Chapter 176

"Hmm?" Samantha glanced sideways, expression sharp. "I won't let anyone mess with you again," Alexander said coldly. "The ones who've hurt you—I'll make sure they pay for it." Samantha tilted her head, letting out a sarcastic chuckle. "Wow, thanks! If you'd said that a year ago, I might've cried tears of gratitude. Now? Yeah, not so much." Alexander's face darkened slightly. "There were too many of them. I didn't want you to get hurt." She scoffed. "Get hurt? Please. I can stomach anything—except taking a hit lying down. They thought just 'cause they acted tough, I'd crawl away? Give me a break. You think I'm still that doormat Caitlin people used to push around?" Alexander quietly sighed. He could tell she wasn't the same person anymore—that was obvious. The powerful aura she carried now, that icy attitude, she definitely wasn't someone easily cowed. But still, he couldn't help worrying. The second he'd heard those women cornered her, he dropped everything to come back. "I just meant.