Chapter 2: Caught Red Handed

Janelle's P.O.V

I looked down at the man questioning, but he focused on looking at my boots instead. His face was still down, as he clung to my boots firmly. He didn't care to steal a glance at me anymore.

The noises in the hallway were getting louder, so I decided to check it out instead. 

Looking around to gauze the situation, I noticed a woman with bed sheets wrapped around her bare body. She was sticking her head out of a door and had her eyes resting on another man who was dressed in a business suit.

The man in the business suit approached me, his eyes fixated on my boot where the nearly naked stranger lay. From the looks of it, the businessman was about to hit the guy at my feet.

I was tempted to speak to either man, to ask them what the matter was. But I reminded myself that I wasn't a cop, but a military officer. I had no business with the civilians and it wasn't in my place to settle disputes.

 It was Intriguing that I just got here, and somehow, I was at the center of the scene already. Although still unaware of what exactly was going on.

It seemed the dark-haired man on the floor had heard the sound of his rival approach us because he turned around to see the businessman getting closer and he quickly scrambled up, moving away from him and behind me.

I looked at him keenly, seeing his face properly for the first time, I noticed just how startlingly handsome he was. He had emerald green eyes and a charming smile that showed no repentance.

He winked at me, smiling broadly, causing me to blink in surprise. He was not ashamed by the fact that there were over twenty pairs of eyes that watched him dressed in nothing but his underpants and yet he acted all cool?

"You bloody bastard!" The businessman spat. "How dare you seduce my innocent wife? Have you no shame?"

"Not really," he laughed in response. "I have no shame. If I did, I would attempt to get dressed before stepping into a busy hallway like this one."

"That's all you have to say to me? You have no apologies to make, now do you?" The businessman shook a threatening fist into the thick air. "Since you are not ashamed, and not sorry, hold on and let me teach you a lifelong lesson."

"You deserve no apologies," the dark-haired man said without contrition. It appeared like he was enjoying the whole banter and wanted to keep irritating his rival.

I watched both men in amusement. This was the first entertaining take down I had seen and since my life was a shithole already…why not enjoy watching other's happy marriages crumble to the ground as well?

The businessman tugged on his tie, loosening it. "I'm going to deal with you, you motherfucker!" He threatened, swinging at the naked man.

"Of course, you are." The other man took a few steps away from me, playing casually with his non-bearded chin as he avoided the blow. He seemed very confident that another blow wouldn't land on him either.

And somehow, he escaped the third witty and carefully planned attempt made by the businessman to hit him. But that wasn't all in store for him. The businessman suddenly leaped at him, surprisingly him and tactfully seizing him.

Gratifying his anger, he began to throw punches at him. But the taller and more muscular of the duo didn't attempt to save himself, even though he looked like one punch could knock the air out of the businessman's lungs. He rather took all blows, only defending himself from getting hit in the face.

I didn't know if I was enjoying this or traumatized by it, too. The crowd cheered for the businessman. Hyping him up and calling him a name that wasn't English. They encouraged him to teach his rival a lesson so that he wouldn't repeat his actions and steal other people's wives.

"He once did the same thing to my wife, would you believe?" A stout man said bitterly from the crowd. "I tried to get back at him by cheating on the woman that he was with, back then but he didn't even care. He left her and was with another woman in just a few days."

"He is so wild and has no self-control. It's as if he is only interested in married women, too." A young lady whose tone suggested that she had an eye for him added, shaking her head.

"He slept with my fiancé, a week before our wedding." Another man chirped from the crowd before he grudgingly trudged along in moody silence.

How could one man be responsible for the hurt of so many men? I couldn't help but wonder what his charm was. Why did none of these men blame their wives for cheating, but rather blamed the man?

It's not like they were all married to kids, but grown as adult women who were very well accountable for their actions!

"Sir!" I yelled at the businessman, the humanity in me taking over as I watched the guy take another jab to the ribs.

"What?" He snapped, still holding the man with the emerald green eyes tightly by his throat.

"What exactly did your wife tell you about this man when you found her in bed with him?" I asked, assuming that his case was similar to mine.

"She told me that this motherfucker got her drunk and took advantage of her!" He snapped at me in anger.

"Look at your wife." I pointed at her, and she pulled her sheet up in self-consciousness. A lot of other eyes turned to look at her too. So I continued speaking. "She looks stone cold sober and safe, doesn't she? Does she seem drunk to you? Does she look like she was forced in any way or form?"

"I don't know," he wasn't paying much attention to me. He turned again to face his punching toy.

"Well, you shouldn't be hitting him like that if you don't have your facts right." I snapped at him, finally getting his attention, and everyone else's. "Use a breathalyzer to check your wife's breath if you must. And if she is indeed drunk, then I guess you're validated for getting angry. Otherwise, this is assault, aggravated assault if you continue to do this."

"And if not?" He was getting interested in what I had to say, visibly admiring the gait and carriage that I had and the tone I spoke with.

"If she is not drunk, then you shouldn't be hitting this man at all." I shrugged. "Because it would mean that your wife isn't as innocent as she claims to be and that what happened between them was consensual…which makes it her fault just as much as his."

"Hm," the businessman nodded that he understood. Throwing the dark-haired man down, he turned in the direction of his wife whose gaze was on us the whole time.

At that moment, his wife turned away from us and ran into the bedroom with a panicked expression on her face, shutting the door behind her to keep us all out.

I continued speaking to him, shaking my head in disbelief. "You should have properly analyzed the situation before accusing him. As far as I saw, there were no marks on her that showed struggle. Nor does she seem sad or afraid. And lastly, she wasn't even wearing her wedding ring. Don't you think that's a clear indication that she was cheating willingly?"

"You're right ma'am," the businessman exhaled deeply. Swallowing before turning to head back inside his bedroom.

I bent down and picked up the clothing that came flying out of the door moments later. And then I handed them to the half-naked man, shoving it onto his chest. 

I heard the door slam behind the supposed businessman then as the yelling started inside the house, and I knew that his wife was in a lot of trouble too. Although, she deserved whatever was coming to her, I hoped that the husband didn't go overboard either. 

The crowd disappeared in minutes and everywhere was silent again. Except a few mumblings by people who arrived at the scene late, and those who couldn't stop staring at the hot and handsome man with little to no clothing on.

Realizing that there was nothing left for me to do here, I turned around and started on my way when someone grabbed my hand from behind me.

My first instinct was to snap the person's hand and throw them over my shoulders…but I had to remind myself that I was no longer in the battlefield and this was a civilian area.

I turned around with an angry face but switched it to a light smile when I saw the half-naked guy holding onto his clothes in his hands still.

"Thank you." The man offered me a charming smile, not bothered by the ogling stares at his exposed chest and legs.

"You're welcome," I shrugged. He was hot, alright. But I didn't want to be seen talking to a man who was wearing nothing but his underpants in the neighborhood of my ex-boyfriend.

Besides, I didn't want to have anything to do with any guy at the moment. I needed to heal from Daniel and the best way to do that was by avoiding males like they were plagues. 

I was on my way again, when his calm, soothing, and irresistible voice made an offer that I couldn't say no to. "If you don't mind…I'd love to buy you a drink, and thank you for saving me just now."