Chapter 10: Get Up
652 Words
From the moment Lucas Parker entered, all attention in the room shifted to him.
Nina’s phone buzzed—it was a message from her uncle:
[Mr. Aaron is my biggest client. He’s afraid of his wife and won’t do anything to you. Just make him happy.]
She laughed bitterly.
Was that something a real uncle should say?
“Nina, come on, let your uncle toast you a glass,” said Mr. Aaron held out a drink toward her.
“I’m sorry, I have surgery tomorrow. I can’t drink.”
“What’s this? You’re not giving me face?”
Before she could respond, Mr. Aaron’s fingers “accidentally” tilted, spilling the entire glass of liquor onto her dress.
It was a light summer dress, thin and sheer. The alcohol soaked through, outlining the curves of her body.
Mr. Aaron made a show of being concerned, trying to wipe it off with a napkin, but Nina slapped his hand away and glared. “What are you doing?”
“Whoa, got quite the temper.”
The room burst into laughter.
Lucas sat at the head of the table, holding his glass, quietly watching her in this humiliating state.
Nina flushed with anger and got up to leave. In her rush, she knocked over a wine bottle on the edge of the table. The red wine spilled all over Mr. Aaron’s pants.
“Damn it—” he cursed loudly.
“Nina Walker!” Mr. Aaron snapped. “We invited you here as a courtesy to your family. Don’t push your luck!”
“Let it go, Mr. Aaron. She’s just a young girl,” someone tried to smooth things over, shooting a glance at Lucas, hinting at him to intervene.
“Apologize to Mr. Aaron,” the others urged.
There were plenty of girls in the room that night, watching the scene unfold like an amusing play.
Nina clutched her bag tightly and turned to leave.
But Mr. Aaron’s voice stopped her. “Your family’s got quite the attitude. Are you sure you wanna leave like this? Think you can explain it to your uncle when you get home?”
She turned. “What do you want?”
Mr. Aaron glanced at Lucas.
Rumor had it Lucas once took her horseback riding. He wasn’t sure how close they were, but seeing that Lucas hadn’t said a word the whole time, he felt safe enough to push further.
“How about this...no need to apologize. Just kneel down and lick the wine off my pants.”
The room burst into laughter.
Nina stood frozen. Then she looked at Lucas.
He didn’t move.
His gaze was indifferent, like none of this concerned him.
That night, when he kept her from leaving, she had felt… special.
She had even played a small trick, leaving her necklace behind, hoping he would reach out.
But now it was clear, she was a joke.
A bitter cold spread through her limbs. Suddenly, she felt that life wasn’t worth much.
Especially dignity.
It wasn’t worth a damn.
She smiled faintly and walked toward Mr. Aaron, then slowly knelt down.
Looking at the wet fabric of his pants, she leaned in.
The room erupted into excited cheers. In this crowd, scandal and drama were sport—especially since Nina was no ordinary girl. As the Walker family heiress and Bryan’s fiancée, she was once seen as untouchable.
Now, kneeling and licking wine? Cameras even came out to capture it.
But just then, the man at the head of the table stood.
Silence fell.
Lucas walked up to her.
Looking down from above, his gaze was icy and sharp.
One standing, and one keeling
She had been reduced to dust.
He removed his coat and threw it over her, covering her soaked and humiliated body.
The room remained dead silent.
“Get up,” he said lazily, like it was a favor.
- Writer
