Chapter 6 You're More Interesting Than I Thought

For a moment, Curtis' heart clenched, sending a sharp pain through him. "What's wrong?" As if sensing his odd behavior, Sonya spoke up softly from the safety of his arms. "N-Nothing," he replied, pursing his dry lips. He told himself he must have imagined it. Chloe couldn't possibly have meant it when she'd mouthed the words "I'm done with you". After a few more rounds, the gunfire ceased, and the Steele family's bodyguards stormed the restaurant. They surrounded the middle-aged man, who was still holding his gun, aiming squarely at Brian. It was a tense standoff between them. "My friend lost everything when the Steeles drove his business to bankruptcy, Brian! Tonight you're going to pay with your life!" shouted the man, Chad Gunness, his voice shaking with hatred. "Oh, really?" Brian calmly responded. Even with a gun pointed at his chest, his handsome face didn't show so much as a flicker of emotion as he slowly walked toward Chad. "Plenty of people want me dead. What makes you think you'll be the one to kill me?" Caught off guard by Brian walking toward him, Chad panicked and pulled the trigger again, just as two of the bodyguards tackled him from behind and pinned him to the ground. The shot went wide and grazed past Brian's side. He didn't even flinch, as if whether he got shot or not didn't matter at all. "Let me go!" Chad yelled, struggling against the bodyguards. A guard retrieved the gun and respectfully presented it to Brian. "Mr. Steele, the weapon." Brian casually took it, fiddled with it, then pressed the muzzle against Chad's temple. "W-What are you doing?" Chad stammered, trembling. "Since you had the guts to try to kill me, didn't you think of the consequences?" Brian's voice was icy and calm as his fingers slowly closed around the trigger. The sound of the gun cocking echoed in the silent room, eliciting gasps from the onlookers. Chad paled with terror. "Y-You wouldn't dare! We're in public… You'll go to jail for murder!" "Why don't we find out? Though unfortunately, you won't be around to see the result," Brian replied indifferently, as if Chad was just an insignificant man. Just then, a figure lunged at Brian and knocked him to the ground, stopping him from pulling the trigger. No one had seen it coming, and not even the Steeles' bodyguards had noticed anyone sneaking up to Brian's side. Lena's mouth hung open as she stared in shock. When did Chloe move? And was she insane that she went and tackled Brian—and that too, while he was armed? Curtis and his friends were equally stunned. A mocking gleam flashed in Sonya's eyes. It seemed Chloe was more foolish than she'd thought, after all. Did Chloe really think this stunt would win her points? Crossing Brian would only make Curtis hate her more. "What do you think you're doing?" Brian's voice cut through the chaos, a rare ripple of surprise passing through his cold eyes. Chloe pressed down on his wrist, forcing him to move the gun away. "You can't kill him." Brian asked coldly, "Do you know this man?" "No." "Why are you helping him then?" "He's committed a crime, and it's the court that should judge him. You're safe now. He no longer has the power to hurt you, so whether he lives or dies isn't your decision to make." Brian stared at Chloe before he suddenly said, "You're rather courageous, Ms. Quall. But it's a pity I hate people who meddle in my business." In an instant, he twisted free and swung the muzzle toward her forehead instead. But just as quickly, a cold, sharp table knife was pressed against his throat. For a moment, the room froze. Suddenly, the police swarmed in, drawing weapons. "Nobody move!" Brian halted, and Chloe exhaled, relaxing slightly. "What's going on? Who called this in?" the lead officer asked. "I did!" Chloe replied, withdrawing the table knife and standing up. Brian rose as well, his eyes never leaving her. Approaching them, the officer recognized Brian with just a glance. "Mr. Steele, are you hurt?" "I'm fine. This man attempted to kill me, and this is the weapon he used," Brian said as he handed over the gun. The officer collected it before eyeing Chloe and the knife in her hand. "And this is…" "A table knife. I used it to defend myself when things got out of hand. I assume that's not a problem?" Chloe passed it over without hesitation. As the police examined it, Brian's lips curved into a faint smile. "You're more interesting than I thought, Ms. Quall. I hope we meet again." Chloe pressed her lips together and said nothing. Everyone knew Brian was dangerous, and her instincts told her that she needed to keep her distance. … After the shooting, Chloe and the others were taken to the police station to give their statements. When Chloe stepped out of the interrogation room, she saw Curtis' friends and Sonya waiting in the lobby. As soon as Curtis spotted her, he stormed over and scolded her. "What were you thinking, holding a knife to Brian's neck? Don't forget that we're married, and if you offend him, it means Green Tech offended him too!" "Married?" Chloe let out a sharp laugh. "If you'd seen me as your wife, you wouldn't have shoved me aside to protect Sonya when the gunshots rang out." Curtis froze, and guilt flashed across his face. Luke sneered. "Sonya's weak and delicate, so of course she needed protecting! Should he have protected you instead? Don't you think you're overestimating yourself?" "Funny… You all love to boast about Sonya being as strong and fearless as a man. So how come she's suddenly a weak, helpless damsel who needs protection?" Chloe shot back. Luke froze, his cheeks flushing in embarrassment. Sonya's eyes glimmered. "Curtis was just kind enough to protect me, Chloe. Aren't you blowing it out of proportion? Maybe people like you are the reason people call women petty." "Petty, my ass!" Lena snapped at that, charging over after giving her statement. "A husband shoves his wife aside to protect his mistress, and you have the nerve to tell her not to be petty? Sonya, you wear that homewrecker label with more pride than anyone I've ever seen." She'd witnessed the scene at the restaurant, and she was still fuming. Lena's voice carried loud and clear. Everyone who'd come to give their statements turned to stare at the commotion. Curtis' expression darkened, while Sonya bristled. "Stop calling me a homewrecker!" "What else would you call it?" Lena fired back. "Despite being Chloe's husband, Curtis shoved her aside to protect you when gunshots rang out. Was that saintly selflessness on his part? Or does he owe you because you did him a huge favor, like saving his entire family?" Her words were fired out of her mouth like a machine gun, leaving the police station buzzing. All eyes focused squarely on Sonya.