"I won't, I promise. I'm not going to contact him or talk to him. Just please... Leave him out of this." It dawned on Nicole now that Jarrod didn't take her out to have dinner out of kindness. He brought her here to show her how miserable Roscoe was.

“Wrong answer," Jarrod said coldly.

The response Jarrod sought wasn't a plea for mercy, but a complete disregard for Roscoe.

Nicole's incorrect answer left her wondering anxiously about what Roscoe would face next.

Nicole stared coldly at Jarrod, finding him increasingly unfathomable.

Despite knowing she could never love him, he insisted on keeping her close. To ensure her compliance, he resorted to tormenting those she cared about. Did he truly find satisfaction in this vicious cycle?

Abruptly, Jarrod pulled Nicole to her feet.

“Where are you taking me?" Nicole demanded.

Jarrod didn't respond but continued to drag her along.

It wasn't until they reached the locked back door of the banquet hall that Nicole saw, through the heavy glass, seven or eight men brutally assaulting Roscoe outside.

The man who had earlier tried to ingratiate himself with Jarrod was now orchestrating the attack, loudly commanding his hired thugs to kill Roscoe.

"Stop!" Nicole's voice was desperate as she instinctively lunged forward, trying to intervene, but the locked glass door thwarted her efforts.

Her mind reeled in turmoil as she shouted through the door, "Stop it! Stop it right now! This is murder! You bastards!"

Despite Nicole's shouts, the men outside only intensified their beating, paying no heed to her pleas.

Roscoe, typically able to handle a few opponents, was overwhelmed by the sheer number of attackers. Once downed, the brutal onslaught prevented him from standing again. Surrounded and outnumbered, he had no chance of defending himself.

Horrified, Nicole watched as Roscoe was repeatedly slammed to the ground, his face and head becoming increasingly bloodied. Her anger reached a boiling point. Turning around, she dashed toward the front door, determined to circumvent the building and rescue Roscoe.

But Jarrod, with lightning-fast reflexes, grabbed Nicole's arm and slammed her against the glass door. Her face was pressed hard against the tempered glass, forcing her to witness Roscoe's punishment, a consequence of her defiance. She should never have pleaded for Roscoe's safety. The lingering resentment from their past conflicts in the mountains had only intensified, now erupting with ferocious heat.

"Do you see?" Jarrod whispered menacingly close to her, his voice low and threatening. “Are you regretting your actions already? Doesn't this scene look familiar?"

He was referring to a previous incident where Nicole had watched Roscoe get beaten, separated by glass just like now.

But this time, Jarrod's anger was even more palpable, his fury nearly spilling over. He had lost all semblance of reason.