Scars To Your Beautiful : A Modern Beauty and the Beast retelling ✔

52. Retracing Your Heart

"I don't like this one bit." Naomi grumbled. The annoyance in her voice had started to screech pitches higher.  "Callie would kill me if she found out that I'm working with someone as obnoxious as you are to spy on her boss. Jesus, this is worse than I thought."

Damien Pierce glanced at her wryly, his fingers gripping the steering wheel alot more tightly. "Relax, already. You've been babbling throughout the ride. It's becoming a little annoying, even for you."

"Fuck you, Pierce. In fact, I'm getting the hell out of here. I'd rather confess to Callie than to go through any of this."

Damien Pierce wore a self-satisfied expression that looked more smug than usual. "It's too late for any of that now. We're already here."

Naomi felt a gnawing pit in her stomach. This truly was a terrible idea. Damien's car was parked right in front of this familiar house. The place she had picked Callie from.  The security man at the entrance asked for who they were, and Damien cockily explained that he was a Pierce. Naomi almost rolled her eyes at the panicked look in the security man's eyes. Of course, even he knew how revered the Pierces were in town.

Within seconds, they were inside the lot and out of the car. Naomi took a long look at Damien Pierce in his tailored tuxedo and warned. "Don't do anything stupid. Follow my lead and we'll be fine."

Damien Pierce took a step closer, trying to intimidate her with his looming height. "This is the part where I ignore you and do what I fucking want."

The irritated look in her smoky-grey eyes didn't waver. "Not on your life. Follow. My. Lead. Got it?"

"Whatever you say." With the smirk etched on his lips, Naomi was tempted to punch his face in. Narrowing her eyes at him, she led herself in and watched him with her side eye, not trusting an inch of anything in his mouth. Naomi whipped her head around when she heard Damien Pierce mutter in disgust. "That's him."

Standing only few feet away, Larkin Hammell was huddled around a group of middle aged men, deep in conversation. He actually looked more attractive in person, the pictures Pierce showed her didn't do justice at all. Besides the long, thick scars dancing over places on his face, he really was one of those pretty boys that wasn't her type. Curly blond hair covered a patch of his forehead, and for a brief moment she could see his distractingly lovely emerald eyes glittering from afar. He exhuded enough confidence and charm while he spoke to his guests around in his full, great height despite the surprisingly not-so-expensive suit he wore. Naomi could sniff out designer suit from a mile away, and this one clearly wasn't.

Naomi continued to trail Larkin's every move, trying to catch him slip up and show his true self. "Calm down. We're just here to watch him."

Damien Pierce snarled. "Fuck that. Not if he's hurting mi Bella."

Naomi threw her hands up indignantly. "For God's sa—"

But for once, Damien Pierce didn't listen to her angry threats, he hurled towards Larkin, almost throwing a punch at him, which Larkin was lucky to dodge.

"Stay the fuck away from Callie, you little psychopath." Damien Pierce roared. Larkin went still, his gaze hovering over Damien's flushed face. The calculating look in his eyes seemed to rile Damien Pierce up. "I know everything about you and I'll spill the beans."

Larkin squeezed his eyes shut. This couldn't be happening right now. He was getting tired of pulling off a confident, unaffected front for everyone, and right now, this dude was pushing his last buttons. Today HAD to be perfect.

"I apologize for any of this. It seems that our guest has had too much to drink." Larkin tried his best to say loudly in an oddly confident tone that seemed nonchalant enough to make the people in the room to believe him. "I'll just take him out."