Trampled Ego

As Ian received undiluted justice from his viciously enraged ex best friend, Jacob scrambled to his feet and tried to rescue his pal.

"Get off him, man..." Jacob barked, reaching for the assaulter's arm.

Sadly, Jacob was no match for the black belt holder and athletic genius. He got struck on the side of his stomach by the ferociously angry man's elbow.

"Back off..." Richmond bellowed.

"Ah..." Jacob staggered backwards, crouching in pain. His badly contoured face gave a perfect description of the amount of hurt he was experiencing.

Ian, on the other hand, tried to weakly take advantage of the brief moment of distraction. However, his current position and blurry vision put him at a disadvantage. He could only throw aimless punches in the air with no impact. He tried to wriggle out of Richmond's choking grip but he also failed miserably at that.

In his current state, Ian was like an opossum caught in the deadly embrace of a boa constrictor. The more he tried to set himself free, the worse the situation got.

Although Jacob didn't recognize Richmond at first sight, some customers in the bar identified him as the enigmatic CEO of GXL Telecom. Other customers assumed he was a military personnel seeking retribution, due to his athletic physique and pragmatic approach.

While some customers secretly took pictures and made short videos of the ongoing scuffle, three hefty-looking security men speedily rushed over to Ian's rescue.

"Touch me and it will be the last thing you do." Richmond threatened the security man closest to him, causing others to freeze on the spot.

Having unleashed a tiny fraction of his fury, Richmond shoved Ian back on the floor with a threatening clause.

"This is just a tip of the iceberg."

Richmond stood up and straightened out his rumpled and partially messed up white inner shirt. He spared Ian one last spine-chilling glare before storming out of the bar.

With great difficulty, Ian slowly lifted himself from the floor, wincing at every strained nerve.

"Let me help you, Sir."

One of the security men stretched his hand towards Ian.

"Get lost!" Ian angrily slapped the security man's hand, while spitting out bloodied saliva.

Due to the humiliating and severe beating he just got from Richmond, he felt like punishing someone for his pain. His nose was still bleeding and his shifted jaw made him look like a weirdly grinning zombie.

Aside from his cut lips, and his swollen reddened right eye, Ian felt bitterly furious at his trampled ego. He slowly lifted himself off the floor with great effort and sluggishly left the bar amidst gawking pairs of eyes and a hidden camera flashlight.

Jacob on the other hand quickly settled the bill both for their drinks and the destroyed bar properties before running after Ian.

-

-

After almost three hours of unconsciousness, Lola finally opened her eyes to the loving gaze of Jamal.

She swallowed her saliva severally to moisten her patched throat while scanning the hospital room where she was admitted.

"I'm so sorry for everything, sweetheart." Jamal softly placed his right hand on Lola's forehead and stroked it gently.

"Jamal..." Lola's weak and broken voice sounded like an expired CD player.

"Shh....don't stress yourself talking. I'm here for you. I will make sure no one hurts you again." Jamal spoke with authority and tenderness as though he was her father.

"I'm so sorry, Jamal...I've ruined everything...."

"Stop it, Lola!" Jamal reprimanded in a slightly harsh tone. "No more self-pity or agonizing words. I won't allow you to beat yourself up over this anymore."

Lola nodded her head even though the streaming tears down her temple seemed to disagree with her.

"If you do not stop crying now, I'll be forced to call on Maureen to give you another shot that will take you straight to dreamland." Jamal warmed.

Maureen was a nurse at the hospital and also Jamal's fiancee.

"Noo... don't. Please...."

"Then you should stop crying because it is bad for your health." Jamal patted her on the right arm.

Lola shook her head in response as memories of the viral video on social media started replaying in her mind.

"Have you seen the video?" Lola asked after a few seconds of silence.

"No, I haven't." Jamal shook his head in reply.

"After Chelsea alerted me on the situation on ground, I closed the coffee shop and ran down here as fast as my legs could carry me. When I queried her about what led to your current state, she gave a brief explanation and tried showing me some videos on social media."

"Surprisingly, the link to open the video and pictures was no longer working. Also, when we checked other social media sites, the videos and pictures were also gone. It was as though they were never there."

"Really!" A minute ray of hope lit in Lola's sunken eyes.

"Yes," Jamal replied dramatically. "As a matter of fact, a press statement was issued thirty minutes ago by top government officials. He warned that anyone with the downloaded version of the video or picture should delete it immediately or face criminal justice."

"Seriously!"

Again, Lola was taken aback. She didn't have any friends in the government circle. But...

Lola's gaze turned violently frigid. "It's Ian's handiwork." She said between tightened jaws.

"You think..." Jamal stuck his right forefinger up to his lips. "It could be a possibility....you know what, let's talk about something else. I don't want you mentioning the name of that useless animal you call a boss. God knows that if I ever lay my hands on him, I will rip out his balls. Afterwards, I will go for your despicable mother-in-law, your sister-in-law and your husband's extended relative. I will make sure I give each of them a taste of their own medicine."

Lola's lips curled up in a thin smile. She scanned around the ward as though she was searching for something or someone.

"Where is Chelsea?"

"She went back to your home to speak with Brian and also get your stuff for the time being," Jamal replied, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

Lola let out a sigh of anguish as so many thoughts collided in her thoughts.

"I have good news, Lola," Jamal said in a mysterious tone, gaining back Lola's attention.

"Good news?!" Lola's eyes brightened.