"Sir, please don't cause a scene in this restaurant." A waiter pleaded silently with Noah who was already crushing the bouquet he picked back up.
He ignored the waiter and stormed over to the table where Bianca sat with Stephen.
In a moderate voice, while suppressing his anger, Noah asked, "What do you think you're doing here, Stephen?"
"Noah." Bianca frown. "Learn to address your boss properly. You can't just..."
"As long as it's outside work, I can address him however I see fit. And right now, all I see is a man who just inserted himself where he is not needed." Noah cut in.
"I can't believe you're talking to Bianca that way." Stephen finally spoke. "As you know, she's not ordinary woman. She is the heiress of an enterprise worth billions and you're just..."
Stephen scanned Noah from head to toe. "You're just, you."
"There are different ways this situation could turn out but because it's Bianca's birthday, I'm not going to argue with you." Noah countered, "I reserved this table for the both of us so please, leave."
"Are you kidding me? That guy reserved the table?" someone giggled from a nearby table.
"His suit... Does it even come from any famous brand? I mean... The other guy is wearing designers but this other one though..."
"Isn't that Miss Bianca Hudson? I can't believe she's just letting some nobody address her like she's his woman or something."
Many threw in sly comments they made sure was loud enough to be heard by the three but none hurt Bianca more that the last comment.
Being pared with Noah, especially in such a high-end place like this, was the biggest disgrace she could ever face.
"I don't know who you are but you better leave." Bianca shot up to her feet with fire burning in her gaze.
"I should leave?" Noah questioned, shocked.
"Were you deaf the first time?" Stephen asked, getting up to standing right there beside Bianca.
"Despite all this time we've been together... Are you really going to throw it all away just because of other people? Are you that ashamed of me that you can't even be seen at the same table as me?"
Bianca scoffed, briefly looking to the side before facing Noah again.
"Noah. This place costs two point five million dollars per table. You want me to believe you raised that money just from selling medicine or those other side jobs you keep mentioning?"
"Are you implying that I stole that money?" Noah asked.
He had thought that maybe Stephen was crashing the celebration but now it became obvious to him that Bianca wanted him there.
"I knew it. He was obviously a Nobody."
"But is Miss Hudson seriously dating that guy? I can't believe it."
"She better save face and dump him."
Bianca almost smiled at the last comment. After all, what else did she need Noah for?
"Noah, just save yourself the insults and leave. Things won't go your way here." Stephen chimed in.
"Noah. Since you're so eager to keep getting yourself into embarrassing situations, let me give the final blow." Bianca reached up to the back of back her neck to take off the necklace that Noah had bought her once.
But then Noah raised his hand to stop her.
"There's no need for all that." he said, looking Bianca straight in her eyes. "I may be a Nobody but I still have my pride as a man. I won't cower before someone who has obviously chosen to trash me when I'm not longer useful."
Stephen laughed. "Is a gold digging thief really fit to make such a speech?"
Noah ignored Stephen's words. He never came here for him in the first place so why bother with giving a response?
His gaze remained on the woman in front of him who made him fall in love only to crush him in front of people. The same woman who he now understood was only using him for his business knowledge and now didn't need him anymore.
"Bianca Hudson," Noah continued, "from now on, it's over between us."
Noah turned and stormed out of the restaurant with whatever dignity he had left. About an hour later, on his way down the walkway to his home, he spotted a trashcan and only then did he realize he was still holding the bouquet.
It's amazing what anger can push someone to do. He had just walked that long distance on foot without even realizing it.
Angrily, he threw it at the trashcan and was about to curse Bianca's name when he suddenly received a phone call from her.
"What does she want this time?" he asked himself, frowning at her name saved with hearts on his phone.
Hesitantly, he picked up the call but was met with a panicked voice from Bianca.
"Noah, help me please!"
"Bianca? What's going on? Why do you sound so scared?"
"Noah please help me! I'm so scared. Some scary men chased me down the road and Stephen ran and abandoned me. I don't know what to do! I- I--"
"Bianca, calm down. Try and tell me exactly where you are. I'll come find you right away." Noah practical begged, his heart racing like it was his own life in danger.
"Okay. Okay." Bianca's voice shook. "I'll send you my location now."
In matter of seconds, Noah learnt her location and immediately started running to where she was. He stopped the first taxi he saw and got in.
The taxi stopped in front of an incomplete building. Noah paid and got out then started to look around frantically as the taxi zoomed off but then his vision became dark pretty fast.
Someone had put a sack over his head and squeezed it shut around his neck. Meanwhile, others kept punching different parts of his body.
He tried to shout for help or at least find out if they could be the same people Bianca was running from but the sack was too tight hand hardly even had enough air space inside.
It didn't take long for him to black out but the next time he opened his eyes was because of the cold water that splashed harshly on his face.
The first face he saw was Bianca's and he instantly felt relieved.
"Bianca, it's good you're fine. We need to get to safety." Noah tried getting up but something restrained him.
He looked down and realized he was tied to a chair.
"Did those men harm you? Untie me quickly. I need to get you to safety."
Noah was injured badly and yet he ignored all the pain in his body and thought of Bianca first.
Bianca broke into laughter that dragged out a bit long while Noah watched on with a dumbfounded look on his face.
"Now, why on earth would I go through all this trouble to catch you only to set you free?" Bianca stepped back and Stephen walked into view from behind a pillar close to her.
"What's going on here?" Noah asked, the panic now settling in.
"What does it look like? Did you really think you could insult Bianca like that and go scot-free?"
"Bianca. Untie me right now." Noah demanded, after realizing he was at the edge of the rooftop. "This is not funny!"
Bianca shot back with a smirk. "It's funny from this side of the view but I guess you can never relate."