Though they hadn't seen each other in a long time and both had changed greatly over the years, Tyler knew his friend well. He understood: Ray was subconsciously seeking an encounter with death. Seeing his powerful motorcycle, Tyler realized it was just one of the ways to land in the arms of the Old Lady with the Scythe. And he was grateful to fate that, despite his best friend's efforts, he and the "old lady" had only ever crossed paths tangentially all these years.
Ray was about to say something but was interrupted by a loud argument between two obvious representatives of the "golden youth" exiting the club.
A handsome young man grabbed the arm of a girl who had run out of the club in tears.
"Get off me! I'm not going anywhere with you!" she shouted.
She had a very gentle voice, a sweet face, and pure sky-blue eyes. Her long aquamarine-colored hair was tied into two ponytails.
In a surge of emotion, the young man squeezed her arm tighter, making the girl cry out in pain. She was short and seemed very fragile — somehow reminding Ray of Lily.
But despite her fragility, she still broke free and stated firmly:
"Don't think that just because our parents decided to marry us, I'm going to tolerate your cheating. There's a limit to everything. For that matter — we both know I could seduce any of these guys if I wanted to. Without your father's money and influence, you're just a zero, a nobody. If your old man has problems — all your friends will scatter like rats from a sinking ship. I've had enough. If my father needs this marriage so badly — let him climb into bed with you himself. Who's going to be... screwing whom — figure it out yourselves. I'm tired. And I'm leaving."
The girl's words were harsh, but from her tone, it was clear she had once loved this guy very much. Maybe she still loved him even now.
Hearing this, the young man tried to strike her. But someone caught his hand — squeezed it tightly and abruptly stopped the blow. Approaching them, Ray intercepted the guy's hand right in front of the girl's face and, cruelly squeezing it, said:
"This young lady said she's not going anywhere with you. If you don't have a hearing problem — be a good boy and get lost while I'm still kind. I promise you won't suffer too much."
Tyler wanted to stop his friend but didn't have time. All he could do was watch and pray that this unfortunate soul would prove sensible enough — then he might have a chance to get off with just a scare and a broken arm.
Shifting his gaze from the girl to Ray and back, the young man smirked:
"This gorilla — your new toy? Buddy, this bird is out of your league. Sometimes she shows a bit of attitude, but no matter what you do — this bitch will never put out for you. We both know she belongs to me. Mika. If you walk away now, your old man will personally deliver you to my bed."
Ray could barely restrain himself. It took considerable effort to let this bastard finish. And as soon as he did — Ray broke his arm.
The pain-filled scream was heard by many. If anyone had wanted to intervene — Ray's imposing bulk and ice-cold stare killed any desire.
As soon as the first wave of pain subsided, the young man glared spitefully at Ray and hissed:
"You bastard! Do you have any idea who my father is?! After what you've done, not only your life, but the lives of everyone dear to you will turn into hell!"
For Ray, these words were the final straw.
A moment later, a new scream tore through the street — even louder, ripping through the night's silence.