After everything that had happened today, I had run out of patience. So, I shook off his hand, turned around, and walked away quickly.
Behind me, Quinn grabbed Jake, who was about to run after me.
Her voice rang loud as she mocked, “Look! She’s guilty. Otherwise, why is she running? Jake, let’s just ignore this shameless woman!”
Their voices gradually faded into the distance, and I couldn’t even be bothered to look back. By the time I reached the stairwell, my daughter, Kenzie Ziegler, who had been looking for me, ran straight into my arms.
“Mommy, who were you talking to just now? Daddy’s looking for you!”
I gently tapped her nose and coaxed her softly. “I have a task for you. I need to go to the dressing room to fix my makeup. Can you tell Daddy to look for me?”
“Okay!” she answered brightly, then quickly ran off.
While I continued toward the second floor, a group of security guards rushed into the stairwell.
Quinn stood behind them and pointed at me as she shouted, “It’s her! She snuck onto the cruise with a fake identity!”
The guards approached me, their tone serious. “Miss, please show your boarding pass.”
As the owner of this cruise, I didn’t need any kind of pass. At that moment, I felt a headache coming.
“Who’s your supervisor? Get him to see me,” I told the guards.
Quinn let out a mocking laugh. “Emma, who are you trying to fool? Still talking tough, huh? Just get off the ship already!”
In just a few short hours since we met, she had provoked me again and again. I had ignored her every time, but now that I thought about it, there was no need to spare her any dignity.
I pulled out my phone, about to make a call, when Quinn darted forward and snatched it away.
She looked at me smugly. “Trying to call Jake for help, huh? Dream on, you shameless slut, flirting with everyone you see.”
Then, she turned to the guards and said, “What are you waiting for? Throw her off the ship already! Someone like her is a disaster waiting to happen!”
The guards didn’t dare offend a guest, so they began closing in on me. “Miss, without proper authorization, you are not allowed to remain onboard. Please leave immediately.”
As they spoke, their hands clamped onto my arms like iron pincers, twisting them behind my back as if I were some kind of criminal. A sharp pain immediately shot through me. Sweat broke out across my forehead, and even my teeth began to chatter.
“Let go of me. I’m the owner of this cruise!”
The guards hesitated for a moment, their grip loosening slightly.
Quinn burst into laughter. “Hey, don’t fall for her tricks! Why would the owner be on this deck? The president and his wife are on the upper decks!”
She sized me up with open disdain. “Besides, just look at her. Do you really think someone rich would be interested in her?”
Her voice was shrill and excited, and soon a crowd of onlookers had gathered around us. Worried about causing trouble, the guards tightened their grip again and started dragging me toward the exit.
I struggled, wrenching one arm free to brace myself against the wall. “Let me make a call. I really am–”
Before I could finish, one of the guards cut me off impatiently. “Crazy woman, quit talking nonsense. Get off the ship!”
With that, he yanked my arm and shoved me hard to the ground. My carefully styled hair fell loose instantly, and as I hit the floor, my ankle twisted with a sharp crack. A piercing pain spread through my entire body. My face turned pale, and I cried out in agony.
At that moment, my phone rang. Quinn glanced at it before casually tossing it straight into the ocean. My eyes widened in shock. That phone had been a gift from Luca. It also contained many important files that hadn’t been backed up.
Seeing that I was still glaring at her, Quinn’s expression darkened. She raised her hand and swung it toward my face. Just then, a hand shot out and grabbed her wrist firmly.
