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?"

Bellamy was always like this-brutally straightforward, never leaving any room for herself or others.

Fraser stared at her cool, pretending-it-doesn't-hurt expression. His eyes darkened, intense and unreadable.

He pulled her hard into his arms, then nodded slightly at the people in the hallway without a word, about to leave with her.

"Fraser, wait!" Marianne's tone was soft again, but her eyes told a different story as she looked at Bellamy.

Like Bellamy was some shameless stray trying to steal her son away.

Marianne turned toward her husband. "Arthur, get someone to drive Bellamy home."

"Mrs. Branwell, how about letting me decide that?" Bellamy stayed snuggled against Fraser, her smile bright and playful.

"I just clocked my supplier upside the head, so that deal's probably down the drain now. No choice-if I want this project wrapped up on time, I've gotta take a shortcut. So I'll just sleep with your son tonight. By morning, I bet the materials problem will magically disappear."

Her shameless words dropped like a bomb in front of everyone, clearly meant to provoke. Marianne went pale on the spot.

"Enough." Fraser finally broke his silence, voice low and cold.

He shoved her head into his chest, shielding her, and turned to Marianne with a guilty expression. "Mrs. Blake, Bellamy's not doing great tonight. I want to take her home and make sure she's okay. I really can't trust anyone else with her."

Even with the apology in his voice, his tone left no room for argument.

Marianne opened her mouth, about to speak, when Axel stepped out and cut her off. "Mrs. Blake, let it go. You know how Bellamy is-only Fraser can rein her in. If he doesn't deal with her tonight, who knows what chaos she'll stir up in Cavelle City."

He then shot Fraser a look and waved frantically: "Go, man. Why are you still here?"

Bellamy peeked up from Fraser's embrace, her eyes bright as she spotted him. "Whoa, Axel! I didn't even notice you there! You're back? Haven't seen you in, what, a month? Dang, you got even tanner!"

Axel's face darkened instantly-and not because of a tan.

Damn it. And now he got why Fraser could put up with her. The way they talk? Total carbon copy.

With Axel running distraction, Fraser managed to get Bellamy out, and the rest of the crowd went their own ways too.

Thanks to Bellamy, the night hadn't gone smoothly, and Marianne was beyond frustrated.

Still, before leaving, she made sure to pull Lydia aside for a quick word of comfort.

"Lydia, Fraser's just known Bellamy since they were kids, and he's always treated her like a little sister. Tonight he just got confused for a second. And Bellamy, well... she's just like that. Anyway, I want to say sorry-for his sake. Forget tonight, okay?"

Lydia put on a kind, understanding smile. "Mrs. Branwell, no need to apologize on his behalf. Fraser didn't do anything wrong. I've dealt with Bellamy before-I'm not gonna take it personally. Don't worry."

But the minute she got into her car, that sweet expression vanished.

God, Bellamy was shameless. No class, no upbringing. No wonder the Hawkins family doesn't acknowledge her.

Thinking about that arrogant smirk of Bellamy's made her grind her teeth in rage-but then a sly smile crept across her face.

Fine, let Bellamy keep running wild.

Let's see just how much more of this Fraser can actually tolerate.

Ever since Fraser got in the car, he hadn't said a single word. His sharp features were tense, and the whole car felt like the calm before a major storm.

Bellamy slumped lazily in the seat, completely oblivious to any tension, chattering away like it was just another casual ride.

"You're mad, right? Because I went too far tonight? Fighting was bad enough, but my mouth really ran wild too, huh?"

Fraser just kept staring ahead with that cold face, saying nothing. Bellamy, not one to be discouraged, only got more into her own monologue.

"Okay, okay, I know you're seriously pissed. Probably because I totally ruined your date dinner, right?"

Still no response.

Refusing to give up, she leaned in sideways and nudged closer. "Silent treatment means you're admitting it, yeah?"

She'd been spouting nonsense ever since getting in, and Fraser had tried to ignore her, telling himself he'd 'discipline' her later tonight. But at this point, he'd had enough.

He cut off the engine, letting the black Cayenne sit boldly in the middle of the road, and just leaned in to shut her up the fastest way he knew-by kissing her.

The car behind them started blaring its horn like crazy, but Fraser couldn't care less. Instead, he deepened the kiss, like he was trying to steal her breath.

Bellamy whimpered, breathless, struggling to get some air, but he didn't back off. Pushed to the limit, she finally used the self-defense moves he himself had taught her, driving her elbow hard into his stomach. He let out a low grunt and pulled away, glaring at her.

Bellamy shot him a side-eye glare. "Are you insane? Horny as hell and making out in the middle of the street at night? Keep going and someone's gonna ram your car out of sheer spite."

Fraser was panting, eyes locked onto her. "Forget about me and public decency-how about you take a good look at yourself? Ever think about whether you've even got a heart in there?"

"I do!" Bellamy shot back instantly, yanking his hand to her chest. "Feel it? Still thumping like crazy."

Fraser felt his chest tighten with a fury he barely held back-she was driving him mad. He had to take a couple of deep breaths to stop himself from completely losing it and falling into her antics.

"Bellamy, I've been trying for years to fix things between you and your mother. Can't you just meet me halfway once? Just once, try to talk to her like a normal person?"

She'd heard this same line from him a thousand times, and it never failed to light a fire in her. Her temper shot up, and she grabbed his collar, her eyes burning.

"How many times do I need to say it? I hate her! We can't stand under the same sky! Dead or alive, I'm never gonna smile and play nice with her. So Fraser, quit wasting your time. Stop trying to please both sides! Be the good son she wants-marry Lydia if that's what she says. Cut me off if she orders it. But she doesn't get to control me. I'll keep clinging to you, keep messing with you on purpose, keep shoving myself right in her face. What, she gonna stop me?"

Bellamy's face flushed; she was breathing hard, her chest rising and falling with emotion. Her knuckles gripping his shirt had gone pale. Her bright eyes sparkled with unshed tears, making her powerful words all the more heartbreaking.

Fraser just sat there, face soaking wet from what felt like half her saliva-but he was totally defenseless against her now.

He let out a long sigh, wiped his face, and shifted the topic away from Marianne as gently as he could.

"Fine. Since you say you're not letting go of me, why didn't you come to me about the building materials? You could've just said something. I'd have sorted it with one phone call. No need to go out drinking with people like that."

Bellamy had already spent the fight's fire on her rant. She let go of his collar, slouched back into her seat, and turned to stare out the window.