My Love for You Broke Me

Chapter 79

I had been so out of luck lately that I seemed to continuously end up being someone's bully victim. Not only was I slapped, beaten, and cut with a knife, I had just been splashed with an unidentifiable liquid. Fortunately, Nicholas had hugged me just in time to protect me from it..

With his arms wrapped tightly around me, I didn't sustain any injuries, but I was awkwardly sitting in the chair.

The lights in the backyard were dim. I was only focused on calming down my lingering fears that I somewhat ignored Nicholas.

He fixed his suit after he got up from the ground, and he demanded in his cold voice, "What the hell are you doing?!"

Upon hearing his words, Alice immediately tried to push the blame onto Maria. "This has nothing to do with me, Mr. Forger. I didn't know that Maria would do something like this. Are you and Ms. Felix alright?"

Nicholas, however, didn't have any intention to answer Alice. His eyes stayed glued to Maria as he growled, "What is in that bottle?"

At that, Maria chuckled and announced, "Nick, it is sulphuric acid."

She looked like she had nothing left to fear as she uttered those words.

I could only blankly stare at the liquid on the floor. I couldn't imagine what it would be like if it had gotten on my face.

I couldn't imagine myself being disfigured!

I might rather die if my face had been destroyed.

I was still panting heavily from the shock when I heard Nicholas coldly instruct his assistant who had just arrived. "Misha, take Maria outside."

After Misha had brought her away, Alice, too, quickly found an excuse to scurry off. She must have been afraid to stay here alone with us.

Nicholas came to sit beside me after everyone else had left. His arms were tightly hugging my shoulders when he comforted me in a soft voice, "It's alright. You don't have to be afraid. I am here for you."

I didn't say anything and only shook my head. His apologetic voice soon rang out again. "I am sorry I didn't protect you well. You had to go through their ridicule again because of my incompetence."

Then, he tested the waters by pressing a gentle kiss on my lips, but I only reacted by letting out a sigh as I said, "I'm fine. Thank you."

He was obviously dejected by my indifferent reaction. "There is no need for thank yous between us."

"Leave, Nicholas. I want to be alone." I suddenly thought about something. "Take Maria for a mental checkup. Send her to another city if there is something wrong with her."

All having her stay in Bryxton did was putting my life in danger.

He hummed in response. "I will sort this out right now."

Like a lover, he then kissed me on my cheek. I didn't stop him from doing so.

Instead of saying that I didn't, it was more like I was caught off-guard and hadn't given the right response in time.

I continued to stay in the backyard for a little longer before Clair came to me. As soon as he saw me in my dazed state, he sat beside me and patted me on my head. "Why do you look so lost in your thoughts?" he asked.

"Nothing," I mumbled while shaking my head.

I then bent over to pick up my phone that I had dropped on the floor, and he took the chance to make conversation by asking me how I had been lately. "I am fine," I reassured him.

All of a sudden, he asked me a question that I was all too eager to answer. "Would you want to get rid of the scars on your face?"

"Can it be done?"

He hummed in response. "I will get someone to remove it for you the next time you return to Sundew."

With my heart filled with gratitude, I thanked him.

"You are welcome. There is no need for thank yous between us."

He had said the same thing that Nicholas did.

Clair had to immediately depart from Bryxton to Sundew because of a last-minute engagement. Before he left, he specifically reminded me to go back to Sundew earlier if I didn't want him to come and drag me back personally.

I sincerely promised him I would. Now that he had left as well, I sat in the chair with my eyes closed to calm myself. However, by the time I opened them again to look around, I froze when I saw the loft nearby.

There was a man standing there with his hands behind his back, his dark orbs blatantly staring at me. I had no idea how long he had been standing there.

Could he have been there even before I came here?!

Nicholas kissing me… Clair's appearance… Did he see everything that transpired here?!

Alice said that I was a woman who had my fingers wrapped around men. Of course, what she said wasn't true. But then, I could only imagine what went through Shawn's head when he saw Nicholas and the rest of them here. Furthermore, the men I was 'involved' with were all men of power.

Shawn just had to witness these powerful men acting intimately with me. Not only that, he had heard it with his own ears how Merlin had called me babe.

Could Shawn also think that I was someone who played with men like they were toys?

I even agreed along with Alice in order to piss her off then. I was sure Shawn thought I was a frivolous woman!

I only continued to look at him with my lips pursed.

He, too, didn't greet me or anything even when our eyes met.

We kept looking at each other until I ultimately conceded and retracted my gaze as I left the yard.

Gary was busy socializing with the attendees from other families then. There was too much happening in the front yard for me to stay here for long.

My high heels made a noise with every step I took while walking out of the company. I was already walking on the road when I noticed a black Bentley following me from not far away.

After giving it some thoughts, I decided to give Gary a call.

As soon as he picked up the call, he asked, "President Felix? Where are you?"

"Don't mind me. I have left the banquet. I will return to Bryxton by myself tomorrow." I took a short pause before continuing, "How well do you know Shawn Xenos?"

