Surrounded

Perfect. Just perfect.

I kicked Zoey down again. "You're calling me a homewrecker too?"

She shook her head fervently, guilt holding her down. Just when she was going to say something, Bartholomew jumped to her rescue, screaming. "Are you alright, Zoey?" He held her and gave her quiet messages with his eyes.

Zoey met his gaze and slowly calmed down. A calculating gleam flashed in her eyes.

Her relatives would not stand for this violence. "You can't hit her, you homewrecker!"

A guy rolled his sleeves up and raised his hand. Just when he was about to swing his fist, Zoey spoke up.

She no longer had that guilty look on her face.

"You've been harassing me for a whole year, Winston. I've said it a million times, no. I've told you I had a boyfriend. It's my big day today, and I will not let anyone ruin the wedding I spent so much time planning for Bart! Leave, or I'll call security!"

I met her gaze with a sneer. "Did you forget who gave you this hotel? You can't kick me out. Even if you can, that doesn't mean your dirty little secrets will be hidden forever."

Bartholomew held Zoey's hand and stepped forth. "Winston, I know you've always liked Zoey, and it hurts to see me marrying her. But the one she loves is me. You can't force love. We're getting married, and I don't want you to harass her anymore."

I was not surprised about these two, to be honest.

It was that discovery that led me to taking back the company I spent money and effort building for Zoey.

I had not told her that, of course. At first, I thought this was cruel and cold, and I wanted to give her one last chance.

Now I knew how wrong I was.

I was going to throw the reclamation papers into Zoey's face, but Benjamin came up with another wicked idea, and he raised his voice, "Oh, I know! You're that male secretary who tried to assault her! She told me about you!"

That nearly made me laugh, and I kicked Zoey's feet. "Really? Me, your secretary? Not fitting our status. Your father doesn't even know what his son-in-law does?"

A guy hurled a watermelon rind in my face. The hall erupted into laughter.

"You gold-digging swine! You don't even know how rich your target is? Zoey's a multimillionaire and a successful business owner with a list of companies! She has tons of supercars and mansions lying around!"

He added, "See this big and extravagant hotel? Zoey owns it! And Bart? He helps her handle all her companies and snagged loads of mega projects. He added millions to her companies' net worth and made them one of the world's top 100!"

Bartholomew, handling Zoey's companies, snagging deals, and raising their net worth so much they became one of the world's top companies?

Get real. I was the one who spent millions investing in her. I tapped into my folks' connections to help her network. I dealt with the clients to snag the deal, even though the appointments were beneath me.

I burned the midnight oil talking her through every project's completion, and I had to help her finish her job because she was limited by her extremely narrow scope and inexperience.

She was just a broke country girl who couldn't make enough for college tuition. Without my help, she'd never have made it on her own. Her kids would have to work to their bones.

Insult

My attitude rubbed someone the wrong way. They told Zoey, "I think you're too kind with your employees. A secretary shouldn't be messing with your wedding. The gall! I'd have fired him if I were you. Teach him a lesson!"

The other guests agreed right away. Zoey looked at me and started chastising me like I was her employee. "I can't keep you around anymore, not after this. But you've been a loyal man. You've worked hard. I'll assign you to a subsidiary. You won't really lose your job. But if you don't know your place, I will fire you!"

That got a lot of cheering from the crowd.

"That's a successful business owner for you! She gives second chances even to scum!"

I spat in the face of that offer and sneered. "You, firing me? I'd like to see you try. Go on!"

Someone sarcastically remarked, "Of course. Termination doesn't scare him. He can sell his body. Not like secretaries make much anyway."

Everyone gave me weird looks. Then, a greasy, half-naked guy leered at me. I saw him drool. "Nice bod, mate. I can do anything I want with you? How much for one time? I can't give you much. Not a rich guy. But I'm still Ms. Chandler's relative. How about a family discount?"

I glared at Zoey, my expression dark and stormy. "You're going to hide the truth and let them insult me how they want?"

Zoey paused for a moment, and she turned her head away. "Bart is my husband. I will not betray him. If you leave right now, nothing will happen."

