Free Web NovelChapter 394: I Won’t Do Anything To You
Wendy was very familiar with this ring. It was her old wedding band.. the one she’d worn when she had married Michael. It had been discarded by Michael a few months ago.
Wendy remembered that Michael had previously returned her the ring at the cocktail party jointly organised by Christian and Yonina. Michael had been there at the party too. After Wendy told Michael what exactly had happened, he’d thrown the ring out and said that he would buy a new one for her. After which, he’d been framed by Christian and made to sleep with Yonina. That was when things had spiralled for the worse. Till this day, the relationship between them had yet to be mended and naturally, Michael had not fulfilled his promise of buying another ring. But how could the wedding band that had been trashed at that time resurface now?
Wendy could not keep the smile on her face any longer. She raised her head and looked at Christian. She did not say anything but stared straight into Christian’s eyes.
Christian laughed and explained, "if I remembered correctly, this ring looks like the one you’ve been wearing on your hand. That night at the party, I happened to find this ring by chance and the more I looked at it, the more it looked like the one you had. Recently you’ve been in Rheinsville City so I didn’t have a chance to return this to you. Since I was presented with this opportunity tonight, of course I should return this to its rightful owner."
With a look of contrived shock, Christian continued, "But why don’t you look happy at all? Is this ring not yours to begin with? Or, did you intentionally throw this ring away because you didn’t want it anymore? If so, I must have made things unpleasant for you by returning it..."
This ring had indeed been thrown out by Michael. But it was not a coincidence that Christian had found it. It had intentionally been picked up by him.
Michael had been observing Wendy from time to time. There was quite a distance between them hence he was not able to see what present it was, and of course, he was not aware about the ring. But Christian’s words made Michael feel unsettled.
Subconsciously, Michael took a few steps forward. Yonina wanted to reach out to him and pull him back, but in the end, she decided to follow along.
Wendy looked at Christian as she took a deep breath. Christian had been testing the waters to see how deep Wendy’s and Michael’s feelings for each other were as he tried different ways to sabotage their relationship. His efforts were prominent. He’d even managed to find the ring that they had thrown away. Given the circumstances, Wendy could only continue her act with Christian. Just for another two to three days, or even less, and then Christian would be crying his eyes out. Thus, Wendy decided to keep him happy for one more night.
With this mindset, Wendy felt better instantly. She smiled back at Christian and toyed with the ring indifferently. "This ring is the wedding band Michael bought for our wedding previously. But you are right, it is something I wanted to get rid of."
Wendy returned the ring to Christian, "It is the thought that counts. You can have this back."
"Ms. Swift, are you sure about this?" Christian asked.
"Our relationship is over and he is now my ex-husband. Why would I want to keep this ring for?" Wendy reached out towards Todd and interlocked her arms with his.
She chuckled and said, "Then again, Mr. Lucas, I hope you won’t do this in front of my boyfriend in future. He may get angry."
Todd played along with Wendy’s cue and said, "I’ll buy a new one for you."
....
Todd’s words tugged at Wendy’s heart. Michael had said the same thing when he’d thrown the ring away. It was a pity that it did not come true.
"Okay." Wendy smiled blissfully at him.
"If that is the case, I’m sorry for any inconvenience." Christian bowed slightly while looking guilty. He asked, "So, I should just dispose of this ring?"
Wendy nodded, "Of course."
"What? That was Michael Lucas and Wendy Stewart’s wedding band? What a twist. I wasn’t prepared for this."
"I knew it! Christian Lucas wouldn’t be interested in Corrine Swift. She used to be his sister-in-law after all."
"This live broadcast is getting more exciting. It is a freaking drama series!"
"Good on Wendy. Anything to do with that b*stard should be cleared out of her life.
No point keeping them."
Christian looked down at the ring in his hand. He raised his eyebrow and in front of everyone, he tossed the ring out of the door. With the size of the ring and the force he exerted when he threw the ring, it was impossible to see where the ring landed.
There were too many people at the venue and the noise level was relatively high. It was not surprising that no one could hear where the ring eventually dropped.
"Are you okay with how I dealt with the ring?" Christian wanted to torment Wendy as much as he could.
"Yes, it’s fine by me." She turned to Todd and asked in a soft voice, "What time is it now?"
"Ten past eleven." Todd looked at the time and knew what Wendy was implying when she asked the question. He said, "Shall we make a move? It is getting late."
Wendy nodded and let out a yawn, timing it perfectly to his comment. "Everyone, we will excuse ourselves. We just got back to Lake City and the jet lag has not completely worn off. Guess we are no longer young and our bodies can’t handle as much partying anymore. We’ll make a move first. Please continue to enjoy yourselves."
