A woman's voice rang out, "Mark, don't you know the rules?"Mark held back his punch just in time before it landed on the woman's face."Jane?"Mark pulled his hand back and looked at Jane mysteriously. "Don't be a busybody.""Busybody?" Jane crossed her arms. "This is my grandpa's birthday banquet. If you hit someone and start a fight, you'll ruin his birthday. How is that none of my business?"Mark remained silent. Noticing Stephen behind her, Mark seemed to realize something.He smiled and licked the blood on the corner of his mouth. "Don't tell me that you have a crush on Mr. Anderson."Jane raised her chin and admitted it graciously. "We're both single. What's wrong with me having a crush on him?"Mark smiled as if he had heard a joke. He chuckled and took two steps backward. "Since you like him, I wouldn't dare to hurt him."It's Claude's birthday today. I'm not going to cause him any trouble."Mark put one hand in his pocket after he finished speaking. Before leaving
Mark's expression shifted. His voice carried a hint of weariness as he addressed Yvonne, "After all that's happened, do you still want to play games with me?"She shrugged indifferently and replied, "I'm merely stating the truth. If you don't believe me, there's nothing more I can do."Mark stepped forward with an intense look in his eyes. "You're a clever person, Yvonne. I don't need to remind you whether Chuck or Gwen is of greater value, do I?""I don't evaluate people based on their worth. To me, Gwen matters more," Yvonne retorted bluntly.She shed her facade, and her voice turned icy. "Chuck, that wretch, is nowhere near worthy of being compared to Gwen."The very next moment, Mark's fingers closed around Yvonne's throat. He forcefully pressed her against a pillar. His strength was formidable. It caused the entire pergola to tremble."I lack your sentimentality. Your arguments won't sway me. To me, they're just childish and foolish," Mark said. His patience was wearing th
Yvonne's laughter bubbled forth."Help you? Mark, you're reading too much into it. "I just didn't want your presence to become a nuisance for me. After all, even catching a glimpse of you makes me feel angry about what happened with Gwen."Besides, this is, at its core, a competition between you, Claude, and Leonard. Why should I shoulder the blame for their quarrels? I'm certainly no fool."She glanced at Mark's retreating figure and continued, "Of course, if you choose not to heed my advice, you can always confront them directly. "It's really none of my business."Mark remained silent for a long time. He seemed to be deep in thought, questioning if he could trust Yvonne's words.Yvonne, on the other hand, had little interest in debating further. She walked past Mark and strode away without looking back.Still feeling the discomfort from being choked earlier, Yvonne cleared her throat. She was about to go to the bar and get a glass of cold water to soothe her throat.As fat
Jane went in closer and looked at Stephen directly, disregarding Yvonne. "Don't you have anything you would like to say to me for your terrible actions just now? For example, apologize?"Yvonne was secretly reveling in the drama when Stephen pulled her over. He said aloofly, "She was the one who agreed to it. You should ask her to apologize instead."Yvonne was baffled. His revenge sure came quickly. Yvonne knew she was in the wrong, so she smiled at Jane. "Ms. Ford, I can—""No!" Jane declined firmly. She still looked at Stephen stubbornly. "You were the one who humiliated me! You should pay for your rude behavior!"Yvonne had no idea what had happened earlier. Seeing how angry Jane was, she turned to look at Stephen curiously. "What did you do?"Stephen cast Yvonne a glance, seemingly trying to say that it was all her fault.Then, he turned to Jane and asked, "How do you want me to apologize?""Simple!" Jane's eyes gleamed slyly when she saw Stephen taking the bait. "My
Stephen was alarmed. The drink must have been spiked!He immediately carried Yvonne in his arms and rushed back to the room. Yvonne's body was burning up, and she was losing consciousness.She regretted it. If she had known that the drink would be so strong, she wouldn't have drunk it. She should have just knocked it over!Entering her room, Stephen put her on the bed. "I'll get you some water."However, Yvonne didn't give him a chance to leave her. She grabbed his hand tightly. Stephen almost fell onto Yvonne due to the strong pull. Luckily, he managed to hold himself up with his hands on both sides of the bed.Before he could react, Yvonne wrapped her hands around his neck. She said, reeking a little of the drink, "Stephen, I don't want water …"She looked at his lips flirtatiously.Stephen's breathing was cut short. He warned her in a hoarse voice, "Yvonne, you're drunk.""I only had one glass." She placed a finger on Stephen's lips and smiled at him coquettishly. "I can
Leonard was a little alarmed. Mark had a comeback for everything!Seeing Leonard silent, Claude chimed in, "Didn't you hear Leonard? I still need Chuck's help to treat me. How could I hand him over to you?"Mark nodded. "You're right. I didn't think this through. Alright, let Chuck stay with you two. I won't worry if he has you two taking care of him."Then, Mark had three glasses of wine before leaving.Claude was baffled by how cooperative Mark was being. He sure was temperamental. Claude leaned closer to Leonard and asked softly, "What do you think he meant by that?"Leonard looked in the direction where Mark had gone in deep thought. After a while, he said, "Perhaps he has realized something."Claude panicked. "What should we do? Should we continue with our plans?""Don't panic. He hasn't brought it up. He's either just showing deference to us, or he has something planned up his sleeves." Leonard narrowed his eyes. "Let's just observe things. If something really happens, w
"No."Upon hearing his reply, Yvonne felt a tremendous sense of relief. She exhaled deeply. Thankfully, nothing bad had happened."But ..." Yvonne still had some doubts. She asked hesitantly, "Why have my clothes been changed?""Last night, you vomited everywhere, and your clothes got dirty. I tried to get someone to help you change, but you refused. "You insisted that I help you change. You even wanted me to remove my clothes before you did the same."Stephen spoke about it casually, as if it were an entirely ordinary matter.However, this made Yvonne's mind buzz. She silently cursed, "Yvonne, have you no shame? How could you do something like that?"Stephen was in a rather good mood when he saw how embarrassed she was. A smile played at the corners of his lips."Why don't you go take a shower first? I'll have someone get you something to sober up."Upon hearing this, Yvonne replied hesitantly, "Alright."After Stephen left the room, Yvonne covered her head with the blank
As Yvonne came out of the shower, she sneezed repeatedly.She rubbed her nose and wondered if she had upset someone. Why did it feel like someone was talking behind her back?She sat on the bed with crossed legs. Her mind wandered as she dried her hair with a towel.The image of Stephen guiding her hand to unbutton his shirt flashed in her mind again.With each button that came undone, his toned abs had slowly come into view.They were perfectly balanced—not too flabby or lean. They were just the right blend of masculine strength and irresistible charm.When Yvonne realized her heart was racing, she snapped back to reality. She cupped her warm cheeks with both hands."Yvonne, you have seen everything, haven’t you? Can't you handle a bit of physical attraction? "You’re wealthy enough to hire dozens of male models for an ab show at a club. "Yes, that's right. Why obsess over a guy's physique?" Yvonne muttered to herself and then took a deep breath.But once she composed herse