Loving The Temperamental Adonis
Chapter 201: Consequences

Chapter 201: Consequences

Neil’s flight took off to Mirage Mesa and since the city of Mirage Mesa was only forty minutes journey on plane from his estate, it didn’t take them long to land on a clearing of a building top next to the hall of the Wallace birthday party.

He exited the building through their elevator without waiting for his bodyguards who had followed him in case he’d get caught up with the reporters.

He didn’t know how Mia would react to his arrival but he was ready to make amends for his mistake in anyway possible, even if it meant pleading on his knees. His pride meant nothing to him when it came to her, she’d been there for him when he needed someone at the cabin, she’d supported him when the world was against him, and now when she needed him the most, he’d let her down.

That, he thought with self-disgust and hate, was so stupid of him. Not to mention she was pregnant...Oh Lord, he was going to kill anybody who dared touch her or insult her at that damned party!

Neil approached the entrance of the hall, with three men trailing behind him. The crowd outside had thinned out, but the reporters remained glued to the premises.

When they caught sight of him walking towards the red carpet, they were taken aback. He had been absent for so long that they had forgotten his appearance. Dressed in a dark blue suit, he strolled confidently with his hands in his pockets, exuding an air of authority. Despite his cold and intimidating expression, the paparazzi and reporters swarmed around him, eager to interview him and capturing the moment on their cameras and microphones, blocking his path.

"Mr. Wayner, can you please share with us where you have been these past few days?"

"Is it true that Miss Harrison was the cause of your absence? Were you heartbroken by her disloyalty and her involvement in..." The man asking the question hesitated as Neil’s icy gaze bore into him intensely, cutting him off before he could finish.

Noticing the expression in his eyes, none of the others dared to continue with the question. If they recalled correctly, before Neil Wayner was sentenced to prison, they had all heard various rumors about his temper and his aversion towards the press and media personalities. They also remembered how he had taken down a media company that had published false articles about him.

Without him even uttering a threat, the reporters instinctively made way for him to pass. Sensing his bad mood, and realizing that Mia Harrison was still in the hall, they assumed that Wayner was there to confront her for breaking his heart. The reporters cursed their luck for not being permitted inside the hall to capture the drama that was about to take place.

Neil walked past them and headed towards the closed door of the hall. However, due to the party rules stating that no guests should enter after the specified time on the invitation card, the guards at the door initially did not open it for him until they recognized his face and identity. It was undeniable that everyone knew who the infamous Neil Wayner was post his release, with even commoners chanting his name in praise. Despite declining numerous event invitations, he’d come to attend the Wallace party, which the men knew that Fredrick Wallace would appreciate. They bowed slightly and promptly opened the door for him to enter.

Neil spotted Mia the moment he entered the hall, however the condition he found her in made him stop in his tracks and made his blood surge with rage.

She was sitting on the floor of the hall with her eyes staring blankly at the distance while every single guests who’d pass by her were pouring their drinks or food on her head. She didn’t even bother to stand up nor defend herself from the insult.

Angered and in disbelief, he stood there, watching her, and the shattering tenderness and sympathy he felt made his chest ache. Clad in a wet royal green dress, with her hair dripping with drinks, she looked like a fallen angel who’d lost her grace and soul... she looked thinner than the last time he’d seen her at the mountain cabin.

Her cheekbones and eyes were more prominent now than before, and Neil swallowed over the knot of guilt in his throat when he realized how much weight she’d lost. Because of him.

She’d gone through all this humiliation because of him, she’d been reduced to such state because of him; and he was going to make sure the people who put her in such state pay for it!

Ignoring the startled glances and exchanged whispers beginning to circulate around the room as people in the hall noted his presence and recognized his face, he started forward.

"OMG! He is here, Neil Wayner is here."

"Thank goodness he is, he’ll be happy we disciplined that whore for him. He looks even more handsome than he is on tele!"

"Elena, look your dream man has finally arrived!" Claire exclaimed to Elena who was about to step on Mia’s hand and make it look like an accident, but then she stopped and glanced towards the direction everyone in the hall were looking.

Her eyes widened in excitement as she saw the country’s Adonis walking towards them with a face that looked like he’d been crafted by the hands of an angelic sculptor, each feature chiseled with precision and grace, as if drawn from the dreams of romantics. She’d never seen nor been close to a man like Wayner, and so to impress him, she quickly reached out for a glass of wine and emptied it on Mia’s head.

