Chapter 217
The night before, Rebekah had tossed and turned, muttering in her sleep. Her closed eyelids had fluttered, her brow had been tightly furrowed, and her body had trembled. Jensen had sat by her side, constantly wiping the cold sweat from her forehead. He had wanted to wake her, but she was in such a deep sleep that nothing could stir her. Fearing she would catch a chill in her damp clothes, he had his assistant bring a fresh set.
Rebekah sat on the edge of the bed for a moment, disoriented as she pulled herself out of the lingering fog of her nightmare. She looked at Jensen blankly, feeling a strange sense of déjà vu. It was just like those years abroad; whenever she woke from a nightmare, Jensen would always find some silly topic to distract her.
“Th-thank you,” she said, taking the clothes and heading into the bathroom.
Looking in the mirror, she saw that her shoulders and arms were still red and swollen. A dull, numb pain radiated from her back. She gently pressed on one of the welts and, strangely, felt no pain at all. The doctor must have given her painkillers.
She dazedly changed her clothes and stepped out, only to be met with an unwelcome sight. Sampson was standing in the hospital room, glaring fiercely at Jensen.
“The nurse said Rebekah was in this room. Where is she?” Sampson demanded.
Just as he finished speaking, the bathroom door opened and Rebekah emerged. The moment Sampson saw her, he raised his hand and lunged forward to strike her.
Jensen moved faster, delivering a sharp kick to Sampson’s side that sent him sprawling to the floor. “You dare try to hit her in front of me p>
Both Sampson and Rebekah were stunned. Rebekah quickly moved toward Jensen, but before she could speak, he pulled her behind him.
Sampson clutched his side, his face twisted in pain as he got to his feet. He glared at Jensen, then at
Rebekah who was now beinget
shielded by him. “Rebekah, you really are a first-class bitch,” he snarled. “Is this your lover? You’re not even divorced from Benjamin yet p>
Jensen squeezed Rebekah’s hand, a comforting warmth spreading from his palm through her entire body, inexplicably soothing her anxieties.
He fixed Sampson with an icy stare, his voice like shards of glass. “First, Rebekah has already filed for divorce from Benjamin. It will be finalized soon. Second, I am not her lover; we are just friends. Third, you have no right to come here and bully my friend p>
Normally, Jensen wouldn’t bother explaining himself to someone so insignificant. But while he wanted Rebekah for himself, he would never jeopardize her reputation. He would wait until she was completely free from her marriage to pursue her openly, not drag her down now.
Sampson spat on the floor, dismissing Jensen’s words with a sneer. “Who do you
think you are? Are you threatening me p>
Jensen offered a faint smile, but his eyes glinted with a sinister coldness. “If you insist on finding out, you’re welcome to try p>
The quietly delivered line carried an undeniable weight. Sampson didn’t know Jensen well, only that Candice had said he worked for the Hawthorne family His arrogance suggested he had powerful backing. After a moment’s thought, he decided it wasn’t wise to provoke him.
He shot one last venomous look at Rebekah. “I’ll let you off today. But you’ll pay for
what you did to Candice. I’ll make sure of it p>