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My heart dropped as I saw three more men charging toward the scuffle, fists ready. But Rome moved fast—he dodged the incoming blows effortlessly and immediately countered with a punch to the nearest one.
I spotted one of Jude's men grab a bottle from a nearby table.
Gasps and screams erupted from the crowd as the tension escalated.
My chest tightened in panic when I saw what the guy intended—he was about to smash it over Rome's head.
"Rome, behind you!" I shouted as loudly as I could.
Rome turned just in time, dodging the incoming bottle. But he couldn't avoid the sudden kick from another attacker. It hit him hard, sending him stumbling backward.
As he staggered, I saw Jude push himself up from where he had fallen earlier. He was heading straight toward Rome, who was now being cornered and attacked by three of his friends.
The bouncers couldn't do much either—they just stood there as Jude's bulky friends ganged up on Rome, beating him down.
I didn't even think twice. I bolted upstairs to the VIP room on the second floor to call for Rome's friends.
Without hesitation, I threw the door open—and there they were, casually drinking, unaware of what was happening below.
"Sir Rome needs help downstairs—he's being attacked!" I shouted.
The room fell silent for a split second before David was the first to react. He jumped to his feet immediately.
"He's in a fight?"
"Yes! And he really needs help! Please—help him!"
The others quickly snapped out of their shock. One by one, they stood up and rushed past me, heading for the stairs—no doubt on their way to help Rome.
Alpheus was the only one who lingered behind. I was just about to follow the others when he suddenly reached out and grabbed my arm, stopping me.
"We've got Rome covered. You stay here—it's too dangerous down there. You might get hurt."
"No, I can't just stay here! What if something bad happens to Sir Rome? What if he's seriously hurt?!" I said anxiously, pulling my arm away from Alpheus's grip.
For a fleeting moment, I thought I saw a flash of pain in his eyes—but it passed so quickly, I wasn't sure if I had imagined it.
"Don't worry. Nothing bad will happen to Rome. We're his friends—we've got his back. Just stay here for now. We'll come get you once everything's settled downstairs."
Left with no choice, I nodded and stayed behind as he followed the others.
I sat anxiously in the VIP room, time dragging as the muffled sounds of chaos echoed from below—shouts, heavy footsteps, the clatter of furniture.
Even without seeing it, I could tell how intense things had gotten. Just the noise was enough to paint a vivid picture in my mind.
Then, I heard footsteps approaching—this time coming up the stairs. I immediately stood up, my heart racing.
The door opened, and David stepped inside, supporting Rome with an arm slung over his shoulder.
Only then did I notice the blood streaked along the right side of Rome's face.
I rushed toward them without thinking twice, the sight of him in that state making my heart ache.
"Oops, oops! Hold on—just let me help Rome sit down first before you rush over to him, okay?" David said when he noticed I was about to support Rome myself.
Realizing what I was about to do, I immediately felt embarrassed and stepped back.
Once David had helped Rome settle down, I caught Rome's sharp gaze fixed on me. His expression still carried traces of irritation and anger.
"I'll leave the two of you here for now," David said, scratching the back of his head awkwardly as his eyes darted between the two of us.
"We need to handle the mess downstairs and talk to the owner about what happened."
"Wait, Sir! Can I come with you?!" I quickly asked. "I need to speak to my boss too about what happened."
Honestly, I didn't want to be left alone in the same room with Rome—not after everything that had happened. And at the same time, I felt it was important to clarify things with my boss.
"Ahaha…"
David let out an awkward laugh, glancing at Rome, who was now glaring at him.
"Well… the truth is, Rome took quite a bad hit earlier. When we got to him, he was being ganged up on by several guys. That's why we were hoping someone could stay here and keep an eye on him—help him out a bit. There's no medic available to treat his wounds right now." he explained, glancing again at Rome.
Following his gaze, my eyes landed on the cut along Rome's cheek, still smeared with blood. Despite everything, I couldn't help but feel a small pang of sympathy for him.
"You stay here for now, Ms. Sylvia Right?" David said, glancing at me with a half-teasing smile.
"Take care of our thick-skulled friend here. Honestly, Rome doesn't get into fights unless someone's hurting or disrespecting the people he cares about."
His words caught me completely off guard.
"Shut up, David! Just leave already if you're going to leave!" Rome snapped at him rudely.
"Alright, alright, I'm going!" David said with a chuckle, slowly backing away.
"Make sure to lock the door once I'm gone, okay? Enjoy—cheers to a long-overdue reunion!" he added before slipping out the door and closing it behind him.
I stood there, stunned by everything he said. Slowly, I turned to look at Rome, only to find his eyes already fixed on me—his glare cold and unwelcoming.
"What?!" he barked when he noticed me staring.
I quickly looked away, pretending to be occupied with something else in the room.
A heavy silence hung between us… long, tense, and uncomfortable.
"Tsk… After all this time, we finally run into each other—in a bar, of all places—and what do I see? You letting some guy treat you like that, like your self-worth doesn't matter anymore. Have you really let your dignity fall that low?!"
He scoffed, his words full of bitterness and scorn.
"Seems like you're really enjoying your job, huh? What a whore."
That was it. I turned to glare at him, my jaw clenched. No matter how long we'd been apart, his words could still hit where it hurt the most.
As always, his tongue hadn't lost its venom.