Claimed By The Biker King

Rhea “Sir, I made sure I checked the engine twice and also tested it. I don’t know why the car broke down again.” This was the third time I had repeated the same thing since my boss started his usual charade. At this point, I wasn’t even surprised anymore. “Oh, so now I’m lying, right? What does a girl like you even know?” He narrowed his eyes at me. I clenched my jaw. That same nonsense again. Easy to blame. Easy to bully. Easy to talk down on just because I was a woman working in a garage full of men. Honestly, working here felt like a thorn stuck in my neck every single day. No matter how hard I worked, it was never enough. Fix one car? Another complaint. Work overtime? No appreciation. My boss always finding a way to pin it on me and cut my salary along with it. Despite how badly I wanted to lose my temper, I still tried to stay calm. Because today was supposed to be special. My boyfriend and I were celebrating our two-year anniversary tonight, and I refused to let this place destroy my mood before then. My boss folded his arms across his chest. “You never take responsibility for anything. Always one excuse after another.” I let out a slow breath through my nose. “It’s not an excuse. I fixed the car.” “Well, clearly you didn’t do it properly! Or are you trying to say I don’t know my own job now?” His voice echoed through the garage. A few workers nearby suddenly became very busy with their tools, pretending not to listen. I could feel my anger crawling up my throat. I smiled bitterly. “You already decided this was my fault before I even explained anything.” “Watch your tone, Rhea. You should be apologizing instead of talking back at me,” he hissed, kicking the toolbox beside him. I would rather let a car run over me than apologize for something I didn’t do. “I’m fed up with all this,” I muttered, pulling off my gloves and walking over to grab my bag. “Fed up?” he barked out a laugh. “You should be grateful I even let you work here in the first place.” I stopped walking turning around and looking at him straight in theeye, feeling the last bit of patience inside me crack apart. “With all due respect, Mr.Joseph, if you spent half the energy fixing your own mistakes instead of blaming me for them, maybe your customers wouldn’t be complaining of your service.” The entire garage went still. Wrong thing to say. I knew it immediately from the look on his face. He pointed at me angrily. “You’re becoming too rude!” I scoffed, swinging my bag over my shoulder. “And you’ve been unfair since the day I started working here.” I turned and started heading for the door. “Come back here! I’m not done talking to you!” No, I've heard enough for today. He could do his worst. After all, he’d never see me again. “Rhea!” he yelled. But I didn’t stop walking. I stormed out, slamming the door behind me. ** The car pulled up at Adrian's apartment building. I stepped out, looking down at the bag in my hand. Adrian is obsessed with video games. If he wasn't at work, he was either playing or talking about games. He could spend hours on it without even noticing the time. So I got him a new one. Not the latest design, just something better than what he already had. I was sure he'd go crazy when he see it. I almost texted Lisa to tell her I changed the plan. Knowing how quick she is to panicking, asking a thousand questions, overthinking everything, I decided not to. I'd tell her tomorrow instead. Let her suffer a little suspense. I walked up to the door, picturing his reaction... the smile, the surprise, everything. His car was parked in the driveway. Oh so he has gotten off work early. Perfect timing. I pulled on the doorknob and walked in. "Tada—" My words came to a halt. So did my breath. My foot froze mid-step as my eyes locked on the scene in front of me. Adrian. On top of a woman. Skin against skin. For a second, my brain didn't understand what I was seeing. And then I felt like something had just slammed into it. I stumbled back, my hand flying to the wall for support. No... that's not— My gaze snapped properly to her face. And everything inside me dropped. Lisa. My best friend. A broken, breathless sound left my lips half laugh, half disbelief. My fingers went numb around the bag, and it slipped from my grip, hitting the floor with a dull thud I barely heard. Adrian's head jerked up. His eyes widened instantly as he scrambled off the couch, grabbing a blanket and wrapping it around his waist in a rush. "Rhea... what are you doing here?" Lisa sat up too, pulling the sheet over her body, looking everywhere else but me. "Rhea....you...are.." A bitter laugh left my lips. Lisa and Adrian together? Like how? My fingers