She Left She Thrived She’s Worth Billions novel Chapter 391

“You ungrateful bitch! If you won't do this the easy way, we'll do it the hard way!”

Melanie pulled her arm back to slap Douglas, but before she could strike, a fist flew past her, knocking the man straight to the ground.

She whipped her head around, her wide eyes landing on Preston's towering figure.

Preston had hit him hard enough to split his lip open, sending blood trickling down his chin.

A striking smear of crimson stained Preston's pristine white glove.

Melanie froze in shock.

She never expected him to show up out of nowhere, let alone step in to save her.

Before she could even ask what he was doing here, Preston grabbed her wrist and pulled her right out of the hotel.

Outside, the night was dark and heavy.

Her mind was a complete blur until he shoved her into the passenger seat of his car.

The tension rolling off him made it obvious—he was furious.

“Why were you having dinner with a guy like that?”

His accusatory tone immediately rubbed her the wrong way.

“What do you mean, 'a guy like that'? He's the vice president of the Medical Association. It was purely business. And what about you? Weren't you busy keeping Aria company? Why do you suddenly have time to care about what I'm doing?”

The moment the words left her mouth, she realized how painfully jealous she sounded.

She had firmly believed she would never stoop so low as to be jealous of Aria.

That woman simply wasn't worth it.

But instead of getting angrier, Preston's stern expression softened. A faint, knowing smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.

“Are you mad... because I was having dinner with Aria?”

“Absolutely not!”

She denied it instantly.

“It's none of my business who you eat with. I don't even like you, so why would I be mad?”

Seeing her stubbornly refuse to admit it, his eyes smoldered with a predatory heat, filled with a predatory heat.

His stare was like a blazing fire, making her cheeks burn under his intense scrutiny.

“Well, I saw you getting harassed, and I got mad... because I like you.”

His confessions were always so blunt and dangerously sincere, completely catching her off guard every time.

She glared back at him, making no effort to hide her annoyance.

“You like me, yet you let Aria undress you in public? Have you no shame?”

Her petty grumbling actually made him chuckle.

He figured she must have seen the moment Aria pulled at his suit jacket.

In reality, he hadn't let her undress him at all.

He had insisted on leaving, and when Aria tried to stop him, she knocked over a cup of tea. It spilled all over him, and she used the excuse to throw herself at him, yanking his jacket open to wipe his shirt.

He had immediately shoved her away.

His lips hovered just inches from hers, so close she could feel the heat of his breath against her skin.

“Bite me, then.”

His voice was a husky rasp, deliberately plucking at her tightly wound nerves.

Her heart thudded painfully in her chest.

“You asked for it.”

She lunged forward and bit down hard on his lower lip, tearing the skin until she drew blood.

The sharp, metallic taste immediately flooded their mouths.

He just stared at her.

And she stared right back.

Even with his lip bleeding, he didn't flinch away or loosen his grip on her wrists.

“Feel better?”

he asked softly.

She turned her head away, her tone frigid.

“No. Not even close.”

“Then keep going.”

Before she could even process what he meant, his bleeding lips crashed down onto hers in a bruising, desperate kiss.