37 I'sll Forgive You

Never in her life had Jade thought a smell menacing, but as the stench of alcohol drifted over from Frank, that is exactly what she thought. The odor seemed to pierce through her nostrils and her skin, straight to her brain and nerves.

With warning bells ringing, Jade kept take steps back as she tried to placate the drunkard before her. "Frank, we're friends, right? I would never mock you. I swear, I don't know what you're talking…"

Before she could finish her words, Frank interrupted her. "Friends? Do you think me a fool? If you were my friend, you would have accepted my requests to a date.

"If you were my friend, you wouldn't have sent your CEO boyfriend after me!"

As Frank kept ranting, Jade kept taking steps back. Once there was enough distance between them, she planned to sprint down the street. Naturally, Frank was so drunk, so consumed by rage, that he did not notice her creeping away.

"You know, the problem with you is that you look down on others…"

However, since Jade's full attention was focused on Frank and any movement that he might make, she was not paying attention to where she was walking.

The sidewalk was slightly raised, and as Jade took that next step back, she tripped and fell to the floor, knocking into a trash can to the side. The contents of the trash can spilt all over the sidewalk and onto Jade.

At the sudden turn of events, Frank cottoned on to what was happening. His rage still bubbling, Frank said, "Sorry, did I scare you? Did my unkempt appearance offend you?"

The cold wind suddenly picked up, whipping past the duo, freezing their extremities.

He quieted for a moment and narrowed his eyes before saying, "Were you going to run away?"

There was obvious threat and menace in his voice when he said that. However, his rage soon returned, and he continued his rant as if nothing had happened.

"You fall over, and because you're a pretty girl, everyone comes over to help. But if I trip over, everyone laughs! Our businesses are the same…"

Seeing that Frank had seemingly ignored the commotion, Jade secretly let out a small sigh. 'Thank goodness! I should try inching back. If I try to run from this distance, I'll lose precious seconds.'

With such thoughts in mind, Jade slowly shuffled backwards through the trash. However, luck truly was not on her side.

As she moved through the garbage, something sharp cut deep into her thigh.

A piece of glass from the window!

A passer-by must have seen a piece and put it in the trash can without wrapping it up and disposing of it properly.

"Ouch!" Jade let out a sharp help, once more interrupting Frank.

With a scowl, he snarled, "Running away again? I'll… I'll…"

Suddenly, he fell silent before a wicked grin appeared on his face. "I'll forgive you… For your poor attitude toward me, I'll forgive you. But… that's only if you give me something in return!"

With that, Frank bent down to pick up the wounded Jade. Although Jade struggled, due to the deep wound on her leg, her weakness from the long day and standing in the cold, and Frank's numbness from the alcohol, she could not break free.

"Let's go some place quieter. How about in here?"

Ting ding!