Chapter 9 You're the one who's disturbing here

Gio's hand swatted Lucian's away roughly, drawing the attention of Rachel's friends-and Rachel herself.

"Who are you? How dare you touch me!" Gio challenged, showing his temper. That attitude was one of the reasons Rachel had never truly been able to like the man who had once been close to her.

"I..." Lucian almost introduced himself, but his words were cut off when his gaze met Rachel's, now staring at him sharply. He understood perfectly well that Rachel wanted to keep their marriage a secret-both in the office and outside. Their status as husband and wife should only be known to close family or at home. Lucian knew well where the boundaries lay.

"I'm his secretary," Lucian finally said, his tone calm but firm. "So you can't just act recklessly and touch my boss like that."

Lucian's statement only made Gio laugh, mocking him.

"So, you're just a secretary? No wonder your glasses are so thick, even thicker than my grandmother's glasses," Gio teased, eyeing Lucian from head to toe. "Seems like you've been working hard for your boss, huh? Right, Rachel?"

Rachel clenched her hands under the table, holding back the strong urge to scratch the face of the handsome man now smirking at her. She had never denied that Gio was physically attractive. Coupled with his family's wealth, he could easily charm any woman he desired.

And unfortunately, Rachel had almost been one of them. Thankfully, God had guided her. Once she saw Gio's true nature-his habit of hopping from one partner to the next and his other bad traits-Rachel had ended their relationship without a second thought.

"Stop your annoying behavior. You'd better return to your place. Besides, you weren't invited to sit at this table," Rachel said coldly.

Gio tilted his head, still wearing his smug smile. "After almost a year without seeing each other, you're still this cold to me. But what confuses me is why you suddenly seem to hate me? We were so close before. Did I do something wrong to you?"

Rachel turned her face away, refusing to respond.

Rachel had intended to go to the nightclub just to relieve the stress weighing on her mind. She wanted to meet her friends, chat, and forget about the pressures of life, even if only for a while. But now, she realized she had come to the wrong place. Instead of easing her stress, meeting someone from her past only made her head feel more cluttered. She sighed sharply and heavily.

"You did nothing wrong," she said coldly, looking at Gio without any emotion. "I'm the one who's wrong. Wrong for ever accepting your friendship. From the beginning, we should never have known each other."

Gio's smile vanished in an instant.

"Do you hate me that much?" he asked, almost disbelieving. "I honestly feel like I never hurt you. If only you hadn't suddenly disappeared back then, maybe by now, you'd be mine."

Gio's confident words made Alexa, one of Rachel's friends, immediately stand up from her seat.

"Enough, Gio. Stop talking nonsense. It's better if you leave this table. You've said enough. Look at the women over there," she pointed to a group of women in flashy outfits who were eyeing them sharply. "It seems like they're waiting for you. Go back to your place."

Rachel, already starting to feel uncomfortable, lowered her head, hoping Gio would leave. But it seemed like the man intentionally ignored all the warnings. He moved closer to Rachel instead.

Seeing this, Rachel quickly stood up. But her action inadvertently opened a gap. Gio suddenly grabbed her wrist, causing Rachel to lose her balance and fall directly into his embrace. His arm circled tightly around her waist.

"Why do you hate me so much? What did I do wrong?" he whispered coldly, staring into Rachel's eyes with intense pressure.

Rachel pushed Gio's shoulder with all her strength, but the man didn't budge. However, before anything else could happen, Gio was suddenly shoved backward. A sharp punch landed squarely on his face.

Rachel turned quickly to look behind her. There stood Lucian, his fist still clenched tight. His face was grim, and his jaw was clenched.

The commotion immediately caught the attention of other club-goers. Alexa, Monica, and Jessica began to panic. This was definitely going to lead to a fight, they all thought in unison.

Gio's face turned red with rage as he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

"What the hell?! What's your business? Why are you so angry when I'm with Rachel? Don't tell me... you like your boss?" he sneered, trying to provoke Lucian.

Lucian gritted his teeth, his left hand balling into a fist again.

"Stop your nonsense. You better leave now. Haven't you been asked to go already?" Rachel snapped, her voice cold and sharp.

Gio wiped the blood from his lip and shot a glare, his eyes burning with fury.

"You really care a lot about your subordinate, huh? Defending him to the fullest. But... did you see who started it? He punched me first!" His voice was filled with bitterness, unable to accept being blamed by everyone around him.

"I hit you for a reason," Lucian shot back, his voice dangerously low. "You don't get to touch women, especially a woman of honor like Ms. Rachel."

Gio's fury escalated, his face twisted in rage.

"Rachel, you should be careful with this secretary of yours," he taunted, mocking them both. "What kind of boss comes to a nightclub on a Saturday night, but is escorted by his secretary? Outside working hours, no less. Or... is he stalking you?"

Rachel stood up, her temper boiling over. She shoved Gio hard, making him stagger several steps backward.

"Don't meddle in my business!" she shouted. "And even if he is following me, that's none of your concern. Lucian is my secretary-personally, too. So stop your nonsense."

She turned to leave, but Gio grabbed her arm roughly once again. This time, Lucian couldn't stand by idly. He stepped forward and grabbed Gio's shoulder, trying to separate them.

But unexpectedly, Gio threw a punch at Lucian's face. Lucian, caught off guard, took the blow hard and stumbled to the ground. His glasses flew off and landed on the floor.

Rachel's eyes widened in shock, her anger exploding.

"What did you do to my secretary?!" she yelled as she knelt beside Lucian, who was touching his split and bleeding lip.

"I didn't do anything," Gio replied nonchalantly. "It was your secretary who touched me first. And he's not even on my level to be anywhere near me. But how dare he touch my body?"

After saying that, Gio stepped on Lucian's glasses, crushing them underfoot with deliberate force.

Rachel's eyes grew wide in disbelief at the harsh and dismissive actions she had just witnessed. Her fury exploded.

Slap!

A sharp slap landed on Gio's cheek. His head snapped sideways from the force of the blow. Rachel's three friends-Alexa, Monica, and Jessica-froze in shock. They had never seen Rachel this angry.

"You're so wrong!" Rachel shouted, her voice trembling with emotion. "The one who doesn't belong here is you! You're nothing compared to my secretary. So stop acting so arrogantly in front of me!"

Gio clenched his fists, his jaw tightening. His pride had been wounded, and the insult was too much to bear.

Without acknowledging him any further, Rachel immediately bent down to help Lucian to his feet. After making sure he could stand, she took his hand, pulling him out of the nightclub-without looking back even once.