Because her body had not fully recovered, after Rylee fed her medicine last night and a day of hard work, Rhianna had no energy to argue with Rylee.
She just fell asleep in a daze, and someone seemed to be by her bedside the whole time.
In the clear moonlight, Rylee looked at his girl. Her sleeping face was so serene. Just looking at her was enough to sense her sweetness.. Actually, more than once, Rylee wondered if what he did was right or wrong.
But the thought of losing her pain forced Rylee to act this way.
He couldn't let anything happen to her again.
When she woke up, Rylee was already gone.
Rhianna just thought of him as having intermittent episodes and didn't take it to heart.
There were still two promotional events to catch today.
Rhianna walked to the dining room and saw the purple sweet potato black rice porridge and boiled eggs warming in the kitchen. Could it be that the person that night was also Rylee? Was it not Lauryn who took care of her all night while she was sick and prepared macaroni and cheese?
For a moment, Rhianna wanted to ask Lauryn but still didn't make the call.
After all, it was no longer important. She and Rylee were getting a divorce, and digging into this mess would only add to her troubles.
But what Rhianna didn't see was that agreement, that belated birthday gift from Rylee, originally intended to surprise her that day. It was something he had promised her, a star in the Centaurus constellation 5 billion light years away from Earth, where scientific probes suggested the possibility of alien life.
Even if she didn't remember, it was a promise he intended to keep for her.
*
In the intoxicating lights, everyone's face was bizarre.
Rhianna didn't like the current scene.
After the promotional event, they were invited to this club by the producers and investors.
Such private clubs were not new to Rhianna, but this T club felt vaguely strange.
As soon as she entered the club area, Rhianna saw many young and beautiful girls dressed quite revealingly, and quite a few delicate boys who looked very young, seeming to be only sixteen or seventeen.
At this gathering, Rhianna was only familiar with Javion. As she passed through the crowd, she walked to Javion's side and lowered her voice, "Don't you feel this club has an indescribable vibe?"
"Indeed, look at how many people are here, some of whom aren't even from our crew. I just came here on my agent's advice to network. I noticed you came alone; your agent probably didn't understand the specifics of this place."
Rhianna listened to Javion and grew more thoughtful.
Until she saw the producers and so-called bigwigs of the circle each with women in their arms, behaving disgustingly, Rhianna thought Lauryn really didn't understand the nature of this gathering.
The private room was noisy, with some dancing provocatively and others singing. Rhianna saw Javion standing aloof, so she quietly moved to his side.
Javion's agent was mingling smoothly with several bosses, but whenever he had a chance, he would try to pull Javion out to meet people.
Rhianna noticed Javion's impatience but saw he was still obliging his agent, drinking more than he should.
Rhianna didn't have much to say about these people's actions. She had grown up in a privileged family and, apart from emotional matters, had faced little hardship. For the sake of so-called success, there were too many forced and insincere actions in this world.
Rhianna didn't want to dwell too much in this place and was about to sneak away.
But a groping hand grabbed her arm. This chubby middle-aged man was slightly drunk, and the chaotic lights in the room made Rhianna feel uncomfortable as he looked at her.
"Pretty lady, don't rush off. Have a drink with me while we're all in a good mood tonight."
Rhianna instinctively wanted to struggle. It was too disgusting to be touched by this person.
It just so happened that this Mr. Hunt, seeing Rhianna's pretty face frowning in resistance, wanted to grab her even more.
"Please behave yourself, Mr. Hunt." Rhianna felt that he wasn't even worth slapping him.
Javion couldn't stand it either and wanted to help, but his agent stopped him. It was better to stay out of such messy situations. To survive in the entertainment industry, one often had to turn a blind eye to many things.
Seeing Mr. Hunt's whole body leaning towards her, Rhianna quickly dodged.
Brennan, a major shareholder of Hunt Entertainment, had seen many beauties, but it was the first time he had seen someone as stunning and vibrant as Rhianna, with a fiery figure that even her clothes couldn't hide.
Actually, he had his eye on Rhianna from the beginning, but the night was young, and there were plenty of newcomers throwing themselves at him, so he wasn't in a hurry, thinking the beauty would come to him eventually.
So Brennan just chatted loudly with his friends, keeping an eye on Rhianna with his peripheral vision, but he didn't expect this girl to want to leave?!
The women Brennan set his sights on never escaped his grasp.
"Tell me, what's your name?" Brennan leaned close to Rhianna, and the stench of his breath made her dizzy.
Rhianna saw him trying to touch her face as he spoke and immediately elbowed him.