"You little bitch! How dare you cheat on Neil Wayner? Did you think we will let you out of this hall without getting enough discipline? Let me teach you a few lessons." Before she could reach out to hit Mia again, something flew from nowhere and hit her right on her wrist’s weak point. Elena cried out in pain and fell back a step away from Mia when she saw that it was a phone that had hit her on the wrist, and looking to the direction it had been thrown, she noticed it was Neil who’d thrown it at her wrist. Clutching her wrist in pain, she wondered if he had meant to throw it at Mia but mistakenly hit her instead.

Mia who’d already given up on everything in life, not even caring if she died, noticed something that flew by her and hit Elena. Behind her, she was distantly aware of the hush falling over the room and the echo of a man’s footsteps on the marble floor, but she no longer cared whoever that was. If she were to leave this hall alive, she’d go home and end her own life.

First she’d lost the only family she had left, and then Neil had abandoned her because he didn’t trust her enough nor care enough. Her reputation was ruined and almost all the countries in the world had banned her from entering their country, and in her own country, every single soul had turned against her, thus what was the point of living such a miserable life?

She saw a man’s long leg standing in front of her, blocking her from the guests. Out of curiosity, she weakly glanced up to see who was the stranger who’d finally decided to step in and stop these animals who called themselves elites.

Recognition struck her as she gazed at the back of his head and his familiar haircut. Neil stood before her like a shield, his hands tightly clenched at his sides. He’d finally come here to torture her as well, she thought wildly, and he’d come at last to add to her torment.

As she sat there, facing the man she once believed loved her but had left her to suffer alone, tears welled up in her eyes. Despite trying to hold back her emotions, seeing him before her unleashed a flood of tears. In a moment that felt like he heard her silent sobs, Neil turned around and met her tearful gaze. Afraid to make a move, she stared at his strikingly handsome but stern face, the face that haunted her dreams and troubled her waking hours.

Seeing her tears, Neil’s heart twisted with agony. Without hesitation, he removed his coat, intending to drape it over her shoulders. However, she recoiled in fear as he leaned down, closing her eyes as if expecting a blow from him. Neil’s anger surged like a mountain, desiring to burn down the hall and punish those present who’d done this to her. He dropped the coat on her and resolved to address the crowd before explaining and taking her away.

Neil’s expression turned indifferent as he turned to face the guests who had gathered around them. His eyes scanned the room, taking in the faces of those who had participated in the cruel treatment of Mia. With an air of controlled composure, he spoke calmly, his voice cutting through the tense silence.

"Who among you," Neil’s voice was measured, "deemed it appropriate to treat Mia in such a manner?" His gaze lingered on each guest, a silent challenge in his eyes that went unnoticed to the guests.

Expecting some form of compensation for their actions, the women who had poured drinks on Mia eagerly stepped forward to impress Neil, their faces flushed with anticipation. Among them, Elena, still clutching her wrist in pain, shoved Claire aside and moved forward with an eagerness that bordered on desperation to be noticed by the most handsome man she’d ever seen.

Meanwhile, murmurs spread among the other guests, their words dripping with disdain for Mia. "She deserves everything that happened to her," one whispered, while another muttered, "I wouldn’t mind if Neil were to hit her himself."

As the tension thickened in the room, Owen, who had initiated the drama, stood to the side, his expression calculating, observing the unfolding events with keen interest as he wanted to know what Wayner was up to. He hoped as hell the man wasn’t going to side with Mia because if he did... he’d be forced to get rid of Neil.

Neil’s gaze flickered to the eager young women before him, his fists clenched at his sides. A consuming urge to mete out justice surged within him, to confront those who had harmed his Mia. Yet, he knew he stood on the precipice of maintaining his own reputation by not hitting women, and by upholding a facade of civility in the face of such cruelty. If it were up to him, he wouldn’t care about their gender and punch the living hell out of them.

With a calm voice that belied the storm raging within him, Neil addressed the women. "I want to propose a game," he announced, his tone deceptively casual. "Each of you shall choose a partner. I have something in mind that will allow us all to better understand the consequences of our actions."

The women exchanged excited glances, oblivious to the underlying tension in Neil’s words. To them, he was the epitome of charm and power, a figure to be admired and pursued. And because they all believed he wanted to choose another girlfriend in form of a game, the guests, including some young women who’d not participated in pouring the drink, joined the game by pairing off.

As the guests began to pair off, Neil’s eyes narrowed dangerously as he watched them, waiting, and eager to make them pay.