Free Web NovelChapter 1337: Chapter 1334: You Thief Who Stole My Life
Fulham Road Private Villa
Constantine Stewart woke up at three in the morning; going to bed early meant waking in the middle of the night.
The man got out of bed, wearing a loose cotton robe, and sat on the open terrace on the second floor, gazing at the early spring of the Imperial City. His long, fair hand reached for the wine on the table, poured a glass, and squinted to appreciate the rich aroma of the wine.
These past six months, his schedule has been somewhat irregular. It’s either insomnia or waking up in the middle of the night. Perhaps he has stayed in one place for too long, and all the freshness has faded, breeding a sense of fatigue.
Should he return to France? Or go traveling? The man couldn’t muster any interest, as if suddenly finding life utterly unappealing.
Constantine lowered his gaze, using the faint morning light to watch the liquid swaying in the wine glass. He took a sip, crossed his long, elegant legs, and reclined on the lounge chair on the balcony, waiting for sunrise.
The butler went upstairs, knocked on Mr. Stewart’s bedroom door, and found no response. He then bypassed the reception room, opened the door to the open terrace, and as expected, found the man lying lazily on the lounge chair, squinting and drinking wine. Hastily approaching, he lowered his voice and said, "Mr. Stewart, Miss Rowe is here."
Constantine responded indifferently, stood up expressionlessly, went into the bedroom to fetch a grey cashmere long coat, and went downstairs to find Rowe waiting in a small room on the first floor.
"Winter, I just returned from Paris Fashion Week and brought you a gift." Rowe, in a soft pink early spring suit with long straight hair, looked pure and charming. Upon seeing Constantine come downstairs, she joyfully stood up and handed the small bag she was holding to him.
"Have you eaten?" Constantine glanced at the gift bag she brought, noticing it was a Patek Philippe watch. He didn’t take it but lazily asked.
"Not yet." Rowe placed the gift bag on the small coffee table beside the sofa and stuck out her tongue playfully, feeling somewhat guilty. All the money she spends now is charged to Constantine’s supplementary card.
Seeing her stick out her tongue, Constantine hesitated, inexplicably reminded of Chloe Winston, the little girl he brought back from the orphanage. Chloe was adept at reading people, possibly due to her sensitivity and lack of security growing up in an orphanage. When she saw him, she was like a little lamb encountering a wolf, bristling all over.
He spent years removing the thorns from the little girl’s body, and she began to act somewhat spoiled, often acting coy, sticking out her pink tongue, calling out Constantine’s full name when angry, tugging his ear, laughing carelessly like a mischievous little monkey.
"Then stay for breakfast." Constantine spoke blandly, his fringe slightly disheveled due to waking up, with the grey cotton bathrobe revealing a sexy collarbone that gave his handsome face a hint of languid charm.
Rowe nodded happily, continuing to share anecdotes from Paris Fashion Week with him.
The Stewart Family emigrated to France, and Constantine had grown somewhat weary of living in Paris, finding his eyelids growing heavy as he listened. Yet, he sat on the sofa without a trace of impatience in his expression, his smile perfectly amiable, like a gentle spring breeze.
Rowe realized she had been speaking for quite a while, yet the man had only responded twice and hadn’t said a word, making it hard for her to maintain a smile. On this trip to France, Constantine didn’t even accompany her, nor did he suggest she visit the Stewart Family. The marriage seemed indefinite, and Rowe was growing anxious waiting.
"Winter, a reality show recently invited me to participate, but I need to bring a boyfriend. Do you have time?" Rowe asked tentatively.
"Ask Little Zheng about my upcoming schedule," Constantine replied indifferently.
Seeing that he didn’t outright refuse, Rowe nodded with glee. Joining the reality show would essentially enable her to publicly announce her status as Constantine’s girlfriend and pave the way for future developments.
These years, her life had been occupied by Chloe. She wanted to take it back piece by piece, whether it was her man or her career; she intended to reclaim them.
*
Chloe Winston went for a supermarket trip, bought some daily necessities, and then purchased a down jacket at the mall, finally able to replace the thin coat and no longer endure the cold. When leaving Fulham Road Villa, she took only a small suitcase stuffed with her belongings. None of the things Constantine bought for her had been taken.
At the time, fueled by pride, she left with nothing, but now reflecting, she considered herself foolish. Constantine was generous with women, though he didn’t give her pocket money, he liked to buy her lots of clothes and jewelry, albeit according to his typical preferences. Most clothes he bought were cute, girl-next-door styles, and the jewelry was of substantial value.
Her own aura leaned towards cooler tones. Delphine once told her she had a kind of black metallic cool vibe, wild and attractive.
But it was only a thought. Taking Constantine’s belongings always felt somewhat unsettling; breaking off should mean a clean break.
Chloe carried her supermarket shopping bags back to the apartment building.
"Miss Winston, Miss Rowe is waiting for you in the car." A young girl, resembling an assistant, blocked her path, eyeing her nastily from head to toe. Upon seeing Chloe’s face, a hint of jealousy flashed in her eyes, as she appeared even more beautiful than Miss Rowe.
Rowe? Chloe furrowed her brows, glancing at the distant black nanny car with tightly closed windows.
"Do you know how precious Miss Rowe’s time is? What’s taking you so long? Come with me." The assistant grabbed Chloe and tried to lead her to the nanny car.
Chloe broke free from her hold, coldly saying, "I’ll walk myself."
The black nanny car door opened, Rowe sat in the back seat, wearing sunglasses and a hat, examining Chloe arrogantly, seeing her now thin and skeletal, dressed in a bulky down jacket, carrying supermarket shopping bags, appearing impoverished. She was satisfied and smirked.
This is the life Chloe should be living.
"Get in." Rowe said blandly.
Chloe got in the car, then the assistant shut the door from outside, and the driver moved further away.
"I heard you went to the crew yesterday hoping to become an actress?" Rowe took off her sunglasses, looked at the fine diamonds on her crimson-manicured nails, and sneered, "Are you trying to regain Winter’s attention?"
Chloe stared steadily at her, expressionlessly saying, "Sister Rowe, we are already divorced."
"Silence, who are you calling sister, you thief of my life!" Rowe erupted in anger, gripping her sunglasses tightly with her nails, feeling a tinge of pain, adjusting her facial expression.
"Winter and I are about to get married; you better stop going to the crew, stop acting, and leave the Imperial City. Don’t covet what isn’t yours; I’ll have people watch you." Rowe smiled softly, but her words were exceedingly cold.
