Chapter 17
Zeke’s face twisted with disbelief as he processed Justin’s words.
“Ex-wife?” He scoffed, still not fully grasping the situation.
“So what? She’s still a woman, and she splashed wine on me!”
Bella, still wriggling in Justin’s grip, snapped at Zeke.
“I did it because you deserved it, idiot. I don’t need your permission to stand up for myself.”
Justin’s grip on Bella’s waist tightened slightly, though his eyes never left her face, reading the emotions flickering across it.
She was drunk, but there was something sharper beneath the haze.
The sight of her defiant eyes, that fierce little spark, made him realize just how much he missed her fire.
“Enough, Zeke,” Justin said, his voice icy.
“You don’t know when to shut up.”
The moment the words left his mouth, Zeke took a step back, his jaw clenched.
Justin wasn’t just the CEO of a rival company; his reputation alone was enough to make most people think twice.
Zeke, however, wasn’t one to back down easily.
But in the face of Justin’s cold demeanor and the recognition that things were escalating far beyond his control, he just stood there, seething.
Bella tried to pull away again, but Justin didn’t let go.
She felt the heat of his body against hers, too close, too familiar, yet too distant at the same time.
“Let me go, Justin. I don’t need your help, especially not from someone who’s only concerned about his own damn image.”
Justin ignored her protests, his gaze shifting for a moment to the bodyguards who were still hovering nearby.
They took the hint and stepped back, not daring to make a move.
“Apologize to her, Zeke,” Justin repeated, his voice low and commanding.
There was no room for argument.
Zeke looked from Justin to Bella, and though he wanted to protest, the weight of the situation sank in.
He was caught between his own anger and the clear power Justin wielded.
He finally muttered, “Fine. I apologize,” but his tone was laced with resentment.
Bella barely registered his words, her thoughts swirling.
The anger she’d felt earlier was being replaced by an unsettling confusion.
Why was Justin here? Why was he protecting her? It wasn’t like him—at least, not the man she remembered.
But then, as if he sensed the conflict in her, Justin’s expression softened ever so slightly.
His voice, though still stern, held a hint of something gentler.