Chapter 12

It was super noisy on the other end, and Fraser could vaguely make out someone with a rough voice yelling for Bellamy. "Bellamy, come over here! What's up? You giving up already? If you down this bottle, I'll knock another five percent off the price!" Bellamy shot back, voice even louder and rougher, then casually said into the phone, "Fraser, I gotta go kick some ass, talk later!" Fraser winced-she was practically shouting straight into his eardrum. He pulled the phone away instinctively, just in time to hear the line go dead. His face darkened immediately. Without hesitation, he pulled up her tracker. After that close call when Bellamy almost got grabbed by the competition, Fraser had personally taught her some self-defense, set up security around her, and snuck a tracking app onto her phone. The result came in fast-she was just over a hundred meters away. In a flash, Fraser stood up, tossed out a quick "Sorry," and rushed out. The sudden move caught everyone off guard, all eyes turning to Axel. Axel shrugged helplessly. "I only heard ‘kick some ass' over the phone. So... I'm guessing he's off to fight someone?" Classic knight-in-armor move... he thought silently to himself. Honestly, other than Bellamy, Marianne couldn't think of anyone that could get Fraser this worked up. Her expression turned cold, and she stood up to follow him out. Naturally, her devoted husband Arthur followed in a hurry. Lydia, who clearly had been itching to go too, took the chance to tag along. Eventually, everyone ended up heading out. They hadn't gone far when Marianne stopped. From a nearby room, Bellamy's voice rang out loud and fierce. "I've been drinking my ass off with you people, and now you wanna go back on your word and even try to sleep with me? You must have a death wish. What, think I'm some pushover you can bully? Think again!" Marianne slowly pushed the door open. Fraser was standing right by the entrance, looking absolutely thunderous, sleeves rolled halfway up. Bellamy, wielding the jagged neck of a broken bottle, was cursing out two chubby middle-aged men sporting bruised faces. Behind her were a few employees from Hawkins Corp, all looking like they wanted to help but were too intimidated to move. Bellamy sensed the door open and turned her head slightly. Spotting Marianne, she froze for a moment-then let out a cold sneer. She dropped the bottle, tidied her tousled hair and clothes, and sauntered over. "The look on your face, Mrs. Branwell... shocked, are we? Realizing I'm a little rougher than you imagined? Starting to really wish I'd disappear from Fraser's life?" She leaned in, practically whispering in her ear. "Well, I was born without a proper upbringing, even without a mother's love, so I guess I'll never be the classy, polite type like Fraser or Lydia." Marianne's face drained of color. She stumbled back a step, and Arthur and Lydia quickly moved to steady her. That's when Bellamy noticed the crowd outside-basically the entire Branwell and Grant families. So... this an engagement talk? Parents meeting because the kids are into each other? The alcohol was hitting her now, and Bellamy was starting to feel off across the board. She backed up to Fraser's side, expression unreadable, and looked straight at him. "So what's the plan? You driving me home for a hot night, or playing knight all the way and dropping your date off too?"