The Charismatic Adam Reed

Chapter 2

Adam tried to avoid looking at Lily, but he couldn’t resist. She looked joyful and at ease, unlike when she was with him.

Lily looked up and saw Adam, then smiled. "Hi, Adam."

The man next to her frowned and looked at Adam with a hostile glare. He wrapped his arm around Lily’s waist and drew her closer to him. "Who’s this, babe?"

Lily leaned into the man hugging her. "This is Adam, my boyfriend, the one I told you about earlier."

The man laughed mockingly and looked at Adam from head to toe. "So you're the pathetic waiter who's been dating my girl, huh? You're nothing but a loser who can't even give Lily anything. How did you manage to fool her for so long? Did you use some cheap tricks or drugs? You should be ashamed of yourself, you worthless piece of trash."

The man then turned to Lily, caressed her cheek and continued, "You deserve better, babe. You deserve someone like me. Someone who can give you everything you want and more."

Lily smiled sweetly at the man before turned to Adam, "I’m sorry to say this, Adam, but we’re over. I don’t love you anymore. I never did. You were just a convenient distraction until I met someone like Mark."

She gestured to the man next to her, who smirked and kissed her on the forehead, and she added, "Mark from the Hilton family is everything you’re not. He’s rich, handsome, and generous. He treats me like a queen and spoils me with gifts and trips. And most importantly, he will soon make me his wife."

Lily then looked at Adam with contempt. "You, on the other hand, you're a joke, a failure. You have nothing to offer me, and you never will. You’re a waste, Adam, and I’m glad I’m rid of you."

She then turned away from Adam and snuggled up to Mark, ignoring Adam’s stunned and hurt expression.

Adam felt a sharp pain in his chest, as if someone had stabbed him with a knife. He couldn’t believe what he had just heard. Lily had broken up with him in front of everyone, and insulted him harshly while praising the man beside her.

He loved Lily, and he had done everything he could to make her happy. He had worked hard at this job, even though he hated it, to save money for their future. He had given her his everything, but she had thrown it all away for a rich jerk like Mark.

Adam tightened his fists and stared at Lily and Mark. He wouldn’t let them get away with insulting him like this.

"You’re making a huge mistake, Lily. He’s only playing with you for his own fun. He’ll dump you as soon as he gets bored of you, or finds someone else who catches his eye. When that happens, you’ll realize that you’ve lost the best thing that ever happened to you."

Adam turned to Mark and continued, "And you, Mark, you’re nothing but a spoiled brat who thinks he can buy everything with money. You think you’re better than everyone else, but you’re not. You’re just a coward who relies on your family's wealth, and you don’t have the guts to face me in a fair fight because you know I’ll beat you."

"How dare you talk to me like that, you lowlife?" Mark’s face turned red with rage. He felt insulted and challenged. "You think you can beat me? You’re delusional. You’re nothing but a weakling who can’t even defend himself!"

Mark signaled to his two bodyguards, who were standing nearby. "Get him, boys. Show him what happens when someone messes with me."

The two bodyguards advanced towards Adam, cracking their knuckles menacingly. Adam, however, stood his ground. He had been humiliated and insulted enough for one night, so he wouldn’t go down without a fight.

Adam braced himself for the attack, but his courage was futile against the two trained bodyguards. They easily overpowered him and began to batter him with their fists and feet. Adam tried to fight back, but he was outmatched. He felt blood dripping from his nose and mouth, and pain shooting through his body.

Some of the guests who saw the scene pitied Adam, but they didn’t want to interfere in Mark’s business. They knew Mark was a powerful and influential man, and they didn’t want to get on his bad side. They also knew that Adam was just a lowly employee, and they didn’t care much about his fate.

The manager, Mr. Lee, noticed the ongoing violence and panicked. He rushed towards Mark, stuttering, "M-Mr. Mark, sir, uh... this is..."

Mark, however, was uninterested in Mr. Lee's words, enjoying the sight of Adam’s suffering. "What is it? Can't you see I'm busy?"