Bartholomew looked smug, like he'd won. "I know you started this because you hate what's going on. Now you ruined your reputation and got nothing in return. If this were any other day, Zoey wouldn't have minded your extortion, but not on her wedding day. Yet she did not fire you even after you slandered her. She's done enough. Don't you have a conscience?"

Bartholomew shed tears for Zoey, and she quickly wiped them off with tissue paper.

Alright, this act was getting on my nerves. I slammed my foot into Bartholomew's back. He gasped and fell into Zoey's arms.

Her lover getting hit stoked Zoey's fury. "What the fuck is wrong with you, Winston?" She slapped me hard across the face.

I fell onto a table and was drenched with piping-hot gravy. It was greasy, and the liquid seeped through my summer clothes, scalding my skin all over.

Zoey ignored that and held Bartholomew in her arms. Shrilly, she barked, "Apologize to him right now or else!"

Bartholomew was gloating. I held down the burning pain and pushed myself up with my elbows, but that took everything I had.

I was wobbling, and her naked arms burned angrily. It was like a maw, laughing at the joke called my love. The pain scorched hotter with every passing moment, but my voice was colder than it had ever been.

"You dated me for three years and never told me you had a boyfriend. Now, you're holding your wedding in the hotel I gave you, and you also want me to apologize to him? What makes you think you can lord me around? Just because I gave you everything you asked? I can take everything away from you right now, you know."

That stunned Zoey.

The guests whispered among themselves.

"Do you think it's true? The relationship, the wedding, and the hotel gift to Zoey?"

A Rescuer?

"It's obviously fake," someone answered. "We've been there for most of Zoey's life. We know the kind of girl she is. If the hotel is his, what's stopping him from saying that Zoey's companies are his too?"

A timid female voice spoke up hesitantly. "But I Googled the shirt he's wearing. It's a very expensive luxury item. Not even Bart has it."

An angry Bartholomew glared at the girl. "It's your first time coming into the city. Like hell you know anything! We came from the same town, and you're taking an outsider's side?"

The girl shrank and kept her mouth shut. Zoey looked away, happy with the result. She grabbed Bartholomew's arm and held it high, showing the gleaming rings around their ring fingers.

She looked at me like I was a defeated man.

"Can you prove that our wedding day is today, Winston? Neither my parents or relatives ever saw you. I'd have arranged a meeting if I wanted to marry you. Besides, I never got the license with you.

"We never took a wedding photo. I never gave you any wedding gifts. You have nothing, but Bart has prepared everything." Zoey leaned on Bartholomew's shoulder, a smug, victorious smile curling her lips.

"Yeah, Winston. You can't just run your mouth."

I had no reply for that, and my silence made everyone think I was in the wrong. Yes, I was stupid enough to ask for no proof but a verbal agreement. I loved her deeply, and I wanted for nothing in life.

And that love for her became the very thing that stabbed me in the back. Everyone was now pointing at me like I was the villain.

"Anything you want to say for yourself, you homewrecker?"

"We can't just let him leave! Let's teach him a lesson!"

Someone yanked my hair and dragged me down to the ground. Bartholomew's dad shot a look at the half-naked greasy man. The guy got the message and bent over. He leered at me as his hand brushed across my abs.

"You shouldn't wreck people's family. I'll teach you how to behave."

I shouted and thrashed as I tried to break away, but my arms and legs were pinned down.

Fear swept through me. I called out Zoey's name loudly, hoping her conscience would make her stop these animals.

Zoey froze, and she was about to stop those people, but Bartholomew pulled her back. "He ruined our wedding and my mood. I want to teach him a lesson."

She was hesitant. "But…"

"It's just a little lesson. You know my town's folks. They won't do anything too harsh. Besides, we're right here. Nothing bad's going to happen."

Zoey stopped talking. Bartholomew wrapped his arms around her, while a dazed Zoey caressed his back as they watched more and more people touching me.

"Let me go! This is molestation! You'll go to prison for this!"

And then someone slapped me hard enough, I saw stars.

"Don't try to lecture us, you slut! We're not molesting you! We're doing God's work!"

And then their filthy words drowned me out. Just when I thought hope was not coming, a voice came from the entrance.

"Apologies for the delay. Something held me—" When the man saw my face, horror crept into his voice. "Stop this right now! What are you doing?"