Chapter 12

"Oh? Is that so?" Lorraine thought she had gone way too easy on Ambrose. Hence, she swung her hand again and slapped him hard across the face. "Do you think I can't live without you for the rest of my life? Ambrose, have you already forgotten how you were begging outside my place a few days ago, like a dog with its tail between its legs? "Heck, calling you a dog is an insult to all dogs—you're beneath an animal!" "Lorraine!" Just then, he slammed his fist on the table. His eyes were blazing red as he spat out, "My patience has its limits. Get on your knees right now and apologize to me!" Lorraine chuckled. "Who do you think you are? Also, you don't have to worry about whether I'll ever get married. My fiancé and I are doing just fine, so mind your own business!" Right after saying that, she looped her arm around Justin's and leaned against his shoulder. "Let's go, honey!" In truth, she was a bundle of nerves, afraid that Justin would push her away. In a heartbeat, he pulled her into his arms. Resting against Justin's chest, she could hear his steady heartbeat. "My fiancée and I are very much in love. Don't make a fool of yourself, Mr. Gale." Ambrose clenched his teeth. "You'll regret this!" Lorraine shot him a cold look and sneered, "The only thing I regret is ever meeting you!" The couple left arm in arm, leaving the mess behind. Noticing that Ambrose was staring in the direction Lorraine and Justin had gone, Roxanne cautiously reached out to touch him. "Ambrose…" "Don't touch me!" Roxanne yelped as she was shoved aside, crashing into the table. Dishes clattered and shattered. Then, she fell into the mess, looking scratched up and disheveled. Ambrose came back to his senses and hurriedly helped her up. "I'm so sorry, Roxanne! I—" "You promised you'd give me a good life, Ambrose! Why are you treating me like this?" she sobbed, clutching her bleeding arm. In a split second, his guilt died down. As he reached for her shoulders, hatred surged in his eyes. "Trust me, Roxanne. I'll make that bitch pay for this!" … The following day, even though she was swamped with work, Lorraine never forgot her plan to pick up Frederick with Justin. When it was almost time, she stood up and prepared to leave. All of a sudden, her phone chimed. She assumed it was Justin's, so she pulled it out to take a look. However, her pupils contracted the very next second, and her heart started pounding against her chest. "How could this be…" she murmured. The blood drained from her face, and she rushed out of the office. Lorraine was so shaken she didn't notice the tall figure standing at the end of the hallway watching her. She had just gotten into her car when another message came through. It was from Ambrose, saying, "If you don't show up within half an hour, we'll see each other in the headline tomorrow." Frederick had been caught in a massive academic scandal in her previous life. A highly respected SCI paper had been exposed as ghostwritten and falsified. It had become the only stain of his entire research career. Unfortunately, Frederick had met with an accident then. Lorraine had no way to verify the truth, and with all the evidence pointing at him, he had been forced to accept the verdict. Yet, she never once doubted Frederick's integrity. Lorraine hadn't expected the evidence to be in Ambrose's hands. He carried memories from their past lives as well. Just then, her phone chimed again. Justin's message read, "Where'd you go?" Lorraine bit down hard on her lower lip. After a fierce internal struggle, she resigned herself and replied to him. "I'm sorry, Justin. I need to meet Ambrose to get something. I can't pick up Dad with you. I'll be back as soon as I can." After hitting send, she stepped on the gas and sped out of the parking lot. The destination was an abandoned studio. Rust covered the door, and the wooden loft reeked of decay. The doors and windows were shut tight—not a single ray of light reached the stairwell. Lorraine turned on her flashlight and slowly made her way upstairs. The empty hall was eerily silent. "Stop playing games with me and show yourself!" As soon as her words fell, footsteps sounded behind her. Lorraine turned around warily. The floorboards creaked as Ambrose stepped out of the shadows, his face dark and menacing. A mirthless smile played on his lips as he asked, "Are you scared?" "If you don't show me the proof, how am I supposed to know it's real? Hand it over!" Lorraine extended her hand. This wasn't the time to argue. She needed to get her hands on his alleged evidence first. He tilted his head and chuckled. "What makes you think I'll hand it over just because you asked for it?" Her heart sank, and her expression darkened. "What do you want in exchange?" "I want you to break up with Justin and marry me!" Lorraine's stomach churned; she felt so nauseous she wanted to throw up. "Have you no shame?" "You ruined my career and my life. Don't you think you owe me for that?" "Cut the crap. That's the consequence of your own choices. Now, hand it over!" Tension permeated the room like a thick layer of gasoline. As their eyes met, the match was struck, sending sparks flying. All of a sudden, Ambrose smiled and opened his palm. "Relax. I never said I wouldn't give it to you." Her instincts screamed danger, but the flash drive was just within reach. Lorraine thought of Frederick's ruined reputation in her past life, clenched her teeth, and reached out. In the blink of an eye, his face twisted. He yanked her wrist, forced her down, and clamped a hand around her throat. In the darkness, a sharp needle flashed with a cold gleam before plunging into her skin. "I told you not to push me, you bitch!" Pain shot through her neck, causing her to scream. Lorraine's scalp went numb as she staggered back, clutching her neck. "What did you inject me with?" A chilling, sinister laugh followed. "Why don't you take a guess?" Lorraine didn't need to because she soon realized something was wrong. Her body felt so unbearably hot that she instinctively wanted to rip off her clothes, and it was reacting in a way she could not control. Leaning against the wall, she gasped for air. Her eyes were ablaze with hatred as she spat out, "Ambrose… You scumbag, how dare you drug me?" "So what if I did?" With a twisted smile, he undid his clothes and closed in on her, the look in his eyes growing more dangerous by the second. "If you'd just behaved, none of this would've happened. Let me guess, you haven't been with Justin yet, have you? I'll make sure he only ever gets what I leave behind." With that, he lunged at Lorraine. A nauseating stench flooded her senses as he forced himself on her. Lorraine screamed. Regret washed over her. She never should have come to see Ambrose alone. Lorraine had known he was despicable, but she never imagined he could sink this low. Just as she had completely lost hope, Ambrose was yanked away. "Who the hell—" He turned around, only to be punched in the face. The flashlight rolled across the floor, its beam landing on a face twisted with rage. Ambrose froze before he blanched. "What are you doing here, Justin?" Without saying a word, Justin yanked off his tie, wrapped it around his fist, and charged straight at Ambrose. Veins bulged on his forehead as he struck Ambrose again and again. Ambrose was completely overwhelmed, beaten down until two of his teeth flew from his mouth and hit the floor, and his body went limp. "Please… Stop!" He spat out a mouthful of blood before reaching out blindly and latching onto Justin's leather shoe in surrender. He had known Justin for years, yet he had no idea he was such a good fighter. He was being beaten within an inch of his life and no longer dared to resist. "You scumbag!" Staring at him coldly, Justin lifted his leg and drove his foot into Ambrose's crotch. His scream tore through the air before his body went limp. "Justin…" Lorraine called out weakly while leaning against the wall in the distance. Justin snapped back to reality and sprinted toward her. "Lorraine, are you—" He had just crouched down, and before he could finish his sentence, the young woman threw her arms around him and sealed his lips with hers. His mind went completely blank the moment their lips met. Her restless hands roamed all over him, igniting a fire inside him. The pair's breathing grew heavy in the cramped, shadowed corner. Justin felt the spell snap when her ragged breaths sounded right by his ear. It was as though he was being doused in ice water. He pushed her away almost immediately. "Lorraine!" "Justin…" she cried out as she clung to Justin's neck before pressing her body against him. "Help me… I can't take it anymore…" Her hand, sliding downward, was immediately caught.