This time when Wendy excused herself, Christian had no reason to stop her anymore. From the time both Todd and her entered the hotel, Christian had probably planned everything ahead of time. All the little ’surprises’ should be done by now.
Wendy and Todd turned towards the entrance. But just as they were about to move, Wendy saw Michael who stood at the side. Beside him was Yonina.
Her smile started to wear out but she managed to keep it up. Wendy walked past Michael and Yonina, pretending that she did not notice them. Michael tightened his grip when Wendy passed him and then loosened it gradually after. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
The audience looked on as the couple left the hotel. The reporters waiting at the entrance ambushed them once they stepped out and bombarded them with questions.
"Ms. Swift, what were your feelings when you saw the ring?"
"Mr. Lewis, how do you feel about the events tonight? Can you share any details?"
"Ms. Swift, did you guess that Christian Lucas would gift you a ring today? Or was that the wedding ring from your marriage with Michael Lucas?"
"Ms. Swift, do you still feel something for Mr. Lucas?"
"Apologies, we are tired today so we won’t be taking any interviews. Please make way." Todd had one hand around Wendy and another in front of them to cut their way through the sea of reporters.
Initially, Wendy didn’t want to go back to the hotel Christian had arranged for them.
But since their luggage was at the hotel, they got into the car Christian had arranged.
Wendy and Todd reached the hotel. Finally, no reporters to deal with, no gossip mongers and forced entertainment at the party... Wendy heaved a sigh of relief.
....
Soon, they were faced with a new problem. Christian had arranged a room for them and there was only one king-size bed.
Wendy and Todd were just acting as a couple. Wendy did not want to sleep on the same bed as Todd, even if it was only for show. She thought it would be best if they maintained their distance. Initially, Wendy wouldn’t have minded if she hadn’t known that Todd was interested in her. Now that she knew about his feelings, she could not keep one eye closed and pretend that it did not exist.
"How should we sleep tonight?" Todd whispered to Wendy softly. Todd was being vigilant and cautious. After all, Christian had arranged the room for them. It would not be surprising if he had planted any cameras or tapping devices.
In the afternoon, Todd had gone into the bathroom first just to check if there were any cameras. Only after he had combed the entire bathroom, had he allowed Wendy to use it. But he couldn’t possibly search the whole presidential suite. The room was huge and it would take a long time to comb thoroughly. Also, if Christian had really planted a camera and they managed to find it, Christian would know that they’d found the device and their ruse would be busted. They had put in so much effort to fake the situation, they had to be extra careful to make sure that everything went well.
Wendy pursed her lips as this was a tricky problem. Todd looked troubled too, though he was not really worried by the situation. He thought for a while and said, "I think... let’s just bear with it? Don’t worry, I won’t do anything to you."
Wendy had never doubted him before. But she was simply unwilling to be stuck in this situation.
She remained solemn for a while and suddenly thought of an idea. Looking petrified, she reached out and tugged on Todd’s hand. With a voice loud and clear, she said, "Todd, I told you, there is really nothing between me and Michael anymore. What else do you want me to say?"
Todd was taken aback at first, but he caught on quickly and reacted accordingly.
"Are you sure?" Todd sounded agitated as he raised his voice. "If there was nothing going on between you and Michael, then why would he ask you for a dance? Yonina was there too. What did he mean by that? Don’t tell me he just wasn’t thinking straight at the time."
"That’s not within my control. I’ve told you, I don’t have feelings for him anymore.
What do I need to do for you to believe me?" Wendy’s tone changed from being petrified to sounding resigned. "I thought you would understand how I feel. I didn’t expect you to be so childish and irrational."
"Childish? Me? I’m being irrational?" Todd scoffed angrily, "Yeah, I am childish. Your Michael isn’t. What a pity that Yonina is already carrying his child. Even if you regret being with me, you don’t have a chance with him anymore."
"Todd! You are going overboard!" The anger in Wendy’s tone heightened. "You know very well even before we got together, that I was married before and I had two kids.
Why are you bringing up the past?"
"Yeah, I’m going overboard. You, Corrine Swift, are a goddess. Not only did Michael invite you for a dance, even Christian Lucas did the same. Of course, I am just going overboard now." Todd said sarcastically. "You still have time to regret it."
"Ha ha ha..." Wendy laughed bitterly. "We can even argue so extensively over the little things that happened tonight. If we face a bigger problem in the future, I can’t imagine how bad it would go. Honestly, I AM regretting my decision now."
