Chapter 3 She Hated Him

Stark was walking halfway to Jean when the lights suddenly dimmed.

Before long, a spotlight projected a bright beam, directly hitting the front of the venue.

"Greetings, everyone. I would like to thank you all for coming to my daughter Faye's 23rd birthday celebration. Thank you for gracing us with your presence today."

All the guests subconsciously directed their attention toward the speaker who had stepped up at the stage, including Jean.

Gazing at Faye, who looked very feminine on her elegant full-length gown that clung to her every curve, she smiled and sipped her glass of red wine.

"On this special day, we are all gathered here as friends and relatives. None of us are strangers, so don't sit by yourself in a corner. I won't beat around the bush anymore. I hope everyone will have a blast! Without further ado, I'm thrilled to announce the official start of this party."

After Chairman Lin concluded his opening message, Faye stole a shy glance at Stark, who was standing not too far from her position.

Even with a fleeting glimpse, Chairman Lin understood what his daughter was thinking at that instant.

"It is a privilege to have Mr. Lu join us here today. Join me in honoring him as he takes the floor for the opening dance."

The lights grew faint at once, and a slow tempo song played in the background.

Everyone was watching Stark's every move. If he and Faye shared the first dance today, it would truly confirm the rumor about their marriage.

Jean narrowed her eyes at Stark, who was standing in the middle of the hall. She seemed calm on the surface.

Meanwhile, Stark noted how entirely dispassionate she was about him, and the seething anger in his heart rose even greater.

Under Faye's expectant gaze, Stark advanced toward Jean in several strides and tugged her onto the dance floor, to the surprise of everyone who was not expecting it.

When Jean came to her senses and decided against his impudence, it was already late. With her body pressed against his, she was bound to follow his every dance step.

She tried hard to break away from his grasp.

However, a significant difference in physical strength between the man and the woman was natural, and it was useless to exert all of her strength.

"Let go of me!" she cried through gritted teeth.

Stark whirled, and his arms encircling her slender waist slightly tightened. Their bodies ended up even closer together.

"Let's see if you can get out of my clutch. Try all you want."

His tone hinted that it was impossible for him to let her go easily.

Enraged, Jean's face darkened.

'Does he honestly think that there is nothing I could do to get rid of him?'

With a loud grunt, she mustered all her strength and stepped hard on his fancy and handcrafted black shoe.

Just as she thought, he wailed because of intense discomfort arising from his foot.

Stark's face turned blue after experiencing sharp pain. Still, he forced himself to continue dancing as if nothing happened.

As he stared down at her prominent collarbone, the nasty words that man had said echoed in his mind at that moment, and he was instantly consumed with rage.

"Jean, do you have such a strong desire for men? Are you deliberately dressing like this so you can woo any guy you want?"

Jean's body stiffened after hearing his snide remarks. She bit her bottom lip and felt that a needle had pierced through her heart.

But soon afterward, she was smirking as she replied, "You can say whatever you want. Anyhow, the man I'm hooking up with won't be you, Mr. Lu."

"Come on, Jean! Why are you acting like this?"

"We are both consenting adults. The urge to satisfy our physiological needs is normal. Men like you who are always girded by the opposite sex should know better about this."

Jean retorted at the man who wanted to pounce on her and smother her. But deep inside, she was scoffing at him.

'Stark, where did you get the spunk for you to accuse me of seducing men? Who gave you the right to do that? Besides, even if I did, it has nothing to do with you!'

As she turned on her heels, Jean saw the color drained from Faye's face.

She jeered, "Mr. Lu, I advise you to let go of me. Don't let your fiancee misunderstand that I'm having an affair with you. If you don't give a shit, then don't drag me down with you. I don't want to go around and be accused of a fabricated allegation."

"She is not my fiancee, okay?! I don't have a fiancee!"

"Mr. Lu, it's not imperative for you to notify me whether or not you have a fiancee. I'm not concerned with your interests."

After she spoke, the song also ended, and their awkward dance came to a halt.

Jean grabbed the chance to flee. She firmly shoved Stark away, swung around, and made a break for it.

Taken by surprise, Stark lost his balance and stumbled. To stabilize himself, he took several steps backward.

When he bounced back, he likewise headed out to go after Jean.

Faye stomped her feet in anger after witnessing the incident. She tugged on her father's sleeves, her eyes already red and swollen.

Jean restrained the emotions arising in her chest and set her heart to stay away from that man.

Before she could make any further steps away from the venue, the man had already caught up behind her. He then applied the same trick from earlier as he rammed her body against the hallway's wall.

"Stark! Let me go! If you don't stop, I'll shout for help!"

"I'm not covering your mouth. Feel free to scream out loud."

Jean was so full of aggression that her chest heaved violently. "What the hell do you want from me?"

"Why did you come back? Why did you suddenly decide to come home? Answer me!"

Jean stopped struggling, and the resentment on her face slowly faded. She lifted her head and stared into his deep-set eyes.

"Why did I come back?! Don't you have a clue?

It's... because of you...

I can't bring myself to forget you! I loved you so much. I have loved you for four years in college. Now you're asking me why I'm back? Can't you feel it in your heart?"

Jean's eyes welled up as she held back the tears. She forced herself not to cry, causing Stark to feel dismayed.

"Jean, I..."

His tight grip on her wrist relaxed, and he frowned. For a moment, he didn't know what to say or do.

He wanted to hold Jean in a warm embrace and say a few comforting words, but he couldn't get himself to do it.

When he finally moved his body away, Jean could breathe freely and talk with a weak smile on her face.

"Did my answer convince you, Mr. Lu? If you're not satisfied, I can repeat it."

Stark's face turned pale. "What do you mean, Jean?"

With brows raised, Jean said haltingly, "Mr. Lu, you've repeatedly asked me the reason for my return. I'm sure you only wanted to verify if I still love you and to validate your ego, right?

If you're still not satisfied with my reply, I can act a little sweeter when I recite these lines. I could even do it with teary eyes for effect. As long as I can please your ego, I'll willingly do it. Just promise you won't come to bother me again."

Stark's face froze. As he looked at her lips open and close, only one thought crossed his mind. He wanted to cover her mouth to shut her up. He didn't want to hear her say another word.

Instinctively, he followed his heart.

Dropping his head to level hers, he practically bit Jean's lips like a hungry beast.

The sound of a crisp slap rang through the air.

Stark's face tipped to one side, and the skin on the right side of his face was red with several clear blood marks on it.

"Stark! I'm no longer the same girl from three years ago! I don't feel giddy and happy simply because you look at me on an impulse!"

The stinging pain on one side of his perfectly chiseled face cleared Stark's head. He stared at Jean dully.

His body trembled, and he was in denial when he saw pure hate in Jean's eyes.

The kind of hatred that was gawking at him with deadly eyes.

How could Jean reject him?

After a long while, Stark returned to his senses and realized that Jean was nowhere in sight. He pursed his pallid lips, spun around, and left in stride.

The hallway was once again quiet.

Meantime, a man came out of the nearby stairwell, and he threw a white cigarette butt on the tiled floor. Raising his foot, he crushed it out.

The man squinted his narrow, dark eyes, and his direct gaze fell towards the direction where Jean left.

"Jean? Ha-ha! This woman appears to be quite interesting..."