Rhianna had learned some self-defense techniques, probably from long ago when she begged Rylee to teach her during a winter break.
"Ugh..." Brennan hadn't expected Rhianna to fight back.
His groan drew a crowd around them.
"Mr. Hunt, what's up?"
"Mr. Hunt, what happened?"
"…"
Most of the people who came to care about Brennan had something to gain from him. Javion pulled Rhianna, indicating for her to leave quickly.
But leaving now wouldn't be easy.
Brennan was originally a street thug who made a name for himself following a big boss, and after seizing the opportunities of the open market, he founded a large entertainment company in the industry. Every entertainer under him fawned over him. Today, he encountered a thorny rose.
Brennan looked at Rhianna. If this girl played nice, he might make her a movie queen, but she was clearly the tough type.
But he had his ways with such girls.
His fat face showed a lewd smile, "Young lady, let's ask everyone here. Didn't you just offer me a toast? Now you're pretending to be unwilling. I, Brennan, say this: you'll drink this cup whether you want to or not."
Since everyone gathered to watch the show, Rhianna took the opportunity to distance herself from Brennan.
"I'll drink this for her." It was Javion who spoke, and his agent waved his hand in frustration.
Anyone could see that Mr. Hunt would either get this girl tonight or ruin her. Was Javion crazy to get involved?
"Boss Liu, the kid's just joking, don't take it seriously." The agent quickly intervened, trying to pull Javion back. This man must be out of his mind tonight.
People around chanted, "Drink, drink," and Rhianna, not wanting to make it difficult for Javion, took the glass. But she wasn't easy to bully; she pretended to fumble, and with a crash, the wine glass shattered on the floor, spilling wine all over Brennan.
"Well, lady, you've asked for it."
Rhianna wasn't afraid of Brennan, but the disparity in strength between men and women, along with the crowd abetting the wrongdoing, left her being grabbed by someone and forced to drink a few sips of wine by Brennan.
Javion couldn't watch this happen, but his agent held him back tightly.
Rhianna wouldn't let herself be so disadvantaged; she kicked Brennan hard in the crotch.
"Ow—" Brennan's scream stunned everyone, shocked that Rhianna, a beautiful woman, dared to defy so boldly. They feared Liu would kill her for this.
Brennan clutched his crotch in pain, the kind that made him almost crush his teeth.
But even so, he wanted to see this girl dead!
Seeing that slap about to land, Rhianna knew she couldn't dodge it.
She closed her eyes in fear, but the expected pain didn't come.
With a loud bang, the door was kicked open.
Another scream of agony and gasps from the crowd followed. Rhianna opened her eyes to see Brennan on the ground, a clear footprint on his chest.
That kick had no mercy; Brennan spat blood, his organs feeling like they'd burst out!
The noisy room fell silent.
"Don't be afraid, no one can bully you."
At that moment, he stood behind her, his reassuring words entering her ears.
His warm hand supported her waist, giving her strength.
Rylee, why do you always give me hope when I am utterly desperate...
*
Brennan never thought he'd be so unlucky. In his 40-plus years, he'd never had a day like this.
Today, he encountered a girl who wasn't afraid to die and a man who seemed to come out of nowhere.
Damn it, his private parts still hurt like hell!
This was his territory; who were these two to cause trouble here?
"Who are you? Where are you from? " A drunken man, propped up by others, shouted loudly, addressing him as Mr. Ballard.
Some concerned individuals had already come to help Mr. Hunt up. He was about to take out his phone to call for help. Brennan didn't care where the troublemaker was from, but he knew that if he didn't deal with this person today, he wouldn't be able to show his face in the industry tomorrow!
But just then, a group of armed police in uniforms broke through the door first.
Brennan was dumbfounded. Although he was in excruciating pain, seeing such a scene, he knew it wasn't a hallucination. As an old hand in the industry, Liu still had some common sense.
But just as he was trying to figure out the situation, Rylee didn't give him the chance.
After instructing his men, Rylee took Rhianna and left the place of trouble.
Years later, the closure of T club, once famous in the entertainment industry, remained a mystery. Many small-time celebrities had sought opportunities there to rise to fame, but overnight, several big bosses were arrested. Rumors abounded about unknown secrets.
Rhianna was led by Rylee down a long red carpeted corridor. Rylee was dressed in a black shirt that exuded a sense of restraint. Today, he seemed to be outside his usual military environment.
"How did you know I was in there?" Rhianna wasn't stupid. She just couldn't figure out why Rylee had appeared so timely.
But before Rylee could answer, she felt her body go weak. Damn, the wine she was forced to drink earlier was drugged.
