BELLA’S POV
Mr. Lippert.
He stood there in all black, eyes like fire, lips curled in fury. And when his gaze turned to me, it
softened for only a second.
Then he grabbed Dean by the collar and pulled him up. “You’re going to regret ever looking at
her.”
Dean stuttered. “I-I didn’t know she was yours…”
The moment Dean looked up and saw him, his entire face turned pale.
“Wait, um, your girl? Boss, I... I-”
Mr. Lippert didn’t even let him finish.
“If you try that stunt on any other woman,” Lippert growled, his voice as cold as ice, “I’ll feed
your balls to my dogs. Are we clear?”
Dean’s hands shook. His voice trembled. “Yes, yes, sir! I swear, I didn’t know…”
But Lippert wasn’t done. His fist slammed into Dean’s face again. I flinched at the sound, flesh
hitting flesh, bones cracking. Dean dropped like dead weight, holding his jaw as blood dripped
from his nose.
“Now crawl out of here,” Lippert snarled. “Before I gut you.”
Dean whimpered, crawling backward on his hands and knees like a worm, humiliated. He didn’t
look back once. The other people in the club pretended not to see anything, but I could feel their
eyes sneaking glances at us.
Lippert turned to me slowly.
My heart was pounding so hard it echoed in my ears. I couldn’t speak. My lips parted, but no
words came out.
The moment Dean left, Mr. Lippert adjusted his suit and turned to face me. His deep, cold eyes
locked onto mine.
“Doc,” he said, voice low and sharp. “I told you I’d see you outside, but I didn’t f*****g mean
here.”
I couldn’t move. My back was still pressed against the wall, and my breath caught in my throat
as he stepped closer, close enough that I could feel the heat from his body.
His gaze roamed my face. “What’s a girl like you doing in a place like this?” he asked, tone
more curious than angry now.
I swallowed hard. “Mr. Lippert…” That was all I could manage to say.
He leaned in like he was about to kiss me. My heart skipped a beat. My eyes fluttered shut,
unsure of whether I wanted him to or not.
“Don’t do that,” he said.
I opened my eyes slightly, confused, staring at the crisp white of his shirt. “Do what?” I
whispered.
“You know what you’re doing,” he replied, his voice almost a growl now.
His hand moved slowly to my shoulder, his touch light, but every inch of skin under his fingers
felt like fire.
“I wanted to do this the first day I met you,” he muttered, his eyes flicking from my lips to my
necklace.
I was lost for a moment. His hand slid down gently until his fingers brushed the pendant I always
wore. And then…
Snap.
He yanked the necklace off my neck, the sudden break making me gasp.
“Wait!” I said, panic rising in my chest. “Give it back!”
He held it up, staring at it. “Where did you get this?”
“It’s mine,” I said, reaching for it. “Please… give it back.”
He didn’t move. His voice lowered. “You’ve got secrets, don’t you?”
I froze.