SWNOVELS Chapter 36 Thirty Six
Mr Grayson cursed and turned around, wondering who it was that had the nerve to barge in the room to interrupt him. In front of him was a tall dark-haired man giving him a cold glare.
He wasn't familiar to him. And he was sure none of the men who were outside drinking with their dates would have interrupted him. He also didn't look like a security guard-he was wearing a suit and a long coat like an office worker.
Supporting himself on his hands, he got up and faced him, sneering. "Who the fuck are you?" He wasn't about to let anyone ruin this for him.
When Mr Grayson suddenly released her and fell backwards, Isabelle shot up from the bed, thinking that perhaps one of the people in the room outside had finally come to help her. But when her eyes fell on Jacob instead, a happy cry left her lips as she crawled over the bed and to him.
He took her in his arms and held her close as she hid her face in his chest, sobs causing her entire body to shake. She could hardly believe he was there, but he truly was, and he had appeared just in time. Her fear evaporated as he held her close, and a few seconds later, she felt him take off his coat and wrap it around her.
Then he pulled her face from his chest and wiped her tears away gently, looking at her softly. "It's okay, I'm here now, don't cry."
She nodded, his face and gentle hold on her comforting, but she couldn't stop crying yet. Her body was still shaking from the panic that had overwhelmed her just seconds ago. Jacob held her close to his chest again, and then his cold voice filled the room. "Get out!"
The other man was still in the room, looking like he wanted to fight him and get on with whatever he had planned. Jacob barely held himself back-he wanted to punch that stupid face of his until he looked like roadkill, or perhaps gouge his eyes out so he never looked at Isabelle ever again.
Mr Grayson sized up Jacob and the way he was holding Isabelle, wondering who the hell he was. But it didn't matter. Whoever he was, he had no business interrupting his personal affairs. Folding his hand into a fist, he rushed towards Jacob, wanting to punch him and pay him back for the blow he had given him.
But Jacob was deft on his feet and moved away, even with Isabelle in his arms. As Mr Grayson's body lurched forward, Jacob let go of Isabelle and grabbed his arm, twisted it onto his back, and then pushed him onto the floor.
Mr Grayson tried to free himself, but Jacob was too strong. Unable to beat him physically, he resorted to verbal threats. "Who are you? If you don't let me go this moment, she is going to lose her job." In response, Jacob lifted his foot and stepped on the director's twisted arm. "I am her husband," he informed him, "and you can go ahead and try to fire her."
Mr Grayson tried even harder, but Jacob was done with him. Releasing him, he took Isabelle's hand and led her towards the door.
Mr Grayson's threats about how he was going to fire her the next day followed them, but none paid attention to him.
***
Isabelle was still trembling badly by the time Jacob got her home. Her body and mind were still to overcome the shock of what had happened, and no matter how many soothing words Jacob said, she couldn't seem to stop shaking. She also couldn't stop imagining what would have happened had he not appeared when he did... And each time she did, a shudder ran through her body.
Jacob guided her to take a seat in the living room and then disappeared into the kitchen. A minute later, he returned with a glass of water. Holding it to her lips, he told her to drink, and she obliged. She was glad he held the glass because she couldn't trust her fingers to hold anything tightly at that moment.
After she was done with the water, Jacob placed the glass on the coffee table and took a seat beside her, his gaze roaming her body. "Did he hurt you?" he asked, feeling like he should have punched the guy one more time before leaving. He reached for her blouse to check whether the asshole had hurt her physically, but Isabelle pulled away from him and shook her head.
"He didn't," she told him, tightening her grip on his coat around her body. She looked away from him and bit her bottom lip, as if to stop it quivering. He nodded and didn't push, understanding that she was still frightened and feeling uneasy.
"It's okay," he told her, hating the frightened look on her face. Hating the man who had put it there. Wrapping his arm around her shoulder, he drew her against his chest and hugged her tightly. "He won't be able to touch you again. I'll make sure of that."
He meant every word of it. By the time he was done with the man, he would regret ever looking Isabelle's way. He wished he had known beforehand about the man's intentions so that he could have put a stop to them before Isabelle found herself in such a disturbing situation. It would have saved her the trauma.
Grinding his jaw, he lifted her chin with his fingers and stared into her eyes. "If there is anyone giving you trouble at work, you have to tell me. Okay? Don't let anyone bully you, even if they are your senior." She nodded and muttered a weak 'yes'. He hoped she paid heed to his words and actually let him know if it happened. It wasn't like he could directly tell her that he had the power to fire whoever bothered her...
Isabelle nodded when she heard Jacob's soothing words, even though she had no idea how he would make sure that Mr Grayson didn't bother her again. But that didn't bother her-she truly felt comforted in his arms and felt a sense of security, as if she somehow knew that he would keep her safe like he had promised.
Even when Mr Grayson had threatened to fire her, it hadn't shaken him. Instead, he stood his ground and dared him to. It was like back at the clothing store when he had defended her from the rude assistants and manager. The aura he had exuded in both incidents was that of someone who knew how to get his way and often did-and so far, he had proven that if he wanted to get something, he did.
She couldn't help but feel that no matter what happened, he would be able to save the day. And she realised that gradually, without noticing, she had become dependent on him. She trusted him to have her back much in the same way she would expect a real husband to do. It was hard not to feel that way given how gentle he was with her...
"Why were you there?" she asked, now wondering how he had shown up at the room. When he showed up, she had been too relieved to question how he had found her. But now, she couldn't help but wonder. It was such a pleasant coincidence that he had been there.