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.

The people who were honking like crazy earlier all zipped around quietly once they spotted the Cayenne's license plate.

Bellamy curled her lips into a mocking grin, replied to his question halfheartedly like she couldn't be bothered.

"Fraser, you know me. I've got this on-and-off craziness, right? Sometimes I get a wild hair and think I can handle stuff without you. Turns out? Reality has hands. So yeah, I got in your car. And honestly? I'm probably just one step away from hopping into your bed too."

She gave him that flirty smirk, like some rogue teasing troublemaker, raising an eyebrow in his direction.

Fraser absolutely hated it when she acted like that - all indifferent and sarcastic. It felt like she was treating herself like she wasn't worth much.

That flicker of irritation he'd just bottled up came back harder, clenching in his chest.

Bellamy was still giving him that cheeky stare.

Jaw clenched, Fraser didn't even spare her a glance before slamming the gas pedal and speeding off.

By the time they made it back to the apartment, Fraser had only one thing on his mind-payback.

And he delivered it thoroughly, unleashing every ounce of pent-up frustration on her without holding back.

Bellamy, tipsy and flushed, didn't resist.

In fact, she matched him move for move, teasing, gasping, and giving him everything he wanted-maybe even more.

When it was finally over, Fraser lay back, chest heaving, his mind finally clear again.

The beast in him had quieted, and what remained was the man who always-always-cleaned up the mess he made.

He scooped her limp body into his arms and carried her to the bathroom.

Bellamy lay in the tub, eyes closed, head tilted back, the warm water lapping at her skin.

She looked utterly wrecked-and completely at peace.

Fraser knelt beside the tub, his hands moving over her with maddening precision, massaging each sore spot like he knew exactly where she ached.

Ruthless in bed. Gentle everywhere else.

And damn if she didn't love that about him.

"Ah-" Bellamy suddenly sucked in a sharp breath.

Fraser jerked in surprise. "What is it? Did I hurt you?"

She followed the sting down to her legs and finally noticed the small, thin cuts across her knees and calves. They smarted now that the water hit them.

Pretty obvious those cuts came from when she smashed that bottle earlier - probably from the glass shards.

Honestly? She brought it on herself. So even though it stung like hell, she didn't say another word.

Fraser shot her a look, got up to grab the first aid kit, and started treating every scratch, patching her up one band-aid at a time. But the more he did, the darker his face got.

Bellamy wasn't hurting anymore - she propped her chin up on one hand and just watched him, clearly amused.

What she couldn't figure out was whether Fraser was doing all this out of guilt over Marianne... or if there was something more.

But what she did know was, besides her dad, Fraser was the only one who'd ever seriously treated her right.

So much so that even someone like her - someone who only cared about herself - would sometimes feel like maybe, just maybe, she should be a little honest with him.

Leaning against the edge of the tub, she started talking softly.

"Fraser, truth is... I walked out of the hotel bathroom tonight just in time to see your family and the Grants all heading into that private room. I knew you were on a date with Lydia. I figured, I've been messing with your life forever - now that you've got a decent girl chasing after you, maybe I should do the noble thing and give you two some space. But you... you just had to be texting me, flirting with me while having your big date."

She let out a soft laugh.

"That's when I thought - okay buddy, you're asking for it. So I called you on purpose, told you I was heading into a fight on purpose, lured you there on purpose... all just so I could piss off your step-mom and that lovely date of yours."

Fraser didn't say a word, didn't even blink. His face was calm, his body language unreadable. He just kept carefully applying the last few band-aids.