Betting On Him

Chapter 5

BETS AND THREATS

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The evening was a disaster from the minute they stepped foot inside the venue. Every fear and anxious thought that has been plaguing Y/N's mind had made their appearance known as soon as people began to stare. She had never felt more vulnerable as the whispers began to spread across the hall, followed by more and more heads turning to stare at the newly announced happy couple and to finally see the face of the mysterious leader, YN Y/L/N.

But all she wanted to do was run away from their stares, her mind drawing a blank on how to act in front of so many people when it was her own name on the line, not used to all of the attention she was receiving. The only thing that kept her somewhat grounded was Tom. He walked confidently through the crowds of people, unfazed by the eyes that followed their every movements as he softly encouraging her forward with his arm linked in hers.

"They'll get bored soon enough," His kept his voice low, barely moving his lips as he spoke so only Y/N could hear his words. She didn't respond, barely nodding her head in agreement though both of them knew that his statement was a lie. They, or rather Y/N, was the main attraction tonight: she didn't have a hope in hell of being left alone.

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With her jaw in complete agony due to the amount of fake-smile she'd exercised it with, Y/N quickly became more and more desperate to hide off to the side of the hall where she would be unseen by everyone. As it was, she was stood practically in the middle of the floor where everyone could see, Tom's arm draped across her side so he could 'lovingly' pull her against him every now and then. But while his actions appeared completely harmless in the eyes of every onlooker, to Y/N each tug on her side almost made her bend over in pain as he pressed against her bruised sides.

Of course, Tom had no idea that he was hurting her with his every touch, he was just putting on a show like they had agreed to make their engagement more believable, but knowing that didn't ease any of the pain that Y/N was in. Each time he tightened her grip against her waist she could only grit her teeth and supress her whimpers of agony, unable to tell him to stop because it would arouse suspicion.

Tom still didn't know about what happened at the coffee shop earlier that day and Y/N had no intentions of telling him. She knew if she did that then he would have more security on her than ever, a concept she detested more than anything. Besides, she was in enough trouble about leaving HQ without telling anyone where she was going already. Telling Tom that she had not only gone out with an insufficient amount of security but also been injured (which was a significant understatement if she'd ever thought of one) while on her own would surely only end in a bloodbath.

So she suffered in silence, not once letting on the amount of pain Tom's touch caused her until she could eventually find an excuse to leave his side while he conversed with a mon she could only assume he was somehow in business with. She'd quickly grown bored of their conversation, already having heard similar words spoken all night, so instead let her eyes scan the hall for a place she could vacate to. All she wanted was a brief few minutes where she wouldn't have to plaster on a torturous fake smile and grimace through the pain that her partner was putting her through, so as soon as she caught sight of Sam standing off to the side of the hall, she jumped at the chance to run to him.

Telling Tom that she was going to get herself a drink, she ignored the warning look in his eyes that told her not to stray too far and instead smiled politely at the man Tom had been talking to, before rushing off to Sam's side and gladly taking the small glass of Champaign he handed to her.