Out of all of them, only Barry had ever truly listened to what she said and taken her words seriously. Only when there was proper respect could there be communication.
As for Damien, his deep–seated prejudice made communication impossible. Given how arrogant and conceited he was, could never listen to a word she said.
And if her words never counted for anything with him, then what was the point of talking to him? She should never have given him these five minutes.
“I don’t care if you believe me or not, but I’ll never resign!” Autumn pushed him away and turned to leave.
Damien braced one arm against the wall to stop her from leaving.
Autumn looked at him coldly.
“Actually, I can understand why you’re doing this,” Damien said.
Autumn was stunned. He could respect and understand her decision now?
Then, she heard him let out a nasty laugh. “After all, you finally managed to secure Dawson as a powerful backer. He’s someone who can even make me lose my temper over you, so how could you possibly bear to give him up?”
Autumn was stunned into silence.
“But Autumn, you shouldn’t be doing this. Dawson isn’t the kind of man you can handle. Getting involved with him is like playing with fire,” Damien added.
The next second, his face came closer without warning, causing Autumn’s pupils to shrink.
Damien grabbed her face with one hand and clutched her shoulder with the other. He was gripping her so hard, giving her no room to struggle at all. Autumn trembled slightly. Damien had never laid a hand on her before. What was he trying to do?
Her heart was pounding in fear when a kiss suddenly landed on the delicate skin beneath the left side of her jaw. It was followed by a hard, deliberate suck.
A sharp pain shot through her, making her break out in goosebumps all over. Before she could even cry out, Damien had already let her go.
Damien looked down at the stunned woman, his eyes falling on the unmistakable hickey on the side of her neck. He was quite satisfied with his handiwork. As he met Autumn’s wide, startied eyes, his own expression had already returned to its usual cold indifference.
“You asked for this,” he said with a sneer.
With that, he turned and walked away without a second thought.
Autumn stood frozen. She didn’t know how many seconds passed before a sudden, overwhelming wave of fear crashed over her, making her heart race wildly.
She covered the side of her neck, the sting from the burst capillaries sharp as needle pricks against her skin. There was no doubt that a red mark had formed, and everyone would see it when she returned to the court later.
Damien had deliberately marked her so that the whole world would know she was his woman. He was a downright lunatic!
Humiliation surged through her, and she couldn’t stop trembling slightly from rage. Her eyes turned red, but her face was twisted in anger. Even though tears had already welled up in her eyes, she refused to let them fall.
After wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, she yanked open the door and stormed out
grily.
Jayden had already arrived by the time Damien returned to the court.
His face gave nothing away, but both Barry and Emilia kept their eyes on him.
“I’m done playing,” Damien said.
“Where’s Autumn?” Barry asked.
“She’s still playing.”
Emilia was surprised. “She knows how to play tennis?”
Jayden let out a mocking laugh Autumn was at it again–always trying to imitate Emilia. Could she be any more disgusting?
Dainien gave a noncommittal hum and asked Emilia, “Are you coming
Emilia chose to go with him without hesitation.
Once they were in the car, her.
th me or staying here?”
she sensed something was off with him. She turned to look at him–his sharply handsome profile was now so cold and severe it sent a faint shiver of fear through
This was the first time since returning to the country that Emilia had seen him in such a foul mood.
What on earth had just happened?
Emilia wasn’t sure if it was curiosity or fear, but she was feeling restless and on edge. Her hand accidentally brushed against Damien’s, and he immediately grabbed it. Startled, Emilia blurted out, “What’s wrong? Did Autumn make you mad?”
He immediately grabbed it.
Damien didn’t answer. Instead, he laced his fingers tightly with hers, holding on like any ordinary couple might. “She’s not important.”
