Chapter 5 Nobody Knows

As soon as Cynthia heard her son's voice, a pang of emotion surged in her heart.

"Harley, are you okay?"

"I'm not okay, Mommy. I miss you so much. Mommy, make sure you eat on time and don't stay up late. Wait for me..." Harley rambled on, his words warming Cynthia's heart.

A smile tugged at her lips. "Well, well, well, I know all about it, and what about Gerald? Did he listen to you?"

"Ugh, he doesn't listen at all. A woman came to see him again today, and he dragged me out..." The phone seemed to be snatched from Harley's hands, and his protesting voice could be heard, muffled as if someone was holding him down. Cynthia could almost imagine Gerald pressing Harley's head down.

Sure enough, Gerald's familiar raspy voice came through the phone. "There's no woman, don't listen to his nonsense."

"Yes, there is! A woman with a big butt, really ugly! His taste is getting worse... no medicine can fix it..." Harley's voice came again, but was cut off midway. Without a doubt, Gerald was covering his mouth.

"A big butt... Seems like it's your type." Cynthia teased, a light laugh escaping her.

Gerald hastily explained, "No, there's nothing like that. She's the one after me. You know how I feel about you, don't you? I'm protecting myself with my life, all for you..."

Cynthia had heard this kind of "confession" so many times that it was beginning to wear on her.

"Stop. I don't care what kind of woman you're dating, but don't bring them around Harley, okay? If I catch you again, I'll send you for a sex change operation."

There was a long silence on the other end of the line before Gerald lazily responded, "Don't worry, Harley's guarding me like a prisoner. Even more terrifying than when you were around... Are you doing okay over there?"

Cynthia imagined Harley trailing behind Gerald, endlessly talking, and a chuckle escaped her.

Her mood lightened considerably. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm still adjusting since I just got back, but everything will be okay."

"Mm, I believe in you." Gerald murmured, and then Harley's voice came again, "Mommy, I believe in you too!"

As they hung up, Gerald's voice lingered with a touch of reluctance. "Take care of yourself over there... Harley and I both miss you."

"Mm, I know. I miss you both too."

***

The phone call lifted Cynthia's spirits a little.

When she walked out of the restaurant, she noticed a crowd gathered nearby.

Moments later, two people crashed out of the crowd, continuing to fight. The crowd automatically cleared a path to let them continue.

Cynthia froze when she saw that one of the fighters was Roy. She quickly spotted Hogan in the crowd and instantly understood what was going on.

"Roy!" Cynthia rushed over, and with the help of some bystanders, she pulled the two apart. Roy's face was bruised and swollen, while the "attacker" seemed completely unscathed.

Hogan stood nearby like a prince surrounded by admirers, with several young men around him, all of them looking at Roy with disdain.

"Who do you think you are? Just look at yourself. No wonder a cheap woman dumped you!" One of the men beside Hogan sneered.

Roy shouted angrily, "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU SAY?!"

He charged forward, but Cynthia grabbed him. "Roy!"

She coldly stared at the man who had been so intimately involved with her ex-husband, then looked up at the balcony. There stood Lucien, gazing down at the scene with a stern, unreadable expression.

When their eyes met, sparks seemed to fly.

Cynthia's face grew even colder.

Had Lucien ordered this?

She looked back at Hogan, who was eyeing her with an almost casual interest, as though the fight wasn't his concern.

His gaze was calculating and predatory, like a fox sizing up its prey.

Cynthia stepped in front of Roy, walking over to Hogan with the sharp click of her heels. She stood before him, their eyes locking.

Without hesitation, she slapped him across the face.

At the same time, she coldly said, "FUCKING ASSHOLE!"

The slap echoed through the air, and Hogan's handsome face flushed bright red, the contrast between the flush and his pale skin making it especially striking.

Silent. And It seemed as though Hogan was stunned by the slap, his face still turned to the side.

"Fuck!"

One of the men standing near him, with a buzz cut, suddenly rushed toward Cynthia, fist raised, but Hogan intercepted him swiftly.

Turning to look at Cynthia, Hogan let out a low laugh, as if a long-sought mystery had been solved. "I finally got it..."

Cynthia doesn't understand what he gets, but the fact that he smiled after being slapped made her uneasy.

Someone in the crowd grabbed Roy by the collar, but Hogan spoke again, his tone sharp. "Let him go!"

At that moment, the odds were against them, and these men were just pawns. The real mastermind had been watching coldly from the sidelines.

Cynthia helped Roy leave, and as she looked up once more, Lucien was still standing on the balcony, his gaze heavy and oppressive, even from afar.

"How can you just let them go?" one of Hogan's companions grumbled, his eyes full of anger, wishing to drag Roy and Cynthia back for more punishment.

"That's Lucien's ex-wife," Hogan said, rubbing his face, dropping a bombshell.

"What? It's her? The woman who betrayed Lucien?"

Hogan snorted.

How the hell are they supposed to describe her? Nobody knows.

Ex-wife? Slut? Betrayer? Or is it, well, someone Lucien can never forget...

Hogan glanced over at Lucien, who remained motionless, his eyes still fixed on the retreating figure...