NOVPUB
Chapter 152: Chapter 152 Attack On Lana II
Liam held Lana close, his palm moving gently across her back in slow, soothing circles. Her body had stopped trembling, but her breathing was still unsteady. He kept his voice low, calm, and grounding.
"Lana," he said softly, "do you have any idea who might have sent them?"
She didn’t respond immediately. Her face was still buried in his chest, but he could feel the way her body tensed. Slowly, she pulled back, wiping at her cheeks and pushing her hair behind her ears. Her eyes were swollen and red, but beneath the tears was a spark of something sharper—anger, humiliation, pain.
She took a deep breath.
"I do..." she said finally, her voice small but firm.
Liam’s eyes sharpened as he gently grabbed her shoulder, turning her slightly so he could look directly into her eyes. "Who?" he asked.
Lana looked down at the floor. Her voice trembled as she answered.
"It’s... it’s Mr. Colton Virelli," she whispered.
Liam’s brow twitched. The name wasn’t unfamiliar. In fact, it rang bells almost immediately.
"Wait—Colton Virelli?" he repeated, just to be sure.
Lana nodded.
"That asshole?" Liam scoffed, disbelief dripping from his voice. "The Director of Public Exposure and Brand Curation at Novalight Models?"
"Yeah," Lana whispered.
Liam frowned deeply. He’d seen a tweet a long time ago—screenshots of messages supposedly sent by Colton to different young models. Promises of fame in exchange for "personal favors." Back then, the claims had been brushed under the rug. The accusers either disappeared or retracted their statements. The modeling industry had called them lies. But Liam had known better. His gut had told him there was something real behind the noise.
Now here was Lana—his Lana—confirming it all with tears in her eyes and acid almost burned into her skin.
Liam’s jaw tightened.
"So," he said, voice heavy with disgust, "he’s been trying to get his hands on you?"
Lana looked away, ashamed. "Yes," she admitted. "Since the second week I joined the agency. He’s been... relentless."
"Fucking bastard..." Liam muttered under his breath.
Lana continued, her voice weak. "I turned him down every time. But he kept coming back. And when I refused to meet him privately, he started... burying my exposure. Told the editors I wasn’t ready. That I lacked charm. I barely made it out of the low-tier pages."
Liam clenched his fist.
Everything made sense now.
But then he looked at her with a spark of realization in his eyes. "But now... after we won Couple of the Year—he can’t hide you anymore."
Lana gave a slow nod. "Exactly. I’ve been getting requests lately. My follower count blew up after the award. Agencies from overseas have been emailing me. I think... I think he knows he’s losing control of me."
"And so he sent those men," Liam growled. "To ruin your face. To ruin your career before you could rise."
She nodded again, lips trembling. "He said if he couldn’t have my body, he’d make sure no one else would want it."
Liam stared at her in silent fury.
Then his voice dropped, calm and dangerous.
"He made a mistake."
Lana opened her mouth to speak again, but Liam gently placed a hand on her arm.
"Lana," he asked, "are there... more men like him? At Novalight?"
She blinked at the question, clearly not expecting it.
"Are there other people... pressuring you?"
Lana hesitated. Her breathing changed again, and she looked at the floor. Slowly, she lifted her hands and started counting on her fingers.
One... two... three...
When she reached four, she stopped.
Liam’s eyes widened. "Four?" he echoed.
Lana gave a slight nod.
Liam was stunned. Speechless. He had suspected pressure, maybe even bullying. But four powerful men, all preying on her—using their positions to suffocate her into submission? It was worse than he could’ve imagined.
"She never said anything," he thought, heart aching. "She just kept smiling... kept going."
He glanced at her—this beautiful, resilient, talented girl who had suffered at home, pushed herself through school, and now faced hell even in the modeling world.
She never complained.
She endured.
But now? Now it was Liam’s turn to carry that weight.
He wouldn’t let this continue. Not for another day.
Not while he was alive.
