Chapter 4 I Hate You So Much, Jacob

"Shut up!" Lola snapped. "You have no right to say that! Go away! I don't want to see your face!"

Jacob narrowed his eyes at her. "If it weren't for your voice and the way you immediately averted your eyes from mine, I would never have known that you were the poor little Louisa I once knew!"

"I don't know what you mean." She gritted her teeth. The smell of his body was so familiar, so tempting. She navigated past him and strode to the door. "Since you won't leave, I'll go myself!"

"Stop, Louisa! I didn't ask you to leave, then you must stand there quietly." She used to be so obedient, but now she didn't even want to say a word to him !

Questions kept piling up in his head by the second, and Jacob gave voice to what bothered him the most. "Are you hiding your true identity on purpose? What happened to you these past two years? Why did you change so much?"

"Why, is there anything wrong with the way I am now? I'm the best I've ever been!" Lola couldn't keep the venom from her voice. "I, Lola Ming, now have everything: status, popularity, and I earned it all by my own right! No one gets to question who I am now, so please watch your mouth, Mr. Jacob Gu!"

"You won't admit that you're Louisa, then?"

She licked her dry lips and closed her eyes as she took a deep breath. "Louisa had left this city in despair, her heart dead inside. The person who has returned at present, the person before you now, is none other than the famous star, Lola Ming."

Time had taken away all the love she had been nurturing.

All those feelings were now gone, and so was Louisa.

With her rebirth as Lola Ming, she was paving her own bright path to fame.

A surge of anger rose in Jacob's heart after hearing her words. He grabbed her hands and raised them over her head before pressing her against the wall with his body.

He was one head taller than her, and he had to bend a little to look into her eyes. "Dead inside? Lies. If your heart has really died, what are you doing back in this city? Have you forgotten what I told you years ago? I thought I made it clear that I never wanted to see you again! How dare you defy my words! Huh?!"

Lola glared at him and tried to break free from his grip. But he was much stronger than her, and instead of getting herself free, all she managed was to erase what little space there was between their bodies.

"You have no right to order me! Stop complaining as if I'm the only one at fault here! If you don't want to see me, then don't appear in front of me! I only returned for the development of my career. It's not like I came for you! It's been two years since we've divorced, we obviously have nothing to do with each other now!"

Lola's cheeks were flush with exertion, but her eyes were clear and piercing. She looked magnificent. Although, compared to Jacob, she seemed very small and vulnerable.

She looked more like the little Louisa he had known at this moment.

No, it wasn't that -- she was Louisa.

Lola Ming was nothing more than a disguise.

Jacob thought he had seen through her. He raised his eyebrows proudly and said in a scheming tone, "you mean you are going to appear in my sight again and again?"

"Weren't you listening to everything I just said?" Lola took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down. "Listen. Even if we're in the same city, please pretend you and I are strangers, and just forget about everything that happened in the past. Just carry on with your sunlit path and I will make my own road to prosperity!"

"I've never heard such a thing before." Jacob brought his face nearer to hers and looked deep into her eyes. He looked to be pondering something.

On the other hand, Lola struggled as her breathing grew labored for some reason. The rise and fall of her chest became all too conspicuous given their positions.

"Why are you so nervous?" Jacob asked in a low voice.

"I... I'm not." And yet her trembling lips belied her words. Her lips... so red and full, like ripe cherries begging to be bitten...

Despite himself, Jacob found himself drawing nearer and nearer for a taste.

Lola closed her eyes and stopped breathing altogether. Her mind was in a mess, and all she could see was a shower of pink peach blossoms flying around her.

Time stood still,

and the atmosphere became charged with the promise of something.

Jacob's lips were practically touching hers when he suddenly stopped. He stared at her.

He couldn't remember ever being this close to her before.

As it was, this was the first time he had ever noticed how small and delicate her mouth was, how long and graceful her eyelashes were, and how plump and clear her skin was. If she opened her eyes right then, he would probably drown in their pools. She was perfect.

'Why didn't I ever find her attractive before?' Jacob wondered.

"What were you expecting?" Jacob chuckled under his breath. His mocking tone immediately pulled Lola back to her senses and her eyes shot open.

She looked embarrassed. When she was about to say something, she saw a face getting closer and closer. Then, he kissed her.

All of a sudden, Lola's eyes widened and her cheeks turned red. She struggled and resisted with her hands. His domineering aura rushed over, as he clasped her restless hands, and then sent them to the back of her thin waist. In an instant, there was no gap between their bodies.

She struggled more violently, and finally managed to break her arms free. She used all of her force to push him away, then landed a loud slap on his face.

Lola pointed a trembling finger at him. "What the hell do you think you're doing? "

Jacob was stunned. That was right, what was he doing?

"Jacob! I'm saying this again, I hate you! I hate you!"

"Why would you?" Jacob snorted. "You used to love me very much. Didn't you always want something like this between us? Why would you hate me now?" He was sure she was just keeping up pretenses.

Hi words brought back memories of that nightmarish night two years ago, unbidden, and Lola broke out in a cold sweat. "No," she muttered, her face pale. "This isn't what I want at all. I don't want this! I hate you so much, Jacob."

Her vehement reaction stunned him to silence, and he scowled.

Tension crackled in the air,

only to be broken by a sudden knocking at the door. "Lola? Are you still there?"

"Jacob," Lola said urgently, even though her voice was barely above a whisper. "You asked me for a divorce and I complied. You have no right to touch me! Please behave yourself in the future and let's never cross paths unnecessarily. Keep this in mind and don't piss me off again!"

Lola strode past him then, enduring the pain in her feet.

She bumped into Lily the moment she opened the door. The assistant had obviously intended to enter the room, so Lola quickly shut the door behind her, but not before Lily caught a glimpse of another person inside.

"What's going on, Lola? I've brought you the shoes. Why don't you put them on in the room... Is anyone in there?"

Lola grabbed the shoes, her face cold and expressionless. She put them on as if nothing had happened. "There's no one. Come on, let's go."