?” Lavern said, pain flashing in his
Lavern reached out and gently pushed her hand down.
eyes.
“Marina, are you scared I’ll hit you?” Lavern’s voice was soft, tinged with hurt.
They’d been together for seven years, and he’d never once laid a hand on her.
But the
way she reacted just now showed that her trust in him was gone.
His emotions were all over the place, churning inside him.
“You think I’d hit you?” Lavern pressed, his eyes fixed on her.
He asked her three times, like he wouldn’t stop until she answered.
Marina instinctively sat up, putting some space between herself and Lavern.
Her reaction had been triggered by Lavern’s gross words and actions–she’d lashed out without thinking.
Now that she’d cooled off, it hit her just how big the gap in strength was between men and women. If Lavern ever snapped and tried to hit her, even if she fought with everything she had, she wouldn’t stand a chance.
She quickly buttoned up her shirt with one hand, her voice tight and restrained.
“Since you were already trying to force yourself on me, would it really be so strange if you hit me too?” Marina said, her voice strained with anger.
Lavern saw her fixing her messy clothes, and his expression froze. He cooled off a bit.
“Marina, I wasn’t trying to force you, I just got carried away. I’m just terrified of losing you, of you not loving me anymore, of…” Lavern’s voice shook as he spoke.
Chapter 104
Dec 23 MOT
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Marina’s other hand gripped the ashtray so tightly her knuckles turned white, and her hand shook as she fumbled with the buttons on her shirt.
Just as she was about to give up, Lavern reached out and fastened the buttons for her. Marina’s grip on the ashtray tightened
even more.
“I’m sorry, I should’ve tried to fix things between us in a gentler way,” Lavern said, his voice soft and full of regret.
Once the buttons were done, Marina edged away, putting more distance between herself and Lavern, never letting go of the ashtray in her hand.
Lavern watched her move, a flash of defeat flickering in his eyes.
He took a deep breath, his chest heaving. He quickly forced down his emotions, loosened his tie, trying to calm his nerves, and forced himself to sound calm as he spoke to Marina.
“Marina, the reason I asked you to give up 20% of your shares at the meeting was to ease the pressure on Ross Group. My own shares just weren’t enough. If I…” Lavern said.
He spoke gently, acting like everything he did was for Ross Group, trying to protect what they’d built together and make the company even better–all for her sake, hoping she’d understand.
But all Marina could think about was how to get out of his office. She was terrified he might lose it and drag her back, and that would probably just piss him off even more.
Seeing her stay silent, Lavern thought she was considering it. He let out a quiet sigh, kept his tone gentle, not wanting to push her.
“Marina, take some time to think about it when you get home. I know you’ll do what’s right for Ross Group,” Lavern said softly.
As soon as Marina heard him say she could leave, she stood up and walked straight to the door. She quickly unlocked it and walked out.
Robert was still waiting outside. When he saw Marina come out, he let out a sigh of relief.
“Ms. Finley, are you okay?” Robert asked, concern in his voice.
Marina shook her head. Robert was way too scrawny to stand up to Lavern–if Lavern ever went off the rails again, he’d just haul her off like nothing.
Without hesitation, she pulled out her phone and shot Daron a message.
Marina: [Mr. Zamora, can you send me a few assistants who are seriously jacked–like, the kind who could take down ten creeps with a single punch–to Ross Group?]
Daron was in a meeting at a Zamora Group branch when his phone, sitting off to the side, lit up.
He glanced over, saw it was a message from Marina, and immediately picked up his phone to check it.
When he read the message, he frowned.
Marina wasn’t the type to ask for something out of the blue.
Daron: [Okay.]
He’d already been planning to assign some bodyguards to her.
Marina: [Thanks, Mr. Zamora.]
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Chapter 104
Daron: [No need to thank me. I owe you this–it’s what I deserve.]
What does that even mean? Marina wondered. ‘Is he saying I’m his karma or something?
Marina paused for a while, thinking it over before finally typing out a message.
Marina: [Guess I’ll have to hit you up again next time.]
But as soon as she finished, she decided it sounded off and deleted it, leaving the chat without replying.
Daron kept an eye on his phone for a while, saw the “typing…” bubble appear, but no new message ever showed up.
He put his phone down, face expressionless, but couldn’t help glancing at it again and again.
The people in the meeting room shot each other looks, trying to guess who could possibly have Mr. Zamora so hooked on his phone.
Marina went upstairs and stepped into her office.
Robert followed her in and started briefing her on what’s going on at Ross Group.
Marina just listened in silence and took a seat at her desk.
There was only one office and a shared workspace on this floor.
She used to think the place looked pretty good, but after seeing how impressive D’aron’s office was in Vrufield, this one just felt kind of underwhelming.
Guess that’s just how people are. Ambition never really has a limit. Once you get a taste of something better, you start craving more.
Marina leaned back in her chair, the image of Lavern’s twisted, furious face flashing through her mind. She couldn’t hide the disgust in her eyes.
‘Seven years ago, I must’ve been out of my mind,‘ Marina thought.
She’d already met someone like Daron—the brightest star in the room–but she still let Lavern pull the wool over her eyes. That was how she ended up getting betrayed right before the wedding.
‘Guess this is just karma,‘ she thought bitterly.
No wonder her sister had warned her back then, after finding out she was with Lavern: “A woman who settles for less deserves every bit of hardship that comes her way.”
Marina rubbed her forehead, ‘I just can’t figure out how that clean–cut, charming guy turned into such a sleazebag. It’s honestly sickening,’ she thought.
After Robert finished his report, he headed out.
Marina spaced out for a second, then snapped back to reality and got back to business.
Daron was lightning fast when it came to getting things done.
An hour later, a guy walked into her office. He was built like a tank, broad shoulders, thick waist, and even his face was wide.
“Ms. Finley, Mr. Zamora sent me over to report for duty. Here’s my resume for you to take a look at,” he said, handing it over with both hands.
The A4 paper looked almost tiny in his massive hands.
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Chapter 104
Marina couldn’t help but think. This guy doesn’t even need to throw a punch–one slap from hun could probably wipe out ten creeps
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