"Shawn Xenos from Eldham?"

"That's the guy," I confirmed as I started walking toward the city with the help of whatever light there was to illuminate my path. Upon hearing me asking about Shawn, Gary let out a long breath and said, "I know about him."

I could hear the traces of fear in Gary's voice then as he gave me a summary of what he knew. "Shawn Xenos from Eldham is a special man. Or should I say, the entirety of Xenos Family is special. President Felix, not even people in our industry know much about Shawn Xenos, but there are rumors going on about how he is a cutthroat man."

It seemed that everyone was talking about how cruel Shawn was.

Gary then continued, "The Santorinos from Eldham, the Gants from Ashere, the Salvatores from Sundew and the Hysts from Dunmer were each the most influential families in their respective cities. However, Shawn Xenos suddenly made a move against them, and it only took one night for the system in each city to crumble and reshuffle. The Yates and the Normans only managed to climb their way up because of that. Till today, no one knows how he completely exterminated The Four Families, but I heard that he didn't have anything against them personally."

I had heard about this story before, but I was so busy learning how to manage the Felix Corporation that I didn't pay much attention to it back then. It was another story I would have forgotten about if Gary hadn't brought it up.

The incident was, indeed, an enema that allowed weaker families to crawl their way up and take over.

The Yates Family and the Normans were among the few who had taken the chance to flourish.

Of course, with influence all over the country, Felix Corporation was always a force to be reckoned

with. We would not have been easy to take down if Shawn had set his eyes on us a few years back.

This was probably the reason we were off his hit list.

Gary continued to remind me, "Shawn Xenos isn't friends with anyone and of course, he doesn't make enemies for no reason as well. I don't know why you suddenly mentioned him, President Felix, but I hope you proceed with caution in whatever you are thinking of doing. Please don't get too close to him. It won't be a good thing for the Felix Corporation. You will only be acting against your own interests, President Felix."

Was Shawn really such a scary person that both Merlin and Gary were warning me to stay away from him?

Why would such a terrifying person get hunted down, then?!

Knowing better than to tell Gary the truth, I hid the fact that I knew Shawn and I said to him, "I don't know him. I was just curious after I overheard someone mention him earlier. Also, I don't think we should be afraid of him. The Felix Corporation has always made money the ethical and peaceful way, so we shouldn't be afraid of people coming for us. There is no need for us to be at anyone's mercy."

"Right. I am just telling you what I think. You have seen Rudy Adams' file before, yes? There is more to Shawn Xenos' file than Rudy Adams'."

It seemed like Shawn was even more impressive than I thought.

I turned my head to look back, only to see the black Bentley parked at the same place. I was not afraid of Shawn at first, but I couldn't help being scared now that both Merlin and Gary had warned me.

My fear for him hit me rather abruptly.

After I hung up the phone, I continued on my journey down the slope, only to have the Bently slowly follow me from behind. When I finally couldn't take it anymore, I marched toward the car. To my surprise, Shawn wasn't in the car.

"Where is Shawn?" I asked the driver.

He respectfully said to me, "Mr. Xenos has given me instructions to stay with you, Ms. Felix. He told me to bring you home if you need a lift."

How attentive of him.

Since I didn't have a place to stay in Ashere, I told the driver to bring me to a hotel. He, however, dutifully replied, "Ms. Felix, Mr. Xenos has also instructed me to bring you to his place if you have not yet found a place to stay the night."

I was rendered speechless upon hearing that.

Just like that, I was brought to Shawn's residential area.

My initial plan was to get another ride to send me away from here, but I knew how slim were my chances of getting away from the way the driver kept his watchful eyes on me.

Hence, I had no choice but to follow him to the top floor of the building.

After he keyed in the password, he ushered me into Shawn's place, and immediately closed the door behind me as soon as I was in. He looked quite trained and well-versed when he did that. Now that I had no choice but to stay here, I began to explore while walking around the apartment. Unexpectedly, Shawn was nowhere to be seen.

He was probably still at the Yates Corporation now.

I then went into one of the rooms to remove my makeup. After I had removed all the makeup on my face, I looked at my pale reflection and smiled. "Good thing I wasn't disfigured," I cheered to myself.

My eyes somehow stopped at the faded scar.

It really didn't look as ugly as Shawn made it sound like it was.

I gave myself a few pats on my face before my bare feet brought me to the living room. Looking through the window, I could see an endless stream of people walking about.

Now was the time nightlife began.

After that, I sat back on the sofa and fiddled with my phone. It didn't take long before I got a call from Nicholas. "Where are you?" he asked caringly after I accepted the call.

"I am at a hotel," I lied through my teeth.

"Send me the address. I will come find you."

Hearing that, I quickly rejected him. "There's no need for that. I will go back to Bryxton by myself

tomorrow."

"Ree," his voice suddenly turned pitiful. "I really miss you. I want to be by your side."

