Page 74 of Addicted To His Favorite
Chapter 27 A Fly
She stopped directly in front of Emily, her expression twisted with venom.
“You’ve got some nerve showing your face here,” Amelia spat. “After the fiasco at Lucas’s last event? How dare you show up at another jewelry gala?”
Emily’s brows arched, her tone cool and dismissive, her voice carrying a lazy sort of irritation. “Why is it that wherever I go, you’re always buzzing around me like a fly?”
Amelia’s fury deepened. Her teeth clenched, her voice trembling as she shouted, loud enough for the whole hall to hear: “You’re nothing but a mistress! A toy in Mr. Graves’s bedroom! What could youpossiblybe so arrogant about?”
Emily blinked, confusion flickering across her features. ‘A mistress? What is she talking about?’
But Amelia wasn’t finished. She stepped closer, voice shrill with rage.
“Don’t act clueless. Tonight, you’ll learn the consequences of flaunting yourself. Mr. Graves already has a girlfriend. He’s bringing her here tonight. And you—” she sneered, her lip curling, “—you had the audacity to show up, knowing you’re nothing more than a dirty secret? Let’s see how humiliated you look when you get caught.”
The words ignited the crowd—gasps, whispers, shocked stares flying toward Emily.
Across the hall, Lucas, silent until now, finally looked up from his drink. His gaze landed on Emily and in that instant, everything in him shifted. The whiskey glass hit the table with a sharp crack as he shot to his feet. His jaw locked tight, fury darkening his expression.
The gown. The jewelry. The collection. There was no doubt in his mind—Sebastian Graves had given her those things himself.
His blood boiled. Rage consumed him.
He shoved through the crowd, people stumbling out of his way as he stormed toward Emily.
Before Emily could react, his hand shot out, fingers digging cruelly into her arm as he yanked her closer. His breath came harsh, his jaw tight, eyes dark with venom.
“So it’s true?” His voice was a low snarl. “You really hooked up with SebastianfuckingGraves?! Is that why you’ve ignored my calls—blocked me everywhere?!”
Emily gasped at the sudden grip, her body twisting as she fought against him, her nails scratching at his hand. “I have nothing to do with you anymore, Lucas! Let me go!”
The crowd murmured in shock, some pulling out phones, others watching in tense silence.
Then, shoving his way through the circle, Harold burst forward. His expression was rigid, eyes blazing with protectiveness as he grabbed Lucas by the shoulder and wrenched him back.
“Enough!” Harold barked, planting himself in front of Emily like a shield. His hand reached toward her in steady reassurance, his voice softer when he turned to her. “Ms. Emily, are you alright?”
Emily clutched her arm where Lucas had gripped her, nodding shakily. Her lips parted, but before she could answer, Lucas’s entire face twisted in feral rage. The sight of Emily finding protection—comfort—in another man’s presence was gasoline on his fury.
His chest rose and fell in ragged breaths, veins standing out in his neck as his hands curled into fists. With a guttural snarl, he lunged, shoving Harold aside with brutal force. The motion was so sudden the crowd gasped, some stumbling back to avoid being caught in the clash.
“This is between Emily and me!” he roared, his voice cracking with raw possessiveness. His eyes, wild and unhinged, locked onto Emily. “Stay the hell out of it!”
He swung a punch, barely missing Harold as rage consumed him. His chest heaved, every muscle tight, and when Harold squared his shoulders, ready to retaliate, the crowd erupted in whispers.
The onlookers buzzed, their whispers racing from lip to lip.
“What’s happening?!”
“Harold too? He’s fighting over Emily?”
“First Lucas, now Harold—and Sebastian’s name is already in the mix—whoisthis woman?”
The murmurs rolled like wildfire, spreading shock and scandal across the glittering hall.
Before the clash could ignite, Amelia shoved her way through the crowd. Her face was twisted in fury, her eyes burning as she seized Lucas’s arm and pulled him back with both hands.
“Lucas!” she snapped, her shrill voice cutting through the whispers. “Don’t disgrace yourself fighting over her!”
