Nancyâs face darkened further upon hearing the new voice. She turned toward it. It really was that nuisance who sickened her the most!
âNone of your business!â she said harshly, rolling her eyes at him.
Her dislike of him was obvious.
âCome on, donât be so harsh, Nance. We havenât seen each other for so long. This is a great opportunity to catch up with each otherâ¦â
Stanley Jenningsâs eyes were fixed obsessively upon her.
âDonât call me that! You havenât earned that right!â Nancy yelled at him, her disgust growing. âPlease just get as far away from me as you can. I donât want to see your face!â
Stanley frowned. âNo matter what, weâre still childhood friends. Why are you so put off by me, Nance?â
âHah! Bullshit!â Nancy rolled her eyes so hard one could only see the whites.
âDonât make me sick! We were only neighbors!â she yelled. âNeighbors and childhood friends are two completely unrelated things!â
This nuisance had been trailing behind her like a persistent fly ever since they were kids. He always followed after her so he could bully her, which caused many fights between them back then.
Sheâd finally managed to shake him off when she went abroad. However, she didnât think sheâd run into him again today. How unlucky!
Nancy had absolutely no desire to say another word to him. She turned to leave, but she had barely taken a step before her arm was grabbed tightly.
âStanley, youâLet go of meâ¦â
She tried to shake him off forcefully, but he was stronger than her. Not only did she fail to throw him off, he held on even tighter.
âNancy, I have something to say to you! You canât leave!â
âI donât want to hear it, so get lost!â
Nancy struggled with all her might and finally managed to escape his grasp. She quickly attempted to return to her private room, but Stanley chased after her desperately.
Just as it seemed like he would grab her again, a pair of slender hands intercepted him. They stopped him from touching a single hair on Nancyâs head.
âHas nobody ever told you not to force women into doing something they donât want to?â
Jacobâs eyes narrowed dangerously beneath his goldâwire glasses. He squeezed Stanleyâs arm in one hand while keeping Nancy safely behind his back with the other.
âMâMr. Murrayâ¦â
Recognizing Jacob, Stanleyâs expression changed drastically, and he broke out in a cold sweat.
âMr. Murray, youâre mistaken. I didnât force her into anything,â he hurriedly explained. âMe and Nance know each other. Weâre childhood friendsâ¦â
Childhood friends?
For some reason, Jacob found that term extremely unpleasant to his ears. His grip on Stanleyâs arm tightened.
With a snap, they heard the sound of breaking bone.
212 Stanley cried out in pain. Immediately after, he was scared right back into silence by Jacobâs imposing air, too afraid to cry out again. He could only bite down the pain and speak up in a small voice.
âMr. Murray, I just had something to say to her,â he said weakly.
Jacobâs eyes regained some of their warmth as he turned to look at Nancy. âDo you want to hear him out? â he asked her softly.
Nancy immediately shook her head. âNo.â
She didnât want to say a single word more to this nuisance!
âYou hear that? She doesnât want to hear what you have to say.â
Jacobâs eyes were cold as ice when he looked at Stanley. His icy tone carried a heavy hint of warning.
âDonât bother her again in the future.â
As soon as he was done speaking, Jacob led Nancy away hand in hand. They left Stanley standing where he was with a pained face, cradling his broken arm.
His expression was ugly, a strong sense of crisis rising in his heart. A crisis of love.