He Chose a Woman Who Resembled His Late Mother Over Me

Louis Altair radiated a wild, dangerous energy, like a raging lion. I had only seen that look once before—back then, when members of the Altair Family threw rocks at me as I tried to shield him.

Now, the male model lay bloodied, his breaths shallow. Louis’s fists only came down harder, more brutal, with every strike.

I couldn’t hold back any longer, so I rushed forward and grabbed him. "That’s enough, Louis!"

"Get out of the way! This jerk deserves to die!" he roared, shoving blindly without realizing it was me.

By the time he snapped back to himself, I had already hit the ground hard. Both of my palms were scraped raw.

"Claire!" Louis finally let go of the man and hurried to help me up.

I drew in a shaky breath, fighting the sting at the tip of my nose. The dust from the gravel clung to my palms, but the ache felt like it had settled deep in my heart.

He reached to steady me, but froze the moment he heard Laura’s soft sobbing.

His fists tightened into fists. As if determined, he muttered, "Claire, I’ll take him to the hospital for a checkup. The police will want a statement later."

But his eyes kept flicking back to her.

It seemed as if he could barely stop himself from running straight to her.

The sting in my palms spread until it consumed my entire wounded heart.

Finally, the words came out of my lips. "Louis, I’m hurt too."

"You have so many people working under you, so why must you handle this yourself?"

"You even got into a fight. Do you realize you represent the entire Altair Family?"

No one knew better than I did how hard Louis had worked to get this far. For years, every step he took was measured, cautious, careful.

And now?

A bloody scratch marred his face. Sweat and rage soaked his dark hair to his forehead. His eyes, rimmed red, still burned with fury.

Was this raging man really the same composed, untouchable Louis Altair the world knew?

My voice broke as I nearly shouted, my chest rising and falling.

The staff whispered around us, staring. My dear fiancé, the man I had loved for six years, stood there, consumed with worry for another woman.

How could I not feel furious?

However, Louis only let out a heavy sigh, his voice tired.

"Claire, you need to understand. That’s sexual assault. Laura was in danger at work. As her boss, I couldn’t just stand by. It’s not something small." His eyes carried a warning as he looked at me.

At that moment, what else could I say?

My shoulders slumped as I watched him walk toward her.

He leaned close and whispered words of comfort.

By the time my sister arrived to pick me up, she caught sight of the shaken expression I couldn’t hide.

The second our car pulled away from the set, my phone buzzed nonstop with notifications.

[CEO of Altair Group Beats Up Molester on Set] sat at the top of the trending news.

When I opened it, the feed was already overflowing with crystal-clear photos of Louis shielding Laura, striking the man and finally draping his coat around her trembling shoulders.

The comments section was in an uproar.

[Gosh! Louis Altair is so manly. So protective!]

[He personally stepped in for his employee. I feel safe just watching this!]

[Am I the only one who thinks Louis and the model look perfect together? They’re both tall, striking—like they walked out of a magazine shoot. Business tycoon x gorgeous, resilient model… OMG, I’m obsessed! Come on, just get married already!]

My fingers hovered over the glaring words look perfect together.

Then a quiet comment with an attached screenshot caught my eye. [Look @lulusecretcorner, there’s a surprise.]

Curiosity pulled me in. The account was brand new, barely a history.

Its latest post was from just yesterday. [He praised me for being brave today.]

In the photo, a frail hand offered a steaming cup.

And on that wrist gleamed the watch I had given Louis for his birthday last year, the one that had sold for over a million dollars at auction.