Chapter 36
It might have happened in the blink of an eye, but Pearl wasn’t wholly inescapable.
But before she could react, she was pulled away by a large hand, and her entire body tumbled uncontrollably in the opposite direction. Her nose collided firmly with a solid chest, causing sharp pain that nearly brought tears to her eyes.
Marc was surprisingly strong, and at that very moment, with all his strength, he pressed Pearl firmly into his arms. Half of Pearl’s face was nestled against his chest, and she could distinctly hear the rhythmic thudding of his heartbeat in her ears.
The sensation was entirely foreign to her.
Pearl found herself momentarily bewildered.
She had been married to Marc for three years, and he had never taken the initiative to touch her. An intimate encounter like today’s was the first since she had met him.
Pearl had often fantasized about what it would be like to be held in Marc’s arms someday. She had imagined it would be sweet, but she hadn’t anticipated the sourness she was feeling now. She had thought his embrace would be tender, but it was quite firm!
“Has he been lifting lead weights at the gym? Why are his chest muscles so hard?” she thought in her heart.
Pearl gingerly touched her throbbing nose, thankful she didn’t have a face–lift. Otherwise, she might have had to rethink having a face–lift.
“I’m so sorry…” The staff who had witnessed the near collision was also half terrified and offered repeated apologies.
Marc spoke earnestly, “Please be more careful in the future.”
Though the staff didn’t recognize Marc, they deduced from his attire and imposing demeanor that he was someone accustomed to giving orders. They couldn’t afford to upset such a big shot, so they nodded repeatedly and assured him they would.
Pearl managed to endure the discomfort in her nose. Once the staff had retreated, leaving
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only the two of them backstage, a heavy allence enveloped them.
The two stood there in silence, maintaining their positions and awkwardly realizing one
thing…
Their bodies were incredibly close together.
The man’s firmness and the woman’s tenderness tightly pressed together, while their scents resemble fir and roses blended together. It created a sensation that carried a hidden danger!
A sudden feeling surged from the soles of their feet, shooting up like a skyrocket to their heads. Both could feel their bodies stiffen in reaction, then swiftly separate as if hit by an
electric shock!
Pearl instinctively clasped her forearms, and Marc pinched his fingertips. Even the tips of their ears turned red.
The atmosphere seemed to grow even more awkward.
Pearl discreetly closed
eyes, contemplating whether she should reprimand Marc, who
had taken advantage of her and gave him a slap.
But upon second thought, she realized he had hugged her earlier to save her. People who display such bravery and courage should be commended with a banner, not punished with a slap, right?
At this moment, her inner turmoil was rich with drama, but Marc had no hidden motives. After the embarrassment subsided, he quickly regained his serious demeanor and said, “You need to be more careful. You can’t stand in the aisle like that. What if something had hit you?”
His voice was cool and stern, concealing his genuine concern, leaving only the scolding
tone.
Pearl, who hadn’t received much scolding since she was a little girl, immediately retorted, “Sir, if you hadn’t charged at me so abruptly, I would have moved out of the way. I appreciate your bravery, but not all women are delicate flowers like your first love who need a man to protect them.”
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Chapter 36
Marc wrinkled his brow..
He wasn’t accustomed to her being so aggressive and eloquent.
In his memory, she had always been shy and obedient. He had a bad temper, and when he occasionally scolded her, she would obediently bow her head, seemingly easy to bully, with
no hint of a temper.
But this Pearl standing right before him now was different. Her temper appeared even worse, and she even looked fiercer than him.
are you
“First love? Who referring to? Clarissa?”
Marc’s trio of questions sent Pearl’s emotions plummeting.
Even though Clarissa had lied to him and embarrassed him at the wedding, even though she was no longer as pure and innocent as she was before, Clarissa still held the most sway in Marc’s mind.
Pearl no longer wanted to converse with Marc. There was nothing left to say anyway. She coolly curved the corner of her mouth, tidied her messy hair, and exited the backstage.
She couldn’t bear being in the same environment as him, fearing that she might lose her temper and be unable to control it.
Hatred, born from love, was the worst, and she would rather stop loving him altogether than become that kind of pathetic woman.
Marc watched Pearl leave silently with a gloomy face. He couldn’t pinpoint which of his sentences had gone wrong again, but he chased after her, only to find that Pearl had already disappeared from the venue.
He frowned, feeling frustrated about missing the chance to ask the questions he needed
to ask again.
Pearl walked along the wall in a dimly lit area, snatched a tray of red wine from a passing waiter, and tilted her head back, draining it in one gulp.
The cool wine sliding down her throat helped soothe her burning and agitated heart.
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There was still some time before the dinner party began, and Pearl wasn’t particularly adept at socializing. So, she found a seat in a secluded corner and sat there quietly. She was surrounded by a small group of people engaged in gossip, but she had no interest in their chatter. She sipped her wine and silently played with her cell phone.
The nearest group of people was the most boisterous, with a few women engrossed in their conversations, discussing the wealthy families‘ gossip, marriages, divorces, and romantic entanglements.
Pearl pretended to be an onlooker, quietly observing from her corner, never imagining that she would become the subject of their gossip.
“Hey, have you heard that Miss Pearl, the Woolery Group’s heiress, is back?”
“This is undoubtedly the biggest news in Nanston. How could I not have heard about it? As
the soon as Pearl returned, she jumped into the family business to rescue it and clean up mess, but she hasn’t made an appearance yet.”
“It’s been three years after her supposed death, but she has now come back in good health? It’s so horrible, isn’t it? I’m just curious now. What has Pearl been up to during these three years? Could she be unmarried and pregnant, searching for a hidden place to give birth to a child?”
“It’s quite possible. Remember how Manfred pursued Pearl crazily? Pearl kept turning him down. I recall Tina mentioning that even her uncle and aunt went all the way to Machodean to raise Pearl’s wedding with Manfred three years ago. Pearl’s parents went to Manfred’s family, proposing marriage. Can you believe it? How shameless!”
“It must be because Pearl got pregnant…”
The person had her mouth wide open, laughing heartily, when suddenly her shoulder was tapped. She instinctively turned around and was met with a glass of red wine splashed on her face, followed by the glass shattering instantly above her head.
She gasped in shock, and as the image of the glass splashing registered, she saw at woman dressed in red with a stern expression.
“Ah…” Screams echoed from all directions.
