âAh!â
A powerful grip seized Bellaâs arm and yanked her into the darkness.
Bella stumbled into a tough chest. The manâs ragged breaths stirred the strands on top of her head, his
touch drawing warmth across her skin.
The long, lingering embrace was strange yet familiar to her.
It was Justin.
The man ensured a firm grip around her waist in case she might twist her ankle from wearing those
high stilettos.
His grip was awfully firm, bearing conflicting emotions. He wanted to protect her, but he feared she
might slip away from him.
âJustin! How did you get in here?â Bella put up a fight, her cheeks flushed with rage.
âRyan said I might have trouble getting past the tight security here.â Justin narrowed his eyes. His voice
was raspy and flat.
Justin graduated at the top of his class from the military. It was a piece of cake to elude the hotelâs
security.
When he later became the president of Salvador Corporation, all his basic needs-and more were met.
His military training proved less relevant in the business world.
Yet he faced a multitude of hurdles when trying to see Bella, forcing him to be creative and persistent.
âItâs vile of you to sneak around like this.
Bella gritted her teeth and tried to stomp on his foot, but Justin twirled and pinned her against the wall.
Their eyes met, and sparks flew.
Now that he had snagged on an encounter, Justinâs gaze lingered on her face, absorbing every detail
of her.
âWhat are you looking at, bastard?â Bella cursed, and her ears turned red.
âYouâve put on some weight.â Justin fixated on her.
His lips curled at the roundness of her once-highly-contoured cheekbones.
She put some meat on her bones.
Bella could not believe Justin just said that. â
âAre you mad at me? Thereâs nothing wrong with putting on some weight. You were skin and bones
before. You should eat more. Justin spoke like a gentleman.
Red in the face, Bella slapped him.
Feeling the burn on his cheek, Justin grabbed her hand. The handprint on his face was a mark of
humiliation. âIs this how you repay someone who has helped you, Bella? I donât count on getting a
thank- you, but you should stop getting physical with me every time I see you.â
âThank you? Why should I? Should I thank you for restraining Xena Gordon and getting her to testify
against Bethany?â
With her chest heaving, Bella mocked Justin. âHave you no shame, Justin? You should thank me, not
the other way around. Youâre just trying to gain leverage through me by holding Xena against Bethany.
If I hadnât played along, you would have been out of the game a long time ago.â
âBella!â
Justinâs eyes turned bloodshot as rage consumed him. âI just wanted to see you.â
âBut youâre the last person on earth I want to see!â
Bella could not break free from Justin. It was not as if she could beat someone from the special force.
She reached into her pocket to fish out her phone to call Steven.
Justin saw through her and nimbly seized her other hand.