Chapter 3

Police sirens pierced the night's stillness, and flashing red and blue lights illuminated the area outside the bar like daylight.

Officers stormed up to the second floor and kicked open the utility closet door.

The scene inside was gruesome.

The masked man was pressing Chloe down, a gleaming folding knife still in his hand, its blade against Chloe's neck.

Chloe's clothes were disheveled, her hair a mess, her face streaked with tears and terror, her meticulously applied makeup smeared.

"Police! Drop your weapon! Hands on your head!"

The man was terrified by the sudden bright lights and shouts. His hand shook, and the knife clattered to the floor.

Officers swiftly moved in, twisted his arms behind his back, and pinned him to the ground.

Chloe cowered in the corner, trembling like a dying fish.

When she looked up, her eyes widened instantly, filled with disbelief and venomous hatred, as she saw me, unharmed, standing outside the hallway crowd.

"Alice Stone! It's you! You set me up!" She shrieked desperately, trying to lunge at me, but was held back firmly by a female officer.

I looked at her expressionlessly, my gaze like I was looking at non-recyclable trash.

"Chloe, you're drunk. What are you rambling about?" My tone was calm, even with a hint of appropriate shock and pity. "I just went to the restroom, and when I came back, I saw all these people gathered here... How did you end up with someone like this?"

"Bullshit! You swapped my drink! You locked me in!" Chloe roared hysterically, like a madwoman.

"Madam, please mind your language," the lead officer frowned. "You sent messages inviting this man here. We've found your chat logs on his phone."

Chloe looked as if struck by lightning, freezing in place.

Of course, she knew the chat logs were real; she had personally sent them to this perverted fan, originally to use against me.

Now, they had become ironclad proof of her soliciting or staging a crime herself.

"No... It's not like that... I was just testing..." She stammered, trying to explain.

"Testing what? Testing how to incite sexual assault?" The officer scoffed. "Take her away!"

Chloe and the man were escorted downstairs.

As she passed me, Chloe glared, gritting out a sentence: "Alice Stone, you just wait, I won't let you get away with this!"

I offered a slight smile, saying in a voice only she could hear, "Alright, I'll be waiting to see how you disgrace and ruin yourself."

After the police left, the bar fell into a dead silence.

Ethan remained silently behind me, like a guardian angel.

He reached out, wrapped his arm around my shoulders, and pulled me into his embrace.

"This is what you meant by exposing a fraud?" His voice was low, tinged with dangerous scrutiny.

"Yes." I didn't hide anything. I looked up, meeting his deep eyes. "Ethan, Chloe tried to destroy me with the most vile methods. If I had been the one in there tonight, you would now be in prison for beating that man to a pulp to save me, all thanks to her."

Ethan's pupils constricted sharply, a tsunami of rage instantly swelling in his eyes.

He cupped my jaw, the rough touch of his thumb making me shiver slightly.

"She dared to lay a hand on you?" His voice was gritted through his teeth, filled with potent killing intent.

"She already did." I gripped his hand, my gaze firm. "So, I won't let her manipulate me anymore. Ethan, I'm going to fight back. I'm going to return everything she did to me a thousandfold."

Ethan stared at me for a long time, the storm in his eyes slowly subsiding, turning into a bottomless abyss.

He lowered his head and kissed my lips fiercely.

It was a kiss filled with aggression and possessiveness, carrying the scent of blood and an undeniable dominance.

"Alright," he released me, pressing his forehead against mine, his breathing heavy. "Whatever you want to do, I'll be with you. If the sky falls, I'll hold it up for you; if hell's gates open, I'll break through them for you."