“Future wife?” Dewa gave a bitter laugh, his eyes narrowing with hatred.
“Qiara doesn’t love you! She’s only being forced into this! You’re just a cold old man exploiting Laras’s will to get her younger sister!”
BAM!
Without warning, Zacky grabbed a fistful of Dewa’s shirt collar with one hand and shoved him hard, sending his back crashing into the porch pillar.
“Watch your mouth!” Zacky roared, blazing fury flashing in his eyes.
“Never mention my late wife’s name with that filthy mouth of yours!”
Dewa groaned in pain, but his emotions had already blinded him. He clenched his right hand into a tight fist, preparing to swing at Zacky’s face.
“You bastard!”
Seeing Dewa about to attack Zacky, Qiara was instantly overcome by panic.
She knew exactly who Zacky was—a grown man far stronger and more powerful than Dewa. If they got into a fight, Zacky would crush Dewa completely, both physically and through his influence.
“Enough! Stop!” Qiara screamed hysterically. She ran between them, pushing Zacky’s and Dewa’s chests in turn to separate them.
Zacky held back his punch, his eyes fixing sharply on Qiara.
“Qiara, move!”
“No! Big Brother Zacky, stop!” Qiara snapped breathlessly, standing protectively in front of Dewa. She looked at Dewa with reddened eyes, fighting back tears.
“Dewa, are you crazy?! Get out of here!”
Dewa smoothed down his rumpled collar and stared at Qiara in disbelief.
“Qia… you’re defending him? You’re afraid something will happen to me, right? You still love me, don’t you?”
“I’m not defending anyone, Dewa!” Qiara shouted, her voice trembling violently.
“I just don’t want a fight breaking out at my house! I don’t want to see you ever again! Please, leave right now!”
“Qia, but we—”
“Go, Dewa! Go!” Qiara cut him off emphatically, pointing toward the gate.
“Or I’ll call the neighborhood security guards to drag you out!”
Dewa stared at Qiara with fury and disappointment written across his face. Then he glanced at Zacky, who was still watching him like a predator ready to pounce. Realizing how completely outmatched he was, Dewa finally stepped back.
“Fine! I’m leaving!” Dewa hissed harshly. He pointed at Qiara with a trembling index finger.
“You’ll regret this, Qiara! You’ll regret choosing this cold man!”
Dewa turned and strode toward his car. The roar of the engine and screech of the tires rang out as he wrenched the wheel and sped away, leaving the house’s front yard behind.
The atmosphere on the porch instantly fell silent, thick with tension. Qiara let out a long breath, her shoulders sagging with exhaustion. But when she turned around, Zacky was staring intently at her, his expression growing darker by the second.
Qiara was still breathing hard, her chest heaving as she struggled to contain her surging emotions. The air on the porch seemed to grow colder when her eyes met Zacky’s.
The man stood tall, staring at her with a hard expression devoid of even the slightest regret.
“Why did you have to defend that man, Qiara?” Zacky asked coldly, his voice sounding like a judge delivering a sentence.
“Do you still have feelings for a swindler like him?”
The question was like a match striking the gasoline in Qiara’s chest. Pain, exhaustion, and humiliation blended into an anger that boiled over.
“Defend him?!” Qiara snapped, stepping forward and glaring at Zacky with fiery eyes.