After He Defended Her

Simon's best friend opened a swanky new club. He sweet-talked me, saying it was just a one-time thing to support his friend. But then one time turned into many.

Ann is so pitiful, unloved by her parents, forced to make a living here at such a young age.

That's why he needed to go often, to support her.

I couldn't understand, so I decided to visit the club myself. There, I unexpectedly stumbled upon Leo, who was being bullied. Similarly unloved by his parents, he also had a sickly younger sister.

Seeing the boy's cold, broken demeanor, I thought, perhaps I could be his supporter.

1.

Originally, I had no intention of meeting Ann. As my husbands suspected, or actively ongoing, affair partner, we were destined to be on opposing sides. Unless, of course, she was completely oblivious, but the reality was clearly otherwise. So, I despised her. And meeting someone you dislike is an utterly draining experience. I refused to put myself through that.

But todayit was my birthday, and our seventh wedding anniversary.

The candlelight dinner, the exquisite cake neither had been touched.

Ann's call came through.

Theyre all forcing me to drink, but I really cant. Im so scared, brother, please come and save me, okay?

The girl was crying hysterically. Fragile, pathetic. It instantly ignited Simon's protective instincts. He hung up the phone, mumbled an apology to me, and got up to leave. Without a moment of hesitation.

I stopped him: "Do you have to go?"

The same excuse, time and again. I was tired of hearing it. Yet, Simon remained consistently worried.

Stopped by me, his usual composure vanished. His tone even carried obvious impatience. Every word a reprimand.

"Ive told you repeatedly, Ann is unloved by her parents, forced to make a living in that kind of place. Shes already so pitiful."

"Celeste, don't be so heartless. Have a little more sympathy, alright?"

With that, he disregarded my protests and left decisively. I watched his retreating back, and then the dining table. The birthday candles he had just lit, then abandoned. The candlelight flickered, beautiful. But wax had dripped onto the cake. It was ruined. I had a slight germ phobia, so I couldn't eat it anymore.

As for the candles, I leaned down and gently blew them out. Then I made a wish: Celeste, dont feel wronged, and dont run away.

2.

The club was lavish, and clients were strictly invitation-only. Fortunately, I had the backing of my parents. The Harrington family was one of the most prominent in the city. They wouldnt dare block my entry.

Initially, I intended to go straight to Ann. But as I stepped into the main hall on the ground floor, I noticed several tipsy socialites. They were circling a young man, laughing and teasing. They even poured their drinks all over his head, tormenting him for amusement. I happened to know a bit about these young men. Because of their shared preferences, they often ganged up, ruining one pretty boy after another. This time, I supposed, was no exception.

I hadnt planned to help. There were too many pitiful people in this world. I wasnt a saint. I couldnt save everyone. Donating a large sum to orphanages every year was enough for my conscience. So, I hadnt intended to interfere.

Until he suddenly pushed through the crowd, stumbled, and then tripped deliberately. He fell right in front of me. How to describe it? He was utterly captivating. His delicate features were beautiful, and that went without saying. He was originally dressed in a white shirt and black trousers, thin and slender. But with several drinks spilled on him, the defiant, handsome boy now had an added air of cold, shattered vulnerability. What was subtly visible beneath his shirt only made one want to explore further. The term "fragile beauty," usually reserved for girls, suited him perfectly.

Humans, with their inherent flaws, always show more patience towards beautiful things. I was no exception.

"Leo, we're doing you a favor by letting you serve us drinks! Dont you dare disrespect us!" the leader of the group shouted, rushing over. He looked down at Leo, who was sprawled on the floor, his eyes full of anger and menace. But as he recognized Leos face, his expression shifted to lust and greed. He even reached out, uncontrollably, to touch the boys face.

Leo tried to dodge, but he seemed to have twisted his ankle. He struggled several times but couldn't get up, his eyes filled with helplessness and humiliation. Finally, his pleading gaze fell upon me. His voice was soft. He said, "Help me."

Looking at Leos face, more beautiful than any girls, now pale from the bullying, his lips even bruised. He looked up at me, his eyes red-rimmed, vulnerable and utterly endearing. It was hard to be heartless and not help him.

In that instant, I thought of Ann. The girl Simon described asequally fragile and pitiful, needing protection. So, this was the so-called protective urge. It was indeed hard to refuse.

I tugged at the corner of my mouth. A little self-deprecating, but I still stepped in front of Leo. Facing those detestable socialites, I declared my identity directly: "My name is Harrington, Celeste Harrington."

No need for further words. Customers who could afford to patronize Moonlight were all influential figures in our circle, and the Harrington name spoke for itself. The young men exchanged glances. Finally, they backed down. But as they left, they couldn't help but look back at Leo with resentment, a sinister smile playing on their lips. "Miss Harrington already has a husband. Even if she's interested in you now, its only temporary. One day, youll still fall into our hands!"

This wasnt untrue. If my marriage to Simon hadnt been troubled, and with the Harrington family's strict upbringing, even if I saved Leo temporarily, at most I'd help him leave this place. I wouldn't interfere much beyond that. After all, everyone has their own fate. He and I were not related; helping once could be considered a kindness. But I had no obligation to manage his future.

He seemed to understand this. Struggling to get up from the floor, he ignored the menacing socialites. Instead, he sincerely thanked me. "Thank you, big sister, no matter what." He was likely young, eighteen or nineteen, radiating youth and freshness, perfectly complemented by that captivating face. The address "big sister" touched my heart somewhat.

However, just as I was about to speak, a loud commotion suddenly erupted nearbydrawing the attention of almost everyone in the lobby.

