“So this is what you call compassion?”
I couldn’t believe she had the gall to question me at a time like this, as if none of this had been her doing from the very start.
I let out a cold laugh. “Tessa, tell me, what crime did I commit that makes you want me dead?”
My words made her pause, her expression stiffening. But before she could speak, Steven’s eyes lit up with something twisted.
“Ah!”
With a shout, he flung a piece of beef jerky toward me. It landed at my feet.
The pack, which had hesitated just moments ago, instantly caught the scent.
There was no stopping them now. They charged.
Even as I swung the iron rod with all my strength, I couldn’t hold off the frenzy.
The starved dogs came at me one after another, their eyes wild and bloodshot, their jaws snapping in desperate hunger.
“Woof! Woof! Woof!”
One bit into my arm, another clamped onto my waist, and as I struggled to move, a third leapt onto my back and sank its teeth in.
Pain tore through me from every side.
Just as I was about to be completely overwhelmed, I gritted my teeth and roared, “Ahhh!”
I swung the iron rod with everything I had.
A few of the dogs were knocked back, but not before they tore more flesh from my body.
Agony rippled through me as I stumbled backward, my clothes shredded, blood soaking through the fabric.
Sensing my weakness, the pack began to circle me again, paws twitching, eyes locked, waiting for the next chance to strike.
Upon the platform, Tessa gasped, her expression shifting to panic.
She spun toward her subordinates and barked, “Didn’t you say those dogs were trained, well-fed, and wouldn’t bite?!”
“I only wanted them to scare him! How are they attacking like this? Look at those wounds! Cooper can’t stand pain. This is going too far!”
“Stop them right now! Don’t let them bite anymore!”
The nearby bodyguards hesitated, unsure whether to act.
Steven stepped forward, his expression darkening, and clung to Tessa’s arm with a pitiful look.
“He’s your husband, huh? Starting to feel sorry for him now?” His voice trembled, but the bitterness was unmistakable.
“But he still hasn’t apologized to me.”
“These Shiba Inus were trained. The wounds just look bad, nothing but surface cuts.”
“So in your eyes, no matter what Cooper did to me, it means nothing, right?”
“I don’t matter. My pain doesn’t count.”
He lifted his arm, revealing the bandages, and let a tear slide down his cheek.
“Even if I was nearly pushed to death by the online hate, that’s fine, isn’t it?”
Tessa quickly put on a concerned face and gently wiped away his tears.
“There, there, you’re the one who matters most to me.”
“If you think he hasn’t been punished enough, let him stay with the Shibas a bit longer, until you’ve calmed down. How about that?”
Only then did Steven finally smile, looking pleased. Their voices echoed clearly through the loudspeakers, and I heard every word.
I stared at Tessa, bitter disappointment flooding through me.
She saw I was in real danger.
Yet all it took was one word from Steven for her to turn away, choosing to ignore my life like it meant nothing.
Maybe she felt my gaze, because she glanced over. For a moment, guilt flickered in her eyes.
“You brought this on yourself. Besides, they didn’t hurt you that badly… just a few scratches. Compared to what Steven went through, this is nothing.”
Meanwhile, comments scrolled across the big screen.
“So this was all just the president trying to scare Cooper? I thought it was serious.”
“She’s actually kindhearted, too bad about the poor Shiba that got killed.”
