#CHAPTER 12 Rehabilitating the Playboy

I fell out of the bed, scrambling away from him as he advanced. I was nearly at the door when he grabbed me by the back of the neck. lifting me off the floor without effort. His breath was hot and sour in my face, “You are nothing without me, you cannot defy me.” He raised his other arm to strike me. But then the door burst open, and I was dropped as the sound of Lucas’s scream pierced my ears. “Don’t you touch her, you bastard!” My father’s voice echoed. He was standing above me, a candelabra waving frantically in his hands. Lucas held his hands up to his temple, where a streak of blood was beginning to trickle down his cheeks. “I’ve always liked you, Lucas, but take one more step and I won’t hesitate to strike you again.” Lucas lowered his arms, a smile breaking across his face. “This is all a misunderstanding. You must have seen the news reports by now, you know how delicate your daughter is. I–” “No!” My father countered, his eyes blazing wi