curled tightly into a fist. "So this is what you were referring when you said you would be working overnight?" I scoffed. He really got me on this. Adrian stepped forward quickly. "Rhea, I can explain. It's not what you think—" I snapped my head to him. "Not what I think?" My head was almost spinning from rage. "You're f*****g my best friend on your couch in your apartment, and you're telling me it's not what I think? Do you think I am a fool?" My chest was burning. My hands were shaking so badly. All the planning. The gift. The surprise. Everything felt like a joke now. My eyes shifted to Lisa. "Is this really you, Lisa?" Her eyes darted around. "We wanted to tell you... but you're always at work." I scoffed bitterly. "So this is my fault now? You had time to do this behind my back. To help me plan the surprise but not time to tell me?" "Rhea, please—" Adrian reached for me. I shoved his hand away, pointing a finger at him. "Don't you dare touch me!" "I'm pregnant." The loud echo filled my head. Pregnant. My head snapped toward Lisa. "What?" My ears rang and my eyes moved between them. "How long?" I asked trying my best to hold myself together. Adrian stepped forward. "Rhea—" "Don't." I snapped hissing. "Just answer the damn question!" "Almost a year." Lisa answered. Everything inside me went still. "A year?" I repeated, like the words didn't make sense. "So while I was with him..." I pointed between them, my hand shaking, "you were with him too?" "It wasn't supposed to—" "Oh, don't." I cut her off, my voice rising. "Don't you dare stand there and act like this just happened!" "You've been sleeping with my boyfriend for a whole year. You were the one pushing me to stay with him," I said looking straight at her. "You were the one helping me plan this anniversary." My gaze dropped to the bag on the floor. The game pad. A hollow smile touched my lips. "That's funny," I murmured. "You helped me buy him a gift... while you were already sharing him." Something inside me snapped. I bent down, picked up the box, and smashed it hard against the wall. It burst open, pieces scattering everywhere. "Are you crazy?!" Adrian shouted. I didn't even hear him properly. I grabbed whatever I could reach cups, frames and started throwing them. Glass shattered. Things broke. "Are you insane?!" Adrian rushed forward and grabbed my arm. I spun around and yanked myself free. "Get off me, you cheater!" "You always do this!" he snapped. "You act crazy every time things don't go your way!" I let out a cold, empty laugh. "Oh really?" I stepped back. "Then let me show you what crazy really is." I pushed past him and stormed outside. My eyes landed on his car parked right there. Perfect. I looked around, grabbed the flower pot beside the door, and slammed it straight into the window. Glass shattered instantly, the sound sharp and loud. The door flew open behind me as Adrian rushed out. Shock flashed across his face before it twisted into anger. "What the hell is wrong with you, Rhea?!" "I'm showing you exactly what crazy looks like," I snapped, hitting the car again. And again. He reached me in seconds, grabbing me from behind and yanking me back. "Let go of me!" I hissed, struggling against him. "No—you stop it, you crazy woman!" His grip tightened as he pulled me around to face him. He raised his hand like he was about to hit me. But another hand shot in catching his wrist mid-air. Adrian froze. So did I. My breath caught as my eyes followed that hand... up to the man standing there. The first thing my eyes landed on was the tattoo covering his arm. But before I could make out his face, a punch landed across Adrian's face. Hard. His head snapped to the side as he stumbled back, crashing into the car. Men appeared out of nowhere, moving fast. One grabbed Adrian by the collar and hit him again. Another kicked his leg, forcing him to the ground. "Stop!" Lisa screamed, rushing forward. But she didn't get far. One of the men caught her, holding her back. "Let me go! What are you doing?!" Adrian tried to fight back, but he was outnumbered. Another punch landed. Then another. Everything was happening too fast. I stood there, confused on what was going on. Adrian finally broke free for a second, grabbing Lisa's hand. "Run!" The two of them ran off, stumbling. I thought the men will chase them but they didn't. My breathing was still heavy as I looked at the stranger, confusion mixing with the anger still burning inside me. He was taller than anyone else around. His body was built. Dark ink ran along his arms. I don't know whether it was his height, the way he stood so close, or the way his cold green eyes held mine...But my skin erupted with goosebumps all over.