Chapter 10 Do You Have Anywhere Else To Go

With a cigarette between his fingers, Darren paused momentarily before saying, "Go on."

Selina's expression was inexplicable. Indeed, Joan had found a job that could support and sustain her. But as the assistant of a not so famous designer, all of her works were named after her boss, Todd Liu. Unfair as it was, her talent gave Todd Liu a huge profit and moderate success in the industry.

All of the credit and renown that should have been for her went to him. In exchange, Joan received a small salary.

Frankly speaking, it wasn't much of an honorable work.

But she had no choice. "Miss Gu is really talented. I'm sure she'd be a great success if only she were given the right platform. But with her criminal record, it seems as if her whole life is almost ruined. If you recruit her, those top designers can quit their jobs. Now... What a pity."

At this point, Selina had been impressed with Joan. Although she was born to a wealthy family, she was neither arrogant nor restrained. Despite her difficult situation, she did not throw away her dignity, but tried to live through her own efforts. She sighed as she spoke more of her.

"Mr. Lu, Todd Liu doesn't strike me as a good person. I'm afraid that Miss Gu won't be safe with him if she stays there for long."

After keeping silent for a while, Darren waved his hand and asked Selina to come to him. He then whispered something to her ear.

As soon as the secretary withdrew from his office, Darren took out his wallet and opened it. There was a photo of a young girl with a pair of beautiful eyes and a gentle smile on her face. She resembled Joan.

As he recalled his previous encounters with Joan, his eyes shifted, as if he thought about something.

It was a clean and tidy room washed with snow-white paint.

Despite it being narrow, Joan thought it was enough.

This was the room provided to her by the boss in the studio she worked for.

After rubbing her swollen eyes, she glanced at the clock on her desk. It was already two o'clock in the morning, but she had only finished a third of the work she must deliver. She had been working late for several nights now, but she had never really managed to complete her tasks. She would always get new orders before she was done with anything.

She raised her head and gulped down bitter coffee. After forcing herself to cheer up, she began to sketch again.

"It's getting late, Joan. You must be tired."

The door suddenly opened and the smell of alcohol wafted in.

Joan immediately stood up and looked warily at the man. "Mr. Liu, what's the matter?"

It was none other than Todd Liu, her boss. It was he who signed his name on her designs.

Joan tried her best to not maintain a personal relationship with him. Except for giving him the drafts she had worked on, she avoided seeing him in person.

'It's late. What is he doing here?' she wondered.

Todd Liu chuckled as he raised the bag in his hand. "You must be very tired from working these days, so I brought you some snacks. Don't be so nervous around me, my dear. You've been here for more than two weeks, and yet we haven't talked much,"

he said as he walked towards Joan.

With every step he took forward, Joan stepped back. It was not until her back was pressed against the cold wall when she realized that there was no way out.

"Joan, you seem to be scared of me. It's okay; I don't bite. I just want to..." Todd Liu trailed off as he looked at her with narrowed and lustful eyes. He then reached out a hand to touch her face.

Ever since the first time he saw Joan, he had wanted to possess her natural beauty. But Joan had always been on guard against him. At this point, however, he had endured for far too long. Brimming with courage from the alcohol, he thought it was time for him to make a move.

"Don't touch me!" Joan pushed him away. "Mr. Liu, please behave yourself!" she yelled.

"Joan, I took you in out of kindness. I didn't want you to be wandering in the streets. You should be grateful," he said in an upset tone. "Look at you. You've been working so hard these days that your face is even thinner than before. It makes my heart ache to see you like this. Will you consider my special offer?" he asked.

Joan clenched her fists and gave him a grim look. "That's impossible."

She had allowed him to take credit for her work in exchange for money, but she could not let him take away her dignity.

This was why she always turned him down whenever he tried to molest her.

Upon seeing her reaction, Todd Liu angrily threw the bag of food on the floor and attacked Joan. Given his strength, Joan couldn't push him away. She was helplessly thrown onto the bed.

The smell of alcohol coming from his body overwhelmed her senses.

"Bitch, you are nothing but a homeless woman from jail. How can you say no to me? I took you in because you were the daughter of the Gu family. But do you really think you are still a rich and famous lady? Don't be so shameless! Now I'm curious what you taste like."

Alcohol always made men braver than they were when sober. And judging by his actions that night, it seemed as if Todd Liu had drank a lot.

As she struggled, Joan saw a glass cup at the corner of the table. She hurriedly grabbed it and smashed it at the back of his head.

Todd Liu's eyes widened in shock before his body slowly fell on the floor. It was then when Joan felt warm liquid flowing down her hands.

She immediately knew what it was.

Without so much as a thought, she quickly reached for her handbag and threw in there a few of her most important possessions. As soon as she was done, she dashed outside to run away. However, she was grabbed by a pair of strong arms.

"Mr. Lu?"

It was not until Darren handed her a cup of warm water that Joan finally came back to her senses. She looked at the man in front of her and said in a low voice, "Thank you."

His dark eyes fell on her pale face and the blood stains on her clothes. While he remained silent, the expression on his face turned grim.

He received an urgent call from Selina in the middle of the night. As it turned out, she had been right about her suspicions. As ill-mannered as Todd Liu was, Darren hadn't expected that he would do something so bold. Thanks to the investigators he had sent to keep an eye on Joan, he was immediately notified of what had happened.

As soon as he arrived, he bumped into her, who looked disheveled.

She shuddered in his arms as she bit her bruised lip. There was shock and panic in her eyes. Compared with that rainy night when she was just released from prison, Joan looked even more embarrassed.

"You can stay here tonight," he offered.

Stunned, Joan replied, "I...I don't think..."

She had only met Darren twice. And not only was he a complete stranger, he was also the sort of high-profile guy that she hated the most.

Given her past, she was most unwilling to be connected in any way to another guy like Scott.

"Well, do you have anywhere else to go?"

Hearing his question, Joan merely frowned and remained silent.