---
The silence in Lana’s living room was heavy, broken only by the ticking of a small wall clock. Liam sat on the floor with her still wrapped in his arms, her body trembling slightly as she slowly calmed down from the horrific encounter. His hand gently moved up and down her back, soothing her without words.
Then, in a quiet voice, Lana looked up and asked, "Liam... can I stay at your place tonight?"
He looked down into her eyes, still red from crying, and nodded without hesitation. "Of course," he said softly. "You’re not staying here after what just happened."
She gave a small nod of gratitude, wiping the remaining tears from her cheek. But as she looked down at his hand again, a strange realization struck her. Her eyes widened slightly. "Wait..." she whispered. "Your hand... it caught the acid, didn’t it?"
Liam blinked, then looked at the hand she was staring at.
"There’s no wound..." she muttered, almost to herself. "But I saw it... it was sizzling... was I hallucinating?"
Liam gave a small chuckle, masking the truth behind a casual grin. "Probably just the shock playing tricks on your mind," he said smoothly, brushing it off. "It didn’t get me that bad."
She looked at him suspiciously but said nothing more, clearly still shaken.
A few minutes later, Liam helped her grab a few essentials before guiding her out of the house. The air outside was crisp, cool, and quiet—the complete opposite of the chaos that had happened just minutes ago. The two walked side by side under the moonlight, heading toward Liam’s house a few doors down.
When they reached the front of his house, Liam paused, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "So... I kinda locked everything up from the inside earlier. The door’s bolted and the windows are sealed."
Lana’s eyes widened a little. "So what now?"
"I’ll get in through my window," he said. "You wait out here."
But when he started to step away, Lana quickly reached for his arm. "Wait—no! Please, don’t leave me alone."
He turned to her and saw the fear flash in her eyes. Her voice was small, almost embarrassed, but her grip on his sleeve was firm. Liam’s heart softened. She’d just survived something terrifying. Of course, she didn’t want to be alone—not even for a few seconds.
He sighed quietly. "Alright then. You’re coming up with me."
She blinked. "Wait, what?"
He stepped around to the side of the house, motioning for her to follow. As they reached the side wall, she spotted the second-floor window—his window.
Her mouth parted slightly in shock. "You jumped down from there to get to me?"
Liam smirked. "Yeah. Had to."
She stared at the height again, still in disbelief, when he suddenly turned to her.
"Alright," he said casually, "hold on to me."
She looked confused. "What do you mean—"
"Your arms," he said, grabbing her wrists and placing them around his neck. "Wrap them around me. Tight."
Her cheeks flushed with a bit of heat as she followed his instructions, slowly locking her arms around his neck. He gave her a look, raising an eyebrow.
"Okay, now hug me. Both legs."
She hesitated for a moment, but the fear still bubbling in her chest pushed her forward. She jumped slightly, wrapping her thighs around his waist as he supported her effortlessly. Her body pressed close to his, her breath tickling his neck.
Liam grinned to himself. Goddamn... she’s soft...
Her scent filled his nose—warm vanilla and faint lavender. He wasn’t trying to take advantage of her, but it was impossible not to notice how snugly she fit in his arms. The thickness of her thighs, the curve of her hips against his body—it was the kind of closeness that made any man aware of the woman he was holding.
He turned toward the wall, crouched slightly, then with a powerful spring, leapt up and grabbed the metal pipe running along the side of the house. Lana gasped quietly against his shoulder, clutching tighter as he climbed up swiftly, his muscles flexing with every pull until they reached the second-story window.
He pushed it open with one hand and pulled them both through in a fluid motion, landing them inside his dimly lit room with practiced grace. He gently lowered her onto her feet.
She looked around, catching her breath. "That was... insane..."
Liam smirked. "You should see me on a good day."
Lana gave a small laugh, though her body still trembled slightly. The trauma of what just happened hadn’t disappeared, but here—inside Liam’s home, beside him—it felt a little less heavy.
He looked at her softly. "Now let’s get you a room."
She looked up at him, those green eyes wide and vulnerable. "Thank you, Liam..."
And though she said nothing more, the way she looked at him in that moment spoke volumes.