I could feel my heart go soft when he admitted his true feelings, but I was afraid of getting hurt yet again.

Not only that, I had been getting sicker as days passed.

I didn't want to be a burden to anyone anymore.

I didn't answer him, and only hung up the phone. I then wrote him a message, 'Give me some time to cool down. At least until Quinn comes back.'

What was I supposed to do if I didn't know whether or not Quinn had returned?

All this was nothing more than an annoyance to me.

As I rested my palm at the sides of my waist, I suddenly recalled the question Leon had asked me before he hung up the call yesterday. "Be honest with me. Would you give Quinn your kidney if she was in dire need of it?"

If I had to be completely honest, I wouldn't give it to her.

After all, we had been apart for 11 years. Even if we used to be close in the past, time had definitely diminished any feelings between us that remained.

Also, she had returned with the intention to take her revenge on the Felix Corporation. Not only that, I was not as generous as they might think. There was no way I would get my kidney plucked to give to her.

I might donate it to her if I were to leave the world first, but any time before that? Utterly impossible.

I had selfishly told Leon that I wouldn't give it.

If this was a typical soap drama I was starring as the female lead in, I would probably generously offer up my kidney. But alas, this was real life. We weren't in some sort of TV show.

Leon somehow laughed after hearing my curt answer. "Good," he gushed, relieved. "Now this is the Renee I know. You can start thinking of me as a stranger if you had said that you would give it to her."

"I thought that you would want me to give it!" I exclaimed in astonishment.

"Yes, that is what I hope for, but only if you are doing it willingly. You are not the one who owes her anything; it is the Felix Family. I am only telling you this because I want you to be prepared to put up a fight. I have a feeling that Quinn is only going to get more ruthless this time."

Ruthless?

I couldn't possibly let her treat me, then.

The animosity between us was something that Nicholas would never come to understand.

As I turned off my phone, I heard the front door being opened, and that prompted me to turn and look.

It was Shawn with his same old stony face.

"Sunny," I obediently greeted him. Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

Only God knew the kind of fear he elicited from me when our eyes met. I could only blame Merlin and Gary for this.

I wasn't scared at first, but those men managed to draw something out of me with their warnings.

Shawn let out a small hum as he asked, "Have you had dinner?"

"I haven't." I shook my head.

Upon hearing this, he entered the kitchen and came out with a bowl of noodles soon after. I somehow began to feel all sorts of emotions as I looked at the noodles.

I had never had someone of his godly stature prepare food for me.

Frightfully, I finished the food and automatically brought the used dishes to wash in the kitchen. He was having a drag on his cigarette by the french windows when I was done with the chore.

The smoke seemed to create a mist that concealed half his face.

He pressed down on the cigarette butt to put out the fire as soon as he saw me re-enter the living room. With his head tilted in my direction, he eventually said in his emotionless voice after some time, "You look gorgeous with makeup on."

…

I did not know how to respond to that. Was he saying that I looked ugly now?

Were all good, proper men so bad at talking?

I knowingly kept quiet without replying despite secretly fuming on the inside.

Being the ever-quiet man that he was, Shawn didn't say anything more before he suddenly went into his bedroom. On the other hand, I fell asleep after sitting on the sofa for a while.

I then had a dream where Merlin and Gary's words kept looping and repeating. Shawn's bloody face popped out the next instant. Shaken by fear, I woke up with a start as I loudly yelled, "No!"

Aa I began to greedily suck in air to calm my heart, I suddenly caught sight of a figure beside the window.

I soon realized that it was Shawn after I rubbed the sleepiness away from my eyes.

My heart was still fluttering when I asked him, "You aren't asleep yet?"

He was in a white dress shirt, where the only accessories were gold cufflinks around his wrists. He had strands of hair that were out of place. When he heard my question, he turned toward me and said, "The weather is pretty cold. Go sleep in the bedroom."

I shook my head left and right in response. "It;s almost daybreak. I will leave after resting for a bit. Oh right—I haven't bought my plane ticket."

I then clicked into the mobile application for purchasing air tickets. Just as I had confirmed my payment, I suddenly remembered how my ID card was gone.

I managed to board the plane with my household register this morning, but Gary was the one who was holding onto my register now.

Could the airport prepare a temporary identity card for me?

To hell with it! I'll just call Gary and have him wait for me later.

After I lowered my phone, I realized that Shawn was still staring at me. Instinctively, I reached out to touch my face. "Is my scar very ugly to look at?"

He only replied coldly, "I don't know."

He didn't know?

Then why would he say that I was ugly that time?

I discreetly rolled my eyes at him and stopped talking. He kept standing there by the window in that same position even until I left.

What a truly gloomy man he was.

After I went downstairs, I received a message from Shawn's number that Waylen had saved in my phone. 'You can tell me if you need anything.'

I could tell him if I needed anything?!

Did Shawn think that I involved myself with numerous men because I didn't have money to spend?

Somewhat speechless, I replied, 'I need love.'