She had fallen in love with Mark.
At that thought, Rose realized that maybe she was just not willing to let Kevin go.
"Miss Rose, does it hurt?" Mark asked.
That complicated look on her face as she stared down made him worry.
"No, it doesn't hurt at all. Thank you." She finally raised her head and met his gaze.
"Good."
A pregnant silence fell upon them. It was suffocating that Rose decided to just break the ice. "Is that western restaurant yours?"
Since she never heard of that diner before, she figured it would be a good topic.
"Yes, it's a gift from my father when I was a kid. He let me manage that myself but since I don't go there often, only a few people knew about it," he explained nonchalantly.
"It is a good restaurant. Can I go there often in the future?" She looked at him expectantly.
A faint smile appeared on his lips as he answered, "Sure. We'll welcome you warmly, after all, you got injured in our restaurant. We are very happy that you still like our restaurant."
"Okay." She lowered her head once again as her grin became too hard to hide.
"May I ask you a question?" Her eyes couldn't meet his as embarrassment overwhelmed her.
"Go ahead,"
he urged. The flustered look across her face confused yet amused him at the same time. For that reason, he tried to sound as gentle as possible.
"What kind of person do you like?" After a lot of breathings and collection of courage, she finally managed to ask.
Upon her query, his eyes darkened as he peered at her in bewilderment.
"Never mind. I'm just in a bad mood because I suddenly have these doubts in my mind. You know the thing that happened between Kevin and me, right?" she queried.
"Yes, is that what you wanted to ask?" A sigh of relief escaped his lips when he figured out that she didn't mean anything else by her question.
"Ever since I got engaged to him, things turned in a different way than I anticipated. I don't know if everyone felt this at some point or was it just me? Honestly, I feel disappointed." A frown made its way on her face as she fidgeted with her fingers.
"All I can say to you is that if you really like him then stick with him. If not, then let go. With relationships like this, we don’t usually pursue our happiness. As long as the person that we like is happy, then we’re good too." As he said this, he thought of Anne. Just by that, a sincere smile crept out of his face.
"I supposed so," she muttered quietly as he saw that mysterious look on his face.
"I'll go ahead. I still have something to do and it's getting late. Call me if something comes up." Without waiting for her response, he stood up and walked out of the ward.
As Rose stared at his broad back, she couldn't help but feel her heart constrict. She now was sure that she had really fallen in love with him. Sadly, she didn't know if he could forgive her after all the lies that she told everyone.
At that thought, she could only clench her fist as she made a difficult decision.
The night was beautiful.
Stars started to shine as the daybreak came to an end. They were creeping above the bustling city.
Lamps along the streets started to light up as they welcomed the nightfall.
Kevin drove towards a hotel. It was a five-star infrastructure that held a luxurious cocktail party.
"Why did you bring me here, Kevin?"
"Shut up and just follow me." He gripped her wrist tightly as he stomped his way forward.
As soon as they stepped inside, an attendant welcomed them. "Good evening, Mr. Kevin. We've prepared everything for you."
The man led them to a private room.
As they trailed along the dimly lit hallway, they caught sight of women not far from them. With their long legs and good figure, they stood confidently in front of the door.
"Mr. Kevin, please come in," he said politely while Kevin followed his gesture without a second thought.
When the three came in, the women outside started to enter too.
Anne was not used to this kind of atmosphere. There was a hard look on her face as she stared at how Kevin remained mum after seeing her performance.
"What are you waiting for? Pour some wine for Mr. Kevin," the man ordered strictly.
Since they didn't know who Anne was, they were neither polite nor rude to her. If one might comment, they would think that she was an outsider as she refused to indulge in the happy banquet.
She sat at the corner as she observed the happenings in front of her. Her face was void of any emotions because she didn't know what to feel.
There was confusion in her heart as she tried to figure out what Kevin wanted to do.
"Mr. Kevin, you're so annoying," the woman beside him said coquettishly while she rubbed his arm.
Kevin drank the wine, thus a smile appeared on his lips. Just by his eye smile, every woman within the room could be intoxicated.
"Well, don't you like it?" he fired back suggestively.
Honestly, it was obvious that he was just a nobody. If he was someone that powerful, he would have recognized who she was.
"No thanks." She tried to walk away but Corbin Chen stopped her once again.
He threw a knowing look at the people around him and in just a snap, strong men gripped her arms.
"What do you think you're doing?" She put on a strong facade and asked him coldly. Anne struggled but it went in vain.
She was disgusted at what was happening to her. Going to a place like this was enough but she didn’t expect to meet such distasteful people.
"I just want to have a drink with you." He gestured his head and now the men held her tighter.
"Let me go!"
"I'll let you go if you take a sip from this wine." A smirk made its way to his face.
"No way!" She had been exposed to so many wicked things. She didn't need to be a genius to realize that there was something else in that wine.
She tried her best to get free, but their grip was so strong that they didn't falter at all. As Corbin Chen observed how Anne tried to strive, the will to conquer her became stronger.
"Why are you acting so hesitant? You're just a woman who sells her body. Aren't you Kevin's whore? Now that you had sex with him, there's nothing wrong if you sleep with me too, right? I will pay you, don't worry," he snickered at her.
Corbin Chen was so brave. There was no reason to be frightened after all. Kevin wouldn't mind sharing his woman.
His men clutched on her and forced her to drink the wine. Afterward, she lost consciousness.
It had been twenty minutes since Anne left the room.
Kevin sat impatiently in the private room. Seeing his quiet figure, the people around him didn't dare to speak anymore. The woman who accompanied him through the night sat by his side timidly.
He drank another glass of wine as he realized that Anne had been gone for too long. He wondered where she went because she should have returned by now. When annoyance started to creep on him, he stood up abruptly.
"Are you upset, Mr. Kevin? If our service wasn't enough to entertain you, please tell us what you want, and we'll do it immediately. Our boss has always admired you."
"Fuck off!" he bellowed.
He walked out of the room. Several grinding bodies across the dancing hall welcomed him. The dimly lit room and the smell of mixed alcohol almost made his dizzy. Kevin looked around and finally caught sight of Anne.
He frowned at the position she was in. Without further ado, he walked over.
As her figure became clearer, he figured out that she was unconscious, and Corbin Chen was about to take her away.
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