Chapter 42: Shaking after a slap
The woman who had slapped Daisy was restrained by a tall bodyguard who had accompanied Ryle. Everyone had been so focused on Ryle Harper that they had not noticed the trail of men who had followed him inside like a majestic troop. It was only at that moment did they noticed the swarm of black that had filtered through the colors in the ballroom, swiftly blending in.
’’Mr. Harper, can’t you recognize me? We...’’ the woman shouted, crimson splashing her face as she said, ’’I am the daughter of the Mayor of Belvile. You visited our town a few months ago with your secretary and we...’’
’’Fucked?" Ryle arched an eyebrow.
The woman’s face turned a deeper shade of red, ’’I recognized your secretary the moment I saw him. I wanted him to contact you but he was acting cocky so I had to teach him a lesson on your behalf.’’
Ryle chuckled, ’’On my behalf?" his eyes narrowed as a smile remained fixated on his handsome face, ’’Take her away from here and tell her about the things that she does not need to do on my behalf.’’
The moment his words dropped, the bodyguard started dragging the woman away as she screamed and swung her hands in a futile struggle.
’’Stop,’’ a cold voice resounded in the place.
Everyone looked in the direction of where a young man walked down the stairs. He seemed to be somewhere around his mid 20s but there was a strong aura around him as he strode with purpose.
Leaning against the pillar, Daisy glanced at the man through half-lidded eyes, and suddenly, her face paled even more when she realized that the man who was approaching them was none other than the person she met in the restroom earlier. He was the same man who had seen through her disguise.
Daisy mustered every ounce of remaining strength in her body as she turned around to leave the scene while no one was noticing. But the moment she turned to leave, her wrist was captured by Ryle, ’’Where do you think you are running off to...’’
Ryle trailed off when the man crashed against his body. He had grabbed the man’s hand to stop him from leaving but he had stumbled over to him effortlessly as if his body was as light as leaf.
Daisy tried to distance herself from the man but her vision blurred for a split-second. She lost her footing, accidentally pressing her body on Ryle’s arms.
’’What...’’ Ryle felt a softness on his arm but he did not delve into it when he saw the ’man’s’ condition, ’’Hey, what’s wrong with you?"
Before Ryle could interrogate Daisy about her condition, the man who had stopped his movements stopped in front of him as he continued talking.
"This ball has been organized by the Lu Family and this lady happens to be a distinguished guest of our family,’’ The man pointed his chin towards the socialite, ’’So, I can’t allow you to mistreat her in any way.’’
’’You think I need your permission for anything?" The smile on Ryle’s face did not drop. He met the man’s gaze while commanding his subordinate, ’’Drag her away.’’
The man frowned.
’’Ah...’’
The yelp immediately got Ryle’s attention.
He turned to look at his secretary who had lost the grip on him and was almost on the verge of kneeling on the floor, face pale as a sheet.
’’Can you walk?" his brows tugged together.
Daisy bit her bottom lips. Stumbling, she pushed herself to her feet. Feeling a weakening sensation in her legs, she held onto Ryle’s arm for support.
Ryle threw an arm around her shoulder as he led her out of the place without wasting another moment.
Once they were out in the open, Daisy leaned back on the sedan while clutching her stomach.
As the cold breeze swept past her, her cramps intensified.
Ryle frowned, ’’Since when did you become so delicate that you are shaking after one slap?" To some extent, Ryle was surprised as well. His secretary was a man of delicate stature, he had always been rather taken aback by his combat skills and strength.
Although they had some bad blood between them when he had disappeared from the job without any notice two years ago, now it has been months since ’Dexter’ started working for him again and he underwent every challenge that Ryle put him through, which turn made him forget their previous grudges.
But after all this time of knowing Dexter, it was Ryle’s first time to see him in such a miserable condition.
Daisy looked at the man, ’’I...’’
’’Forget it,’’ he leaned inside the car and grabbed a water bottle before passing it to her, ’’Such a burden.’’
As much as Daisy wanted to grab the bottle of water, poison it, and stuff it inside his mouth, she held back her intrusive thoughts and took the bottle from him before taking a few sips.
She was just about to put the water bottle aside when the tip of a rough finger poked her forehead. Daisy glanced at Ryle who poked her forehead.
The man quirked a brow, ’’I was checking if you have a brain in there,’’ Afraid that his point was not clear enough, he added, ’’I sent you here to keep an eye on the activities taking place during the ball. But not only did you fail to do your job properly, you even got yourself slapped by a socialite, a delicate woman you can handle with a snap of your fingers. What image did you want to establish for me by doing that as my secretary?"
"I don’t hit women,’’ Daisy deadpanned.
’’You let them hit you? Such a gentleman.’’
Daisy rubbed her arms as she tried to hold her tone. Maybe it was because of the pain, but it was hard for her to talk in a manly voice and keep it even when usually she never had any issues with that, ’’She established her connection with you the moment she started speaking. I could not hit her back knowing that my boss had intimate interactions with that lady and for all I know, she might even have the potential to become...’’ my lady boss.
"Finish that sentence, Dexter, and see what I do to you,’’ his voice held a warning.
