Revenge Or Love ✔

Chapter 12 Clara

Clara POV.

After returning to New York, the team holds a celebration dinner for Arthur.

With only two weeks left until the final race, it's more about mindset than skill. So, everyone wants Arthur to relax a bit.

But the protagonist is absent. He bids everyone farewell and leaves with me.

"Are we going home?" I ask him, turning my head as the car drives through the night.

Arthur pauses for two seconds, then says, "No, my friend is back, I'm going to see him."

It must be a very important friend to make him leave the people in the team behind.

I think to myself as I park the car at a secluded entrance in the outskirts of New York, following the address Arthur gave me.

It's a large iron gate, looking somewhat rusty.

"Stay here and wait for me," Arthur says, about to push the door and get out of the car.

I grab his wrist. "Wait, I'll go with you."

It's late at night now, and the sight of the large iron gate makes me a little afraid. The weeds in the yard remind me of the opening scenes of horror movies.

Arthur is silent for two seconds.

He turns to look at me and says, "Are you sure?"

"Sure," I nod repeatedly.

"Alright then," he raises an eyebrow, "just don't regret it."

"I won't," I say quickly.

We get out of the car, and as I reach out to push the door, Arthur grabs my wrist. "The door isn't here."

Then he leads me around the front yard and towards the basement.

There are masks on the walls of the basement's lower level, Arthur hands me one, puts one on himself, and then leads me inside.

And then, I'm startled by the scene inside.

The entire basement is decorated like an opera house, with a central stage where some scantily dressed beautiful women stand, some dressed as Playboy bunnies, some in maid outfits.

Arthur pulls me inside, entering a private room on the second floor.

The people inside are pleasantly surprised to see him.

"I haven't seen Mr. Arthur in a long time!"

"You've been busy with racing, and yet you still find time to come!"

One of the masked men prepares a chair for Arthur and then looks at me behind him with some surprise. "You brought a companion? Lucas prepared a gift for you today, he said you just returned to the top of the scoreboard and wanted you to relax."

Arthur takes his seat and pulls me onto his lap without answering the man, just asking, "Where's Lucas? He just returned to New York and immediately resumed his old business?"

"Of course! Do you know how famous Lucas is in the SM circle now? Everyone is here to see him!"

Arthur mutters lightly, "Damn."

People laugh.

At that moment, the lights on the stage suddenly brighten.

A depressed section of the stage in front suddenly rises, and then, I see a man wearing a black shirt, holding a leash, the other end of which is attached to a woman, all fours on the ground.

After the platform stops, the man, like walking a dog, leads the woman around the stage, and the audience erupts into cheers, all eyes focused on the stage.

My breath suddenly stops, and my body can't help but tremble slightly.

"I-I think I'll go outside," I turn my head and whisper in Arthur's ear.

Now I understand why he asked me like that outside.

"What's wrong? Are you scared?" Arthur chuckles lightly, his gaze shining brightly in the darkness of the private room.

I dare not speak, just swallow and hook my hand around his arm, shaking it pleadingly.

After a few seconds.

"Alright, alright." He stands up, amidst the curious gazes of the others in the private room, he takes my hand and walks out.

As soon as I return to the large iron gate, I immediately get into the car and fasten my seatbelt.

"You can go back, I'll stay here alone," I tell him.

But Arthur goes around to the passenger side, opens the door, and gets in. "I've already told them to inform my friend, I'll wait for him outside."

We don't speak anymore.

After about fifteen minutes, the man in the black shirt suddenly appears in my line of sight.

I get out of the car with Arthur, and the man quickly strides up to Arthur, warmly embracing him, then smiles and says, "Long time no see!"

By now, he has removed his mask, and there are still confetti strands clinging to his head from the confetti cannons.

"Lucas, long time no see!" Arthur replies.

"You're still the same, never liked watching me perform." After the embrace, Lucas puts his hand on Arthur's shoulder and looks him up and down.

Hearing this, Arthur shrugs, "You've never watched me race either."

They laugh.

Afterward, they go to eat, my mind in a whirl, still echoing the scene of Lucas on stage, leading a woman like a dog. So, instinctively feeling afraid of this man, I say I'm not hungry and stay in the car while they go.

"You go home first." Arthur probably feels it's inconvenient to have me along to meet his friend, so he says, "I'll take a cab back later."

"Okay." I nod repeatedly, ignoring Lucas's curious gaze, and then escape.

I return to the villa, go upstairs to the master bedroom, not knowing when I fell asleep again, and wake up again, disturbed by the sound of rain.

Arthur has already returned, sleeping behind me, one arm around my waist.

There's a gap in the curtains, and through it, I see some light outside, indicating it's early morning. So, I gently move his arm away.

"What are you doing?" Arthur senses my movement and suddenly speaks.

"Did I wake you up?" I turn around, seeing his eyes still closed, and whisper, "You don't like the light when you sleep, I'll close the curtains a bit more."

Afterward, I return to bed.

Arthur seems to fall asleep again, his breathing deep, but his arm wraps around my waist once more.

"Why are you so nice to me?" His voice is half-dreamy.

"Huh?"

"Why are you so nice to me?" he repeats.

This time I hear it clearly, hesitating in his arms for a moment, then I say, "Because you pay me a salary."

"But I've paid every assistant I've had, yet none of them have been as nice to me as you." Arthur's morning patience seems particularly abundant, and his tone is calm.

His calmness infects me, and I relax, expressing what's on my mind, "Well, that's because I'm greedier than them all. I want more."

Arthur's arm tightens around me a bit more. "Since you know you're greedy, should you try harder from now on?"

I nod, gently rubbing my back against his chest, then say, "Yeah, I'll try harder."