Page 100 of King of Pride

Behind her, the driver glanced at Augustus, who was now standing beside the car with a furious expression.

“Get away from the car, Augustus,” the driver said casually. “And you're paying for the cleaning. Do you have any idea how expensive it is to clean a Mercedes?”

Augustus's face twisted with disbelief.

“Excuse me?”

The driver didn't even bother looking at him again. He simply walked around the car and got into the driver's seat, completely unfazed by the fact that he had just insulted Maverick's cousin to his face.

Rose stared at him in surprise.

‘Did he really just say that?’

And more importantly, why didn't he seem even slightly afraid?

Maverick climbed into the car beside her a moment later. His face was set in stone, his anger still evident in the tightness of his jaw.

Rose glanced back through the window.

Augustus was still standing there, his face dark with fury.

She slowly turned back toward Maverick.

She had heard the rumors about his family.

After Maverick and Zoe's parents died when they were children, the Bishop family had allegedly taken control of the fortune and businesses their parents had built together. There had been countless stories about how badly Maverick and Zoe had been treated growing up—how their relatives had humiliated them, pushed them aside, and treated them as though they were nothing more than unwanted burdens.

And then, years later, Maverick had taken everything back.

Brutally.

There were even rumors that he had beaten several members of his own family so badly that they had nearly died.

That was why people feared him.

Maverick had no mercy for anyone—not even his own blood relatives.

Rose’s gaze shifted back toward the window. She looked at the man with a deepening frown.

The thought of someone mistreating Maverick and Zoe when they were children made her blood boil. Her arms crossed tightly over her chest as she glared at him through the window.

If Augustus was one of the people who hurt them… then Maverick had every right to do what he did.

Her lips pressed into a thin line.

Someone like him deserved to be beaten within an inch of his life.

Augustus shot them one last furious look before the driver closed the car door, shutting him inside.

The moment the door shut, Maverick reached for Rose's hand and pulled her toward him, his arm settling firmly around her waist. He held her close, as though he didn't want even the slightest trace of Augustus near her.

Rose didn't resist. She let herself be drawn against his side while Augustus stood outside the car, his face twisted with fury.

The driver climbed into the front seat, started the engine, and pulled away from the curb.

Maverick still didn't release Rose.

His grip remained firm around her as he stared straight ahead, his expression hard and distant. But Rose could see the anger wasn't the only thing weighing on him anymore.