Chapter 194:
Makenna’s POV:
The fat man’s hands tightened around my throat, squeezing the life out of me. Darkness crept in at the edges of my vision, and my grip on consciousness began to slip. Was this how I was going to die? To leave this world like this? I wasn’t ready… not with so much left undone, not with vengeance still burning in my heart.
Death’s shadow loomed closer, wrapping me in its cold embrace. Just as I teetered on the edge of oblivion, the crushing weight on my chest was suddenly lifted.
“Cough, cough, cough…” I gasped for air, coughing violently as oxygen flooded back into my lungs.
The next moment, I found myself cradled in strong arms, a voice filled with worry calling my name.
“Makenna, are you alright?”
That voice—I knew it well. I looked up, still struggling to catch my breath. Just as I thought—it was Bryan. My fingers trembled as I clutched my bruised neck, nodding weakly to show I was okay.
The fat man lay sprawled on the floor, writhing in pain from where he’d been kicked, still trying to drag himself up. He hadn’t realized who Bryan was and snarled, “Who do you think you are? How dare you kick me!”
Bryan’s eyes flashed with fury, his gaze like ice. He demanded in a voice that could cut through stone, “Who are you, and what are you doing here?”
The fat man stammered, his earlier bravado evaporating under Bryan’s fierce glare. He was foolish, but not so foolish as to miss the danger radiating from him. His courage shriveled, and he muttered, “I’m here to teach my wife a lesson.”
“Wife?” Bryan’s arms tightened around me, his demeanor shifting from cold to something far more lethal. A twisted smile played on his lips. “And who’s your wife? She?”
The man nodded, puffing up with self-righteousness. “Yes! My parents arranged this woman as my wife. And she killed my brother; she’s a wicked woman! I had to teach her a lesson!”
“Your brother?” Bryan’s eyes darkened, his voice dropping to a deadly murmur. “So, you’re the manager’s brother from the Harrison family?”
𝗢𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁 ⧼gⱥ𝗅𝗇𝗈ν𝖊𝗅𝘀⧽𝖈𝗈𝗆
“Brother… brother…” The fat man looked puzzled, clearly not understanding what Bryan meant by “manager.”
Bryan’s patience wore thin, his gaze narrowing dangerously. “How did you get in here?”
The man, oblivious to the storm brewing before him, couldn’t answer. His eyes remained locked on me, his words slurred with mindless rage. “Bad woman… I must punish the bad woman who killed my brother…”
I couldn’t hold back any longer. My voice, though hoarse, cut through the tension. “Your brother didn’t die because of me. He brought it upon himself.”
I almost laughed at the absurdity of it all. Jessica and Frank had set me up, Flynn had tried to rape me, and now I was the one being accused? How ridiculous. Was there no justice left in this world?
But I wasn’t just defending myself; I wanted to push this man over the edge.
As expected, the obese man’s temper exploded. He roared at me, “You whore! How dare you say that! I’ll kill you, you wicked woman!”
He lunged at me, all reason lost in his rage.
“Hisss.”
Bryan, caught off guard by the man’s sudden madness, managed to dodge, but not before the wild swing caught his arm, leaving a bloody scratch.
The look on Bryan’s face darkened to something terrifying, an almost primal rage emanating from him. He held me close, his expression lethal as he turned and delivered a powerful kick.
“Ah! Ah!” The fat man screamed as he was launched across the room, slamming into the wall with a sickening thud. Blood sprayed from his mouth as his eyes rolled back, and he slumped into unconsciousness.
I pressed myself closer to Bryan, the fear in my eyes giving way to a cold, unyielding resolve.
