The two individuals had already carried the man and were heading for the back door, ready to leave. Violet''s eyes widened as


    she suddenly


    recognized the face of the man being carried, and it was, to her surprise, Gabriel with his eyes closed.


    Violet''s face changed drastically, and in a hurry, she turned and pushed open the nearby private room door. Inside was the man


    Gabriel had joked with when she first entered the bar tonight. He was Gabriel’s friend. Violet. did not have time for much thought.


    She immediately called out, “Gabriel is in trouble!”


    After her shout, she rushed toward the back door. Gabriel''s friend quickly followed, and the people in the private room also ran


    out. Violet chased after the two men just now, and in the alley behind the bar, they were carrying Gabriel toward a nearby van.


    Violet grabbed a mop near the back door and quickly rushed over as fast as she could, thrusting the mop into one of the


    individuals, smearing his face. The person was pained by the attack and stinked by the bad smell, instinctively reaching to cover


    his face


    Meanwhile, Gabriel’s feet were sprawled on the ground, and the other person, now aware of the situation, pulled out a knife from


    his pocket and lunged toward Violet. She quickly stepped back and instinctively thrust. the mop toward the person’s knife.


    All of Gabriel''s friends arrived in the nick of time. Seeing the unfavorable situation, the two assants retreated and rushed


    towards the van, ignoring Gabriel. Gabriel''s friends chased after them, and the two assants had already made it to the van,


    driving away.


    Gabriely on the ground, his eyes half-open, appearing dazed. He was notpletely unconscious but had a heavy, numbing


    sensation in his brain, possibly due to an injection from the assants. However, this did not stop him from witnessing Violet''s


    heroic actions. She held a mop to buy time, allowing his friends to arrive and scare off the assants. Gabriel waspletely


    feeble, and he weakly called out, “Violet...”


    Ill


    12:43 Thu dan


    Violet quickly dropped the mop and bent down to check on him. Gabriel''s friends helped him up and rushed him back into the


    bar. On the first day of the bar’s opening, Gabriel had to deal with this kind of incident. The bar manager attended to the


    customers, and Gabriel, who seemed to have been injected with something, was swiftly taken to the hospital.


    Megan was still drunk, slumped over at the bar. Violet had no choice but to ask Gabriel''s friends to let her know about his


    condition once it had


    stabilized.


    After taking Megan back home, Violet received a call from Gabriel’s friend, who said that Gabriel was okay. He had regained


    consciousness for a moment, and Gabriel wanted to speak with her about the details. tomorrow in person. The friend even


    teased that she was a real hero. tonight.


    Violet looked after Megan as she slept, and then she took a taxi back to Hersey Court. At this point, Violet was unaware that her


    heroic act of saving Gabriel had already spread through their social circle.


    Despite her intention to keep it low-key, Gabriel''s friends had gone to great lengths to publicize her bravery. Everyone praised


    her for being friend who was both beautiful and brave, captivating on ordinary days, and willing to stand up in times of need.


    a


    When Violet returned to Hersey Court, it was already past eleven o’clock. at night, and she was feeling quite exhausted. Upon


    entering the ce, she found the living room shrouded in darkness and filled with the scent of smoke as if it had been set on fire.


    She could not help but cough and took. a step forward to turn on the lights.


    Suddenly, Violet saw sparks flickering in the direction of the sofa. She pressed the switch at once, and the living room was


    instantly illuminated.


    Violet spotted Patrick, who was leaning against the sofa. He was still in his shirt with a loosened tie and held a lit cigarette. He


    squinted his eyes, gazing intently toward the entrance, exuding a suffocating aura of suppressed anger.


    Violet then realized that the coffee table was littered with countless


    GO


    cigarette butts, which exined the smoky atmosphere.


    Violet pursed her lips slightly and then her voice came out dry. “Mr. Hersey, | thought you quit smoking.”


    Patrick, cold and indifferent, stared at her without saying a word. Violet frowned, unsure who had upset him again. She spoke,


    “After you finish. your cigarette, go upstairs and sleep. I''ll go up first.” Violet finished speaking and changed into slippers, heading


    toward the staircase.


    82


    However, the low, deep voice of Patrick came through. “Am | not allowed. to smoke again after quitting?”


    Violet was momentarily taken aback and then realized he was responding to her initial question. She nodded and replied, “Or at


    least smoke less. It’s bad for your health.”


    Suddenly, Patrick let out a lowugh. Even though he wasughing, his voice was icy, devoid of any hint of joy. “Are you


    genuinely concerned


    about me?”


    Violet did not understand why Patrick was acting so strangely tonight. She- stood in the living room, furrowing her brows, and


    replied, “Mr. Hersey, I’m just speaking the truth.”


    However, this statement seemed to trigger something in Patrick. He abruptly stood up, his expression dark and intense as he


    stared at Violet. “Speaking the truth? Your truth is standing me up, iming to be out with a friend for drinks, only to turn around


    and show up at Gabriel''s bar opening?”


    Violet finally understood why Patrick was so upset. He believed she had lied to him. She couldn''t help but exin, “I did not lie to


    you. | told the truth. | just chose to go to Gabriel''s new bar with my friend...


    Patrick had no intention of listening to her exnation. He cut her off, his voice cold and grim. “Violet, you are really something!


    You stand me up. then stick up for another man. Beautiful savior, so selfless, so friendly, so fearless...N?velDrama.Org content rights.


    Violet could not take it anymore. Patrick’s tone and expression made it


    G


    seem like he wanted to devour her. She clenched her teeth and said, “Mr. Hersey, please calm down. | did not intend to make


    you ufortable. It’s just that in the circumstances at that time, | could not simply stand by and do nothing!” Moreover, Gabriel


    had saved her life once, so she felt it was only natural to help him out.


    Patrick suddenly let out a cold, mirthlessugh. His anger was palpable, and his expression seemed to suggest he would like


    nothing more than to devour Violet whole. “Violet, do you think that | only got angry because of my g od da mn pride?”