3.

Simon had gotten into a fight. Three against one. While fighting, he didnt forget to shield the young woman behind him. Three executives whose names I knew. In no time, Simon had kicked them all to the ground, even stepping on ones chest, his eyes ruthless. "Ann is under my protection. How dare you force her to drink?"

At his words, the executive with a black eye, fuming, retorted, "If she doesn't drink, then what is she selling?"

Another executive, still bleeding from his nose, also accused, "Besides, we had an agreement! She said for every drink she had, we'd buy a bottle. She's the one who told us to buy ten bottles!"

The executive with Simons foot on his chest was the most aggrieved. He practically roared, "She tricked us into buying a million dollars worth of alcohol, then didn't drink a single drop, making it seem like we were bullying her! Do we look like such suckers?"

In clubs like this, it was an unwritten rule: to get customers to buy drinks, you had to at least have a few with them. After all, with a 10% commission, a million dollars in alcohol meant a hundred thousand for her. If you wanted to make money fast, you couldn't have it both ways. Of course, not drinking was fine, it just meant it would be hard to sell much alcohol and earn significant commission.

But Ann's behaviormaking an agreement with customers and then going back on itI had never seen before. Others likely hadn't either. So, the crowd in the lobby, after hearing the executives' accusations, couldn't help but whisper among themselves. But it didn't matter, in this circle, it was all about power. So Simon could be unreasonable. Because his name was Harrington, and he was the heir to the Harrington family, one of the top elite families.

He naturally spoke up: "Ann is pitiful, unloved by her parents. She just wants to earn some money for her tuition. Do you really need to pressure her like this? Can't you be more understanding?"

At his words, not only were the executives dumbfounded, but even I couldn't help but want to laugh. Ever since Simon first "accidentally" rescued Ann at Moonlight, he had learned about the stubborn and tragic fate of this girl. The young woman's delicate face, streaked with tears, made his heart ache. That's why he repeatedly came to Moonlight to stand up for her. He even declared to me, emphatically, that he was merely pitying a young girl.

Even when I suggested: "If hes truly honorable and genuinely wants to help her, he could offer her a small clerical position in one of our companies. Wouldn't that be better than working here?"

A Fortune 500 company, even a minor clerical role, was an offer countless students from top universities would claw their way to get. Now, it was being offered directly to her. Wasnt that enough?

No. Not only was it not enough, it was an insult.

Ann said: "Here, I earn money with my own skills and hands. I live with integrity. If I went to your company, that would be through favoritism. I don't want to be a hothouse flower; I can grow into a towering tree on my own!"

Her words were firm and ringing, and Simon admired her even more, turning to scold me. "Celeste, dont insult people with your money and connections!"

That was the first intense argument Simon and I had. Then came the second, and the third. Even now, I still couldn't understand Anns claims of independence and relying solely on herself. After all, she called Simon two out of three days, asking him to come to Moonlight to rescue her. The remaining day, under the guise of gratitude, she spent twenty-four hours by his side, acting as a dutiful "little maid." Whether it was genuine gratitude or a form of flirtation, only they knew.

However, at this moment, Ann, hiding behind him, couldnt help but speak up: "I really didn't mean to deceive you. I just wanted to save up for tuition and living expenses, which is why I came here to make a living. But I genuinely cant drink; I get dizzy, I get sick." Ann cried as she spoke, also eighteen or nineteen, full of youthful collagen, and her crying was truly pitiful. Simon's heartache was almost expected.

He pulled her into his arms, then took out a black card from his pocket, looking at the Moonlight manager standing nearby. He simply said coldly: "I'll cover all of Ann's future earnings."

Ann shook her head, biting her lip stubbornly. "Brother, I know you mean well, but I still want to earn money with my own abilities. Besides, you're already married. If you spend more money on me, your wife would be unhappy."

Hearing this, Simon's eyes softened even more, tinged with helplessness. "I offered you a job at my company before, where I could protect you. It would be safer than here, wouldn't it? Why did you refuse?"

"Because I don't want people saying I got in through favoritism. I want to earn money with my own skills." Ann shook her head, her attitude still firm.

Simon chuckled, his tone impossibly doting: "How can there be such a stubborn, silly girl in the world?" With that, he dropped his smile, then leaned down and publicly kissed Ann on the cheek. In front of everyone, he declared: "Ann has me to back her up from now on. Lets see who dares to bully her again."

4.

Ann was well-behaved, leaning against Simon, her face flushed. She then playfully punched Simon a few times, her lips slightly pouted: "Who needs your protection? I can live very well on my own."

Simon coaxed her: "Yes, yes, Ann is the most amazing." They laughed and played around so brazenly. Many people recognized Simon's identity. And the marriage between the Harrington and Sterling families. The grand wedding seven years ago was known to almost everyone in the city. So, while teasing Simon about his new conquest, they couldn't help but mention me.

"In our circles, which husband doesn't have a few women outside? But I thought Simon would be an exception."

"Who wouldn't agree? Celeste and Simon, childhood sweethearts, a truly perfect match. I remember Simon offered his entire fortune as a dowry just to marry Celeste, which finally convinced Old Man Harrington to agree."

"And that's not all. A few years ago, when the Cloudhaven Mall caught fire and Celeste was trapped inside, Simon didn't care about his own life and rushed into the blaze just to save his wife."

"For these past seven years, Simon and Celeste's relationship has been incredibly good. How many aspiring actresses and models tried to gain favor, only to be firmly rejected by Simon?"

"Ultimately, it's just that he hadn't met the right person before."

"Miss Harrington is going to be heartbroken this time."