Chapter 3: Chapter 3: How Could He Pretend to Be So Devoted?

"Not yet."

How could a single slap be enough to vent her anger?

Jude Sheridan lifted the hand she had just used to slap him and pressed a light kiss to it.

"Did that hurt your hand? When we get home, I’ll get you some ice for it and give you a reasonable explanation, alright? Don’t be mad at me over someone so unimportant."

Cecilia Croft lowered her gaze, a flash of sorrow in her eyes.

’This must be a man’s true nature,’ she thought. ’Unless you catch them red-handed, they’ll never admit they were wrong.’

"Someone unimportant?"

"Are you referring to Ms. Keller?"

Cecilia Croft tilted her head to look at Jessica Keller’s face.

Her face was ghastly pale, and she stood frozen in place like a lifeless mannequin, completely devoid of the provocative glare she had shot Cecilia when she first entered the shop.

"Yes."

Jude Sheridan’s voice was firm, without a hint of hesitation.

The color drained further from Jessica Keller’s face.

Leaving the bridal shop, Cecilia Croft walked toward her car.

Jude Sheridan grabbed her hand, forcefully pulling her to his side.

"Get in my car. I’ll take you home."

Cecilia struggled for a moment but found his grip was too strong. Unable to shake him off, she was forced to let him drag her toward his car.

Jude Sheridan opened the passenger-side door. Lying quietly on the gray-and-black seat was a pink and white hair clip.

He calmly reached out, picked it up, and moved it aside, his expression unruffled.

Cecilia Croft sneered.

"Shouldn’t you check a little more carefully? Are there any other... personal items? If I happen to see some lingerie in there, I’m afraid I’ll get a stye."

The man, who had been composed just a moment ago, suddenly flew into a rage, as if she had stepped on a cat’s tail. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

"Cecilia, must your mind always be so filthy?"

"I love you, but I will not tolerate this. This is the first time something like this has happened, and I hope it’s the last. Vantage is at a critical stage of growth. It’s impossible for me not to have female colleagues."

"I let it slide when you embarrassed Jessica Keller today because she’s just a junior employee. But if in the future you get suspicious of some powerful, high-ranking woman and act this willfully, how is Vantage supposed to succeed in the long run?"

Cecilia Croft watched him silently, her clear, beautiful eyes as cold as ice.

She was only now discovering just how masterful Jude Sheridan’s PUA techniques were.

Cecilia didn’t argue with Jude, nor did she get into his car. She simply turned around, got into her own car, and drove away.

The area outside the bridal shop was bustling with people, so Jude Sheridan didn’t stoop to stopping her. With a grim face, he opened his own car door. Just as he was about to get in, he saw Jessica Keller walk out of the shop, her face pale.

He paused for a moment, then waved her over.

"Get in."

「Meanwhile.」

Cecilia Croft stared in frustration at the dented rear of the black luxury car in front of her, its license plate a string of 8s.

A momentary lapse in concentration had caused her to have an intimate encounter with the car ahead.

It was a rear-end collision, and she was completely at fault. She would have to pay the price for her distraction.

She opened her door and got out to apologize to the person emerging from the other car.

"I’m sorry, I..."

The other driver glanced at her without a word, instead respectfully opening the rear passenger door.

As the door opened, a tall, handsome figure stepped out. The buttons on the man’s shirt were done all the way to the top, and his sharply defined features were set in an expression of arrogant indifference.

The moment she saw him, a memory flashed through Cecilia’s mind. She knew this man. He was Huo...

Before she could speak, the man had already walked away. He leaned casually against a roadside railing, holding a phone to his ear with his left hand. A few gusts of wind lifted strands of his hair, revealing a high forehead.

"Miss, just contact me after the car is repaired. I’ll have someone come pick it up."

The driver handed Cecilia a business card.

Cecilia stole a glance in his direction. The man was still on the phone, and from his slightly furrowed brow, she guessed the call wasn’t going well. Every so often, he would reach out and playfully poke at a bird resting on the railing.

Ten minutes later, a business van pulled up. The man got in without fuss. Before he did, his gaze swept over to her, and Cecilia guiltily looked away. The driver stayed behind to handle the situation.

By the time everything was handled and all the information was exchanged, it was late at night when she finally got home.

During that time, Jude Sheridan had sent her another message, which Cecilia once again ignored.

She was exhausted. After washing up, she collapsed into bed and fell into a deep sleep.

The next day, she scheduled a viewing with a potential buyer from a real estate platform and took the opportunity to pack up some things to throw away.

Most of it consisted of little trinkets Jude Sheridan had given her when they were students.

These things she had once treasured, she now saw—after her disillusionment with Jude—were just as cheap and shoddy as the man himself.

「Three days later.」

When Jude Sheridan returned, Cecilia Croft was in the courtyard, tending to some newly bloomed roses.

He came in through the gate and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, pressing himself against her intimately.

"Honey, did you miss me?"

Cecilia sneered. "With a beauty by your side, do you really need me to miss you? I’d imagine you’d rather I not think of you at all, so I don’t interrupt your little tryst."

She responded coldly and, in the moment he was caught off guard, wrenched herself free from his embrace.

The scent of another woman’s perfume clung to him, a faint but nauseating smell.

Jude Sheridan reacted instantly, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her back into his arms.

His powerful muscles felt scalding hot, even through his shirt.

Cecilia struggled, but he only tightened his grip on her waist, holding her immobile.

"I only love you. Stop making a scene, hmm?" He bent down slightly, his voice a low, husky whisper in her ear as he tried to make peace.

Cecilia’s fingers clenched suddenly, and a rose thorn pricked her, drawing blood. But the pain in her fingertip couldn’t mask the wave of disgust rising within her.

She let her hand fall, and the rose stem dropped to the ground.

Jude noticed and took her hand, frowning at the wound on her finger.

He bent down, about to suck the blood from her still-bleeding finger.

The instant her fingertip touched the man’s warm lips, Cecilia’s expression changed drastically.

How could he, after spending three days entangled with Jessica Keller, still put on such a deeply affectionate act for her without batting an eye?

’His lips... who knows how many times they’ve kissed Jessica.’

’Filthy! So filthy!’

In a visceral reaction, Cecilia Croft swiftly and cleanly slapped Jude Sheridan across his handsome, chiseled face.

Her palm went numb.

The man didn’t move. He just stared at her with a grim expression, an indescribable coldness in his eyes.