Chapter 20: Don’t Blame Me For Being Ruthless
They checked over three warehouses before Violet found the one she liked. It was a warehouse a 20-minute drive away from the hotel.
It was spacious and dry, with high ceilings, exactly the kind of place that could hold a large quantity of goods without drawing attention.
After they’d secured it, Violet paid for the warehouse and told Jen they needed to get trucks.
"What will the truck be fo—" Jen paused, quickly catching herself.
"To take whatever we buy over to the warehouse." Violet replied.
Her reasoning was that not every shop had a good logistics plan. So it wouldn’t hurt to have a few trucks and hired drivers to convey whatever she bought back to the warehouse.
They secured three trucks and drivers. The trucks were to be taken to the warehouse and would be used to bring back what they would purchase tomorrow.
By the time they finished arranging that, it was already past 6 pm. Jen drove Violet back to the hotel. She had left her purse inside Violet’s suite, so she went inside to retrieve it.
As they walked into the hotel, Jen told her about the various varieties of rice and beans available. Even though Violet had not given her a conclusive reply, Jen was certain Violet was about to open a shop and wanted to help run it.
They were about to walk in through the sliding glass door when rough hands grabbed Jen’s arm and yanked her backwards with enough force to nearly make her stumble to the floor.
Violet halted her steps and turned.
A tall, well-built man had hold of Jen, handsome in a rough, unpolished way, the kind of good looks that had gone to seed under bad habits and worse temper.
He smelled of alcohol and cigarettes and wore a rough, unkempt look. "You liar and cheat. So this is where you’ve been all day." he said in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear.
His grip around her arm tightened. Jen’s initial shock quickly wore off, replaced by fear. She tugged at her arm, trying to break free from his hold.
"Let me go, you bastard." she yelled, but his hold only grew stronger and a sharp pain shot through her arm.
"You’ve been cheating on me. Who’s the fool you’ve been cheating with? I need to see him, I need to know how dumb he is to go out with someone like you."
People began pulling out their phones to record. Violet stood off to the side, trying to comprehend the situation.
"Please, Dave, let’s go somewhere private to talk." Jen said. She hated that he was causing a scene, and she was deeply ashamed.
Dave didn’t let her go, instead his palm collided with her face.
Jen’s head snapped to the side and she felt a metallic taste in her mouth. "How dare you talk back to your husband. How dare you tell me what to do?" he yelled, then grabbed a handful of her hair.
Jen let out a painful yelp.
Violet didn’t need to see any more. She could roughly guess what was happening. Dave was her husband, and he was accusing her of cheating. She had also noticed the scars all over Jen’s body, which meant she’d been domestically abused by this jerk for a while.
Even if she didn’t want to become friends with Jen, and no longer believed in being kind for kindness’s sake, she couldn’t just sit back and let Dave hurt her assistant.
She stepped forward and used all her strength to slam her purse, with its small iron handle, against his head.
Dave’s grip slipped from Jen’s hair and he let go of her arm. Jen dropped to the floor with a thud.
Violet stepped in front of Jen, pushing her chest out and squaring up to the man in front of her. Standing this close to him, she realised he was bigger and more intimidating than he’d seemed with his back turned.
’Where the fuck is security? Why isn’t anyone helping?’ she wondered, placing both hands on her waist.
A look of annoyance settled on Dave’s face and he scowled at Violet. "Who the fuck are you to meddle in this? How dare you hit me?" His eyes were red with anger.
"I should be asking you that question." Violet said in a firm voice. "Beating a woman in public? Aren’t you ashamed of yourself?"
"She’s a cheat and my wife. As her husband, I have the right to discipline her. What gives you the right to step in?" Dave asked arrogantly.
Violet felt her chest tighten with anger. Dave didn’t look even the slightest bit remorseful, and he spoke as though Jen were an object to be owned and discarded whenever he pleased.
This reminded her greatly of Liam, and the sting of his betrayal flared fresh and strong.
Violet curled her fist. "She’s my employee. I have every right to speak for her." Her voice was firm, leaving no room for argument. "And if you don’t leave right now, don’t blame me for being ruthless."
After saying that, she bent down and placed one hand on Jen’s shoulder. "Are you okay?" she asked softly. Her heart broke at the sight of Jen’s tears and the blood trickling down her face.
She wanted to have this bastard locked up and tortured, just so he’d feel even a fraction of the pain he’d inflicted on Jen.
She glared at Dave, who was still standing there, burning with anger.
As if emboldened by seeing Violet stand up for the young woman, people around them started murmuring and pointing fingers at him. "Have him removed."
"Have him arrested."
"He’s such a monster."
Dave felt embarrassed. He wanted to hit Violet but stopped when two security men, his size and height, arrived.
Violet helped Jen to her feet and placed a protective arm around her.
"Don’t touch me, she’s my wife, I’m here for her." Dave said as the security men held him down.
"Please throw him out, and do not allow him back in." Violet said. Then she apologised to the people standing around.
Jen lowered her head, feeling sorry for herself and too ashamed to face Violet.
She didn’t say a word as Violet led her to the elevator. Once they reached the suite, Violet settled her on a couch in the sitting area and went to get a bottle of water.
"Here, have some water." she said to Jen.
Jen lifted her head slowly. When she saw the look in Violet’s eyes, her shoulders shook violently and she let out a loud cry.