Chapter 69
Cordelia’s ears perked up, and her guard immediately went up. She looked back and saw a woman dressed in heavy makeup smiling flirtatiously at Marcus. The glass in her hand shook slightly as she moved closer to him, pulling the slit of her dress to show off her fair legs. Cordelia suddenly realized the voice sounded familiar.
“Giselle?” She paused. It seemed Yelena had brought along her best friend, as usual. In school, Giselle Lawler had often bullied Cordelia alongside Yelena. She had been dismissed later due to poor grades and frequent reports of smoking in clubs. Giselle’s reputation in the high society of Jangasas wasn’t great either, and she had only been able to act so brazenly because of Yelena’s support.
Annoyed, Cordelia stopped focusing on networking with her clients and walked briskly toward Marcus, her heels clicking sharply.
“Handsome, isn’t it boring to drink alone?” Giselle approached Marcus, swaying her hips. “Why don’t we—”
“Why don’t the two of us have a drink?” A cold voice suddenly rang out.
Giselle froze, looking up to meet Cordelia’s sharp eyes. Marcus, too, was taken aback before smiling in amusement. Cordelia stepped in front of him, meeting Giselle’s provocative gaze. She scoffed, “Why? Don’t you know me anymore? You snatched my homework to copy it in school, and now you want to snatch my man?”
“Well, who else but Cordelia!” Giselle chuckled, unfazed. “What are you saying? I just wanted to get to know this handsome man, and now I’m snatching your man? You weren’t standing here just now. How would I know your relationship?”
“You know now, right?” Cordelia stared her down. “Now leave!”
Marcus wrapped an arm around Cordelia’s waist, observing quietly. He noticed how tightly she clenched her fists and her body trembled with anger. Still, her gaze remained fierce and aggressive, as if ready to strike anyone who dared hit on her man. He couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly, surprised that one day he would be the one hiding behind a woman. Strangely enough, he liked this feeling.
“Oh, I remember now! This is the thug you married?” Giselle scanned Marcus from head to toe. “I heard he’s always getting into trouble with fighting and even gone to jail!”
Cordelia rolled her eyes and hooked her arm around Marcus’s, trying to leave. But Giselle, undeterred, hooked his other arm with her own, her gaze seductive. “Handsome, do you know that Cordelia’s an illegitimate daughter of the Jenners? No one in the Jenners likes her, and she’s broke. She used to stay in the basement and smelled musty!”
Giselle’s fingers slid up Marcus’s arm. “Why don’t you come with me? I’m rich and hot. There are lots of guys after me! It’d be a waste of your face to be with Cordelia…”
“Enough!” Cordelia shoved Giselle away.
Giselle stumbled, nearly knocking over a table. The noise caused everyone nearby to glance over.
“Giselle, have some shame!” Cordelia said through gritted teeth. “Are all the men dead that you have to flirt with my husband?!”
Murmurs erupted from the crowd, and mocking gazes pierced Cordelia like sharp knives, slowly chipping away at her pride. Even though she knew she wasn’t in the wrong, her husband being hit on in public wasn’t something to be proud of. She didn’t want to fight for her man like a frenzied woman either.
She lowered her head, biting her lip.