After Being Betrayed, The Alpha Boss Fell for Me

The crystal chandelier's light was glaring. I gripped half a glass of red wine, standing in a corner at the wedding banquet, my eyes scanning the rowdy crowd. Suddenly, a figure I detested crashed unexpectedly into my line of sight—Bruce Lynn, the man I had flatly turned down on our arranged date just yesterday. He wore a poorly fitted suit and strode directly toward me, a cocky smirk fixed on his face, his sinister gaze blatant and unapologetic. "Melissa Scott, long time no see." He deliberately amplified his voice, dragging the last syllable out, successfully attracting a few probing glances from nearby guests. I furrowed my brow, instinctively stepping back half a step, my voice cold as ice: "We're not acquainted. Please step aside." Bruce Lynn barely flinched and leaned in slightly; the cheap perfume on him, mingled with the acrid smell of smoke and alcohol, was overpowering. He pulled out a ring of keys and shook them in front of my eyes, the sharp clatter of metal grating in the silence. They were the keys to my new house, unmistakable at a glance, and my heart sank. "Not acquainted?" Bruce Lynn sneered, his tone thick with mockery, "Melissa Scott, you'd better think carefully about the price of turning me down." My heart pounded as I reached out, trying to snatch the keys away. "How did you get these keys? Give them back to me immediately!" Bruce Lynn smoothly dodged to the side, slipping the keys back into his suit pocket. With a self-satisfied smirk, he patted the pocket and declared, "The price is this whole house." "What nonsense are you spouting!" I snapped, my voice trembling with anger, fingers clutching the wine glass until they turned white, red wine splashing onto my wrist. "Who told you to waste my time?" He raised an eyebrow, his tone shameless, "It was an arranged date—you reject me so easily, don't you think you owe me some compensation?" "I never promised to give you the house!" I clenched my anger and met his eyes squarely as I shot back, "That's money I saved and borrowed myself—it has nothing to do with you!" Whispers began to stir around us, with onlookers' eyes darting between Bruce Lynn and me, thick with curiosity and the anticipation of drama. "Don't falsely accuse me. I never gave you the keys." I calmed myself deliberately, meeting his gaze with steady resolve. "If you didn't give them to me, are you suggesting I stole them?" Bruce Lynn suddenly raised his voice, deliberately stoking the crowd's emotions, "Melissa Scott, who was the one fussing over me back then, saying she wanted to get along well with me?" "You stole it!" I pulled out my phone, unlocked the screen, ready to dial. "I'm calling the police right now to sort this out!" "Calling the police?" Bruce Lynn shrugged with a face full of nonchalance. "Do you have any proof? Everyone's watching. It's clear you're backing out and trying to shift the blame." "I never agreed to keep seeing you in the first place!" I bit my lip, my voice trembling slightly with anger. "Then why did you give me the keys?" Bruce Lynn closed in step by step, his eyes growing ever more defiant. "Isn't it just to sweet-talk me into marrying you?" Our quarrel rose above the background music, all eyes locked on me. "What exactly do you want?" I bit my lip, swallowing my hurt and anger, and whispered. Just as Bruce Lynn opened his mouth, the noisy crowd suddenly parted, and the murmurs gradually died away. Everyone's gaze turned toward the entrance. I looked up to see my cousin Ruby Taylor entering, her face brimming with smug triumph.