Mr. Lee hesitated, aware that Mark was the nephew of the club's owner and that any word from Mark could get him fired. Even so, Mr. Lee didn't want the other guests to feel uncomfortable.

Desperate to appease Mark, Mr. Lee blurted out, "I-I'll fire Adam if that's what you want, sir. We'll take care of this situation."

Mark considered Mr. Lee's suggestion for a moment. Finally, his lips curved into a sinister smile. "You'll fire him? No. I'm a pretty good guy, so I don't want this garbage to be jobless. How would he survive without his little salary?"

Mark smirked as he glanced at a cake on his table. He grabbed the cake before threw it on the floor.

The cake splattered onto the ground, leaving a mess of frosting and crumbs. Turning to his two bodyguards, he commanded, "Alright, you two! Quit beating up Adam for a second!"

The two bodyguards exchanged puzzled looks but obeyed, stopping their assault on Adam. Adam hardly had any strength left, but but he did his best to stay conscious and focused on the situation.

"Listen up, trash," Mark taunted, pointing at the smashed cake on the floor. "Eat that cake without using your hands. You do that, and I won't mess with you again. I might even ask Mr. Lee here to give you a raise as a little compensation for your bruised ego and all."

Adam, bruised and humiliated, knew he couldn't take much more of this. He could no longer bear the shame Mark was trying to force upon him. As he hazily gazed at the ruined cake, flickers of indignation and rage began to surface.

Slowly and painfully, Adam crawled towards the cake, every movement causing agonizing pain. Mark watched in delight, his laughter filling the room as he continued to insult Adam.

"Look at this worthless loser, guys!" Mark scoffed, encouraging the onlookers to join his sick game. "What kind of man would stoop so low just so he can keep his pathetic job and a few extra bucks?"

Adam, however, had reached his breaking point. As he inched close enough to the cake, he gritted his teeth, barely containing the fury building inside. Then, in one swift motion, he grabbed a chunk of cake and flung it right at Mark's face.

The room fell silent for a split second, the sounds of Mark's laughter cut off as the cake splattered over his face. Mark stood there, visibly stunned, as the hushed whispers turned into surprised gasps and stifled snickers.

Adam smiled faintly, chest heaving, the adrenaline pumping through his veins like a surging wildfire. With grim satisfaction, he stood defiantly, watching Mark's face turn bright red with fury.

"You know what?" Adam finally spoke. "At least I have a job. And you? You're nothing without mommy and daddy's money."

"You piece of shit!" Mark shouted, wiping cake from his eyes. " Do you have any idea who you're dealing with?"

With that, he looked to his bodyguards. "Oi! Finish him off!"

The bodyguards glanced at each other before starting toward Adam. But this time, something unexpected happened.

Mr. Lee, trying to summon whatever courage he had left, stepped in front of Mark, stuttering, "M-Mr. Mark, wait! We... we shouldn't—"

"What?" Mark scowled at Mr. Lee, his patience clearly wearing thin. "Are you trying to tell me how to handle my business now? You trying to protect this worthless shit?"

"No, sir. It's not that." Mr. Lee, swallowing his fear, moved closer to Mark and whispered urgently, "I just mean that there's a good chance someone might be recording this. We don't want someone explo—, I mean, using this situation against you or the club."

Mark's face paled, his anger momentarily replaced with anxiety. Realizing that Mr. Lee was right, he begrudgingly pulled back.

His gaze settling back on Adam. "You're lucky, trash. This ain't over, though."

As Mark sat back down, his bodyguards followed suit, standing behind him. Lily hurriedly began to clean up Mark's face, all while casting Adam a vicious glance.

"Fucking loser," she said, before her gaze returned to Mark. "I don't know why you even bothered with him, babe. He's already beaten. We shouldn't waste any more time on someone so pathetic."

Adam, struggling to catch his breath, overheard Lily's comment and couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "Bitch."

"What did you say?" Mark shot to his feet and pointed at Adam. "You want to die, punk?"

Adam shrugged, unfazed by the outburst. "Why are you mad? Did I insult you?"