”Really? As long as you like it, I like it.” Zayn took a look at himself in the mirror. ‘Sure enough, I don’t look half bad. Actually, I look way better.’When Julius saw how lovey-dovey Zayn and Faye were acting, he had a hard time suppressing the jealousy that was bubbling inside of him.Then, one of the salespeople walked over and asked, “Sir, this suit looks amazing on you. Would you like to try any of the other cuts?”“That’s alright, I’ll take this,” said Zayn, nodding in satisfaction.The salesperson was more than happy to hear his decision. She looked thoroughly excited as she said, “Please, follow me to the checkout counter.”“Sure.” On his way to the checkout counter, he was feeling around in his pockets when he realized that he had dropped his phone. His wallet was not with him either. ‘This is awkward.’He coughed stiffly. Not having much of a choice, he whispered to Faye, “Fifi, um… I forgot to bring my wallet…”Faye was startled at first, but quickly rolled her eye
Julius squinted his eyes, a hostile bitterness seeping into his voice. He viewed Zayn as nothing but a lowlife washout—someone who would never understand the significance of Annabelle’s fame. He was not being serious at all.One could tell by Faye’s expression alone that her hatred for Julius was only growing by the minute. She absolutely hated when people challenged her husband and his reputation.Zayn, on the other hand, had no idea what was happening. He merely smiled and went along with what they said. “Sure.”Realizing that Zayn was not putting up a fight, Julius teased, “Mr. Larson, does that mean you’re actually acquainted with Annabelle then? I’m not talking about any old D-Lister Annabelle. I’m talking about Annabelle Laking—singer, actress, variety show star. I’m talking about one of the biggest celebrities of our time.”Apparently, Julius had taken Zayn for a fool. Zayn looked him in the eye as he assured coolly, “Nonsense, who else would it be? What other Annabelle did
The other three looked at Zayn expectantly, their gazes filled with domineering contempt.“Sure.” Zayn seemed to be unaware of Julius’s scorn, even smiling as he agreed with her. Zayn’s seemingly mocking approval made Julius feel even more derision towards Zayn. In his mind, Zayn was a mere pauper who—by sheer chance—hit the jackpot by marrying a stunner like Faye.Faye, on the other hand, was absolutely fuming. She let out a exasperated, “Hmph,” before she said, “There’s no need for you to do that, Mr. Butcher. We’re not interested in becoming the members of a lowbrow place like Alice’s Table.”Faye actually meant what she said. ‘If I really wanted to, I could very well have Zayn open up a restaurant that completely surpasses the standards of Alice’s Place by tenfold. Plus, I can’t stand Julius’ pompous attitude.’However, her words fell on deaf ears. The others simply thought that Faye was mouthing off at Julius to protect Zayn’s fragile ego.It was actually obvious that Julian
”Please, we’ve been friends for so long. Why would there be a reason for you to hide anything?”The other woman chimed in, “She’s right, there’s no one else here. Don’t be shy, you can tell us.”Faye had no idea whether to cry or laugh at their senseless interrogation. “I didn’t lie to you. My husband really is the chairman of Violet Vision. If you don’t believe me, go ahead and check. It’s a listed company—the information’s at your fingertips.”Despite how truthful Faye had sounded, the two women were still unconvinced. They exchanged dubious glances, dead set on the assumption that they had forged in their minds. ‘There were two possibilities: her husband either shared the same name with the chairman of Violet Vision (which rendered searching him up online useless), or he was impersonating the chairman of Violet Vision and fooling everyone around him.’However, because Faye was so unwavered, they merely dismissed it and quickly changed the subject. “Fifi, I can see that Julius is
Zayn squinted his eyes at his appalling offer. No matter how level-headed he was, he could not quash the affronted outrage that consumed him.‘Julius is pushing it way too far! He actually had the nerve to bring up such a shameless proposal. It’s obvious that he’s already done similar things so many other times!’“Julius Butcher, you’re playing with fire. Do you know that?” Zayn commanded his gaze with a collected stoicism, a cool glint in his eyes.Julius instantly left out a mocking snicker as he put his leg down. He leaned forward, staring at Zayn. “Wow, running your mouth now, are you? Faye said that you’re the chairman of Violet Vision, and it looks like you’ve taken that role a little too seriously, haven’t you? Ha-ha-ha…”The other man began to laugh scornfully, as if Julius had just cracked the world’s funniest joke.However, Zayn remained silent.Julius continued, “Hmph, cat got your tongue? I’ll put it this way then—I’m good friends with the chairman of Violet Vision. I
Zayn could not be bothered to point out Julius’ acting. Yes, he had managed to destroy Diego, one of the finest skilled fighters to ever roam the earth, so why would a small thug like Julius be worthy of even having a sliver of his attention? He would just crush Julius to death, minimal effort required. Faye was unaware of what had gone down during her absence, otherwise—knowing her temperament—she would have asked Zayn if they could up and leave.Zayn had to applaud Julius for his impressive acting. He took on a completely different persona when he was around Faye. He was extremely polite and generous. It was going to be impossible to point a flaw out in his facade.Slowly, more and more VIP guests entered the restaurant for the dinner service. Based on the way they dressed and acted, Zayn knew that many of the guests had deep pockets. Moreover, he could tell that they were thrill seekers with expensive tastes, as the vast majority of them were well-regarded street capitalists.
Zayn did not have the courage to make any further comments after noticing these people’s frenzied reactions in fear of inciting conflict in the middle of the concert. Speaking of which, it was not Zayn’s first time meeting Annabelle. During the few, sparse occasions in which they had met, the two of them were given privacy and left alone. His impression of Annabelle remained—she was a huge celebrity who had ravishing looks that complimented her good character. Other than that, he had never legitimately witnessed Annabelle’s talent because he seldom ever watched television shows or listened to songs. It had been a year since he had touched an episode of an entertainment show, so he had yet to experience Annabelle’s charm. He was completely oblivious of her tremendous reputation within the country and internationally, and that her fan base extended to the millions.He was rather shocked to learn all about it in such a short span of time.However, Zayn had no choice but to acknowled
In comparison, Zayn did not share her emotions as much. It was his first time listening to the song, so he was immersed in Annabelle’s pleasant voice even more. However, he was moved upon seeing Faye getting all worked up emotionally. He turned over his palm and held Faye’s hand to say in all apparent seriousness, “Fifi, you’re my greatest love, too.”“Mmm!” Faye nodded strenuously then leaned her head against Zayn’s shoulder, her face beaming with happiness. Witnessing the scene, Julius’ expression turned very unpleasant. He took a somber glance at Zayn. He loathed Zayn more and more now while the rage in his heart grew stronger with time. After tonight, he would look into Zayn’s background and his residence so that he could take action against him!Many people present were moved as well. Women were even shedding emotional tears by now. The song ended with thunderous applause echoing through the entire scene immediately as a token of appreciation for Annabelle. Annabelle smiled