The Strange Groom's Cursed Bride-Chapter 85: Messy dinner 2

"You... bitch!" Darren snarled, a low, guttural sound, his voice thick with unadulterated fury.

Derren’s friend, seeing his patron assaulted, lunged at Alice from the side, a clumsy, drunken attack. But Alice, quick as lightning, moved. She twisted, catching his arm, and with a swift, powerful motion, used his own momentum to spin and shove him away. He yelped, losing his balance, and fell backward onto their now-empty table, sending plates, cutlery, and the broken mocktail glasses clattering and shattering to the floor with a terrifying crash. As he landed, a sharp edge of broken glass sliced across his outstretched hand. He let out a piercing, almost theatrical scream, clutching his bleeding palm.

"Oh my God! I’m bleeding! I’m bleeding! Someone help me!" he shrieked, his face going pale as he dramatically swooned onto the broken table, the sight of his own blood proving too much for his entitled sensibility.

Chaos erupted. Gasps and whispers rippled through the restaurant. Some diners scrambled away from the escalating violence, others stared, frozen in place, pulling out phones. Alice wasn’t sure if they were calling the police or making videos, but the yells and cries were growing louder, transforming the sophisticated restaurant into a violent circus.

Derren, roaring like a wounded animal, kicked over a nearby chair. His eyes, now completely deranged, scanned the table, manic and desperate. His hand closed around something... a steak knife, long and gleaming. He snatched it up, the polished blade glinting ominously in the soft lighting.

Suzy grabbed Alice’s arm, pulling her. "Alice, we need to go!" But Derren was too fast. He lunged for Suzy, grabbing her, pulling her close. His arm, thick with rage, wrapped around her throat, the knife pressed cold and sharp against her jugular.

Suzy choked, a desperate gasp escaping her, her hands flying up to clutch at his arm. Her body trembled uncontrollably.

Alice was taken aback and stared blankly.

"ARE YOU INSANE?!" Suzy managed to say, her voice strained, trying to keep her fear at bay.

"You!" Derren snarled, his eyes fixed on Alice, blazing with raw hatred and alcohol-fueled vengeance. He pressed the knife deeper, a thin line of red appearing on Suzy’s skin. "You think you can touch me?! I’ll make you pay! I’ll make you regret ever being born!" He dragged Suzy a step closer to Alice, forcing her to look. "You want her to live?! Then you’re coming with me! And you’re going to pay for that! Or I gut her right here!"

He was a psychopath. Alice knew it with chilling certainty. The suddenness, the intensity, the complete lack of control.

Alice’s blood ran cold. Suzy’s terrified, pleading eyes met hers, utterly desperate, shaking her head almost imperceptibly. The image of the knife, the thin line of blood, the suffocating grip... it was stark, horrifying. Her mind screamed no, but her body was already moving, a primal instinct to protect overwhelming all else.

"Stop!" Alice choked out, her voice ragged with fear and despair. "What is wrong with you? Are you on drugs?"

Derren’s cruel smile returned, a triumph etched on his contorted face. "Come here. Tough girls really get me excited, you know." He moved the knife even deeper, a cold, terrifying glint in his eyes.

"Wait, wait..." Alice put her hand up, a desperate plea, and took a cautious step closer.

"Good choice, bitch. Now, come here." He released Suzy, shoving her roughly away, sending her stumbling back. She collapsed onto the floor, clutching her throat, gasping for air.

Derren didn’t hesitate once Suzy was off him. He made to grab Alice, but she was fast and moved, sidestepping his lunge. He was also fast, fueled by rage, and whether it was intentional or a mistake, the knife, still clutched in his hand, moved and cut her arm. A searing pain shot through her as the blade sliced her forearm.

She hissed in pain, a sharp intake of breath, as blood immediately welled up, bright red against her pale skin, dripping onto the floor.

"DERREN!" Suzy yelled, her voice hoarse with terror.

That brief moment of distraction gave him enough time. Derren, his eyes still wild, seized Alice by the hair, yanking her head back, exposing her throat. Then, with a savage, backhanded swing, he slapped her across the face with brutal force.

The blow was vicious, echoing through the now-silent restaurant, a sickening wet thud. Alice’s head snapped sideways, a blinding flash of pain exploding behind her eyes. Her lip split instantly, the metallic taste of blood filling her mouth. She reeled, dizzy and disoriented, but Derren’s iron grip on her hair kept her upright, pulling her closer still, into his suffocating embrace.

"That’s for touching me," he snarled, his breath hot against her ear, reeking of alcohol and fury. "And this is just the beginning."

Just as he raised his hand for another blow, a shadow fell over them. The air, already thick with tension, suddenly grew impossibly cold, impossibly still, as if the very atoms had frozen.

"Mistake." The voice was a low, dangerous rumble, laced with an unnerving calm that was more terrifying than any shout.

Derren froze, his arm mid-air, his face contorted in mid-snarl. He turned, slowly, his triumphant sneer faltering as his eyes met the terrifying gaze of the man he recognized.

Gavin.

He stood there, a silent, imposing figure, his dark suit barely visible in the sudden dimness that seemed to emanate from him, an aura of lethal intent.

With a speed that defied human perception, Gavin moved. One moment, he was standing at the edge of their immediate space; the next, he had Derren by the collar, his hand like a vise around the man’s throat. He lifted Derren off his feet with startling ease, dragging him, not towards the main exit, but towards the low, decorative railing that separated the restaurant from the dizzying drop of the city lights below. He was right at the edge of the rooftop, Derren’s expensive shoes dangling over the precipice. freёweɓnovel_com

Derren’s face went from enraged to terrified in an instant, a pathetic mask of pure fear. His hands scrabbled uselessly at Gavin’s iron grip, his feet dangling wildly in the air, a gurgling sound escaping his throat.

Gavin didn’t even glance at him. His eyes, now like chips of ice, swept over Alice, taking in her split lip, her bleeding arm, her trembling body, and now the dawning fear in her eyes as she looked at the scene before him. Then his gaze flickered to Suzy, huddled on the floor, her eyes were wide and teary, but a wave of profound relief washed over her.

Gavin’s voice, low and deadly, cut through the horrified silence of the restaurant, echoing with chilling finality.

"Go. Both of you." His head barely tilted towards the exit, dismissing them from the unfolding horror.

When he looked back at Derren, who was struggling for his life, he spoke quietly, "When he arrives, you’ll wish I’d dropped you."

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