Chapter 760 - Purchased her through her father’s debt

Chapter 760: Chapter 760 - Purchased her through her father’s debt

In the beginning they were just friends, but Quinn was the only one who could see Damon even when he wanted to be alone.

She was the only one who could find him in the dark places he retreated to and pull him back into the light. Everyone thought they would get married. When the question never came, Quinn forced a kiss. Before he could recover, she proposed, her heart bare and trembling in his hands.

Damon knew he loved her too. But he was afraid she would hate him if she found out what he was. Afraid the truth would turn her warmth to disgust. He rejected the proposal with simple words.

"I’m sorry, Quinn. You are a very attractive woman, but you just aren’t mt type. You will find the right man eventually."

Quinn was ashamed and disappointed. The rejection burned through her like acid. She avoided Damon for days, nursing the wound he had carved into her. But he still went back to her. He comforted her, brought her back into his life like he could not bear to be without her.

Then Seraphine showed up and Damon left without as much as a goodbye, vanishing from her world like smoke.

He hoped to find a she-wolf to settle down with. So whenever Quinn called he did not answer. Sometimes he switched off his phone entirely, convincing himself it was for the best, that distance would heal what he had broken.

Now that the moon goddess had paired him with the same woman he tried to run away from, she was entangled in a mess that would not have happened if he had been there for her. The guilt of it was a blade twisting in his gut, slow and merciless. Every second of it cut deeper.

"Quinn, how dare you defy my orders? You like watching others get injured because of you, right?" A man of not more than thirty years spoke, his voice dripping with arrogance. He wore a sleeveless shirt that exposed the tattoos crawling from his neck down to his arms, the ink dark against his skin like a map of his sins.

Four thugs stood behind him, their expressions smug, their bodies blocky and threatening. The sight of them made Damon’s blood boil. The heat rose beneath his skin until it felt like fire. But he stayed relaxed on the outside, even as Quinn pleaded, her voice cracking with pure terror.

"Damon, please. Go."

"Why should I?" Damon asked calmly, his voice level, almost bored. "They are the ones who interrupted our time together."

Quinn was afraid. Terror crawled up her throat like bile. She did not want Damon beaten like those guys who had only shown her concern and yet paid for it with injuries, with broken bones and bruised skin and hospital visits she had to apologize for.

The memory of those nights still made her sick. She was about to rise from her chair when Damon stopped her. "Sit."

The authority in his voice made it impossible for her to refuse. Her body obeyed before her mind could catch up. She turned around and informed Edwardo, desperation bleeding into every word.

"Edward, Damon is my longtime friend. He’s also the CEO of the Locke Group. You don’t want to offend him."

Mentioning the Locke Group made Edwardo’s expression falter. A flicker of uncertainty crossed his face. But it was just brief, wiped away by arrogance and the confidence of a man who had never been told no.

"It doesn’t give him the right to bring you out here. Let’s go."

Quinn refused. Her hands trembled so hard she had to press them flat against the table.

The last time she had left with him, only to be locked in the car as he made his thugs beat up whoever she was speaking with, she had watched through the window as fists connected with flesh and blood sprayed across the pavement. She had sworn she would never let it happen again.

"No, Edwardo. Let him go and I will come with you."

"Give him his ring," Damon ordered, his voice cold as steel.

Quinn looked at him like he had developed a second head. Disbelief flooded her features. "Damon, Edward is never in his right mind. Just leave, okay? Please."

She was about to stand when Damon grabbed her arm. His grip was firm but gentle. He forcefully pulled out the ring. The diamond caught the light one last time before he threw it to Edward like it was filthy. It bounced once on the floor and rolled to a stop at Edwardo’s feet.

"Take your stupid ring and get the fuck out of here. Quinn will not be your breeder."

Edwardo scoffed as he approached Damon, his chest puffed out, his eyes narrowing with menace. "Rich kid with big words. Where were you when her family was in a mess? I purchased her through her father’s debt. I own her."

"How much?" Damon asked. He looked around for a waiter. All of them were in hiding, cowering behind counters and peeking through doorways. "Can I get some service? A shot of espresso."

A waiter nervously approached him with the order. His hands shook so badly the cup rattled on the saucer. Before Damon could touch it, Edwardo pushed the waiter. The man fell hard. The espresso poured over him and onto the floor. Hot liquid splashed across his arms, and the ceramic shattered.

Damon was furious. "Didn’t your papa teach you manners?" As the words left his mouth, Edwardo made the mistake of leaning in, his face inches away, his breath foul and hot. "We own this fucking city, just like this bitch."

The punch from Damon did not only make Edwardo dizzy. It left his teeth wobbly. Blood gushed out, spilling over his lips and down his chin, painting his shirt red. His thugs rushed Damon with knives, blades flashing in the dim light.

Damon overpowered them one after the other, moving like something other than human. He vented all his pent up anger on them. Every punch was a release. Every blow was payment for what they had done to Quinn, for every tear she had cried while he was gone, for every night she had spent terrified because he had not been there.

When he was done his hands wrapped around Edwardo’s neck. He picked him up from the floor, lifting him until his feet dangled, until his face turned purple, until his eyes bulged with pure terror.

"Go tell your papa that the Grande’s debt is on me. If I ever see you close to Quinn, I’ll make sure you rot in jail."

He dropped the man like trash. He watched as Edwardo scrambled from the floor and ran, his friends following him as he cursed, his voice cracking with humiliation and rage.

"You haven’t seen anything yet. I’m gonna fuck you up. And you, bitch, I’ll teach you a lesson."

"You forgot your stupid ring," Damon called after him. But Edwardo was not stupid enough to return for it.

Damon turned to the waiter who had risen from the floor, still trembling, his shirt stained with espresso. "Sorry about that."

He removed a wad of cash from his jacket pocket. "Get a new set of clothes. My treat."

Then he dropped another one. "This is for the mess. My apologies."

Then he dropped a third. "This is for the food and spilled espresso."

Quinn’s eyes were wide. Completely dumbfounded. She had never seen this side of Damon before.

He was usually so cool and gentle, controlled and measured, a man who spoke softly and moved through the world without leaving marks. Now he stood there with blood on his knuckles and a look in his eyes that made her heart race for reasons she could not name.

"Damon... what happened to you?"