Chapter 7: Confrontation

"Are you crazy?"

I couldn't understand the nonsense. The audacity.

Anyone could have given me such a compliment and I would accept it nicely or at most be indifferent to it. But hearing it from Marco was something I never expected, neither could I stand it. Not after the humiliation he inflicted on me.

Marco realised he had made a mistake and quickly raised his hand to cover his mouth in belated regret. But everyone in the hall had heard him clearly, including Belinda  who had just gotten behind him.

"Marco... What are you doing?" She scolded with a whisper in his ear, her eyes turning to glare at me briefly.

I glared back at her squarely, my gaze strong and hard. She flinched before turning her attention back to Marco and pulling him away. He looked like he wanted to say something but his eyes met my furious gaze and he closed his mouth instantly.

My head was already turning hot. I wanted to do something... Say something... Until I noticed some other people approach me quickly and quietly.

"Ms. Duarte!" One of them called out in a gentle tone. I turned around to meet them and flashed a smile.

They were all people I was familiar with. They were officials in the Blackwell Group and I had worked with them behind the scenes for the sake of Marco. I carried out different successful proposals and contracts with them in the name of Marco.

"Carly! Josh! It's good to see you again!" I stood up to greet them properly, giving a hug and a handshake to both of them.

"It's good to see you too! Where have you been all these years?"

"Haha... Some things came up and I had to make myself scarce for a while."

I saw the subtle glint in their eyes that suggested they already knew the truth, but didn't want to make me uncomfortable by asking about it. I appreciated their tactfulness and was about to continue the light conversation until someone interrupted.

"What's causing all the ruckus at my son's engagement? Can't you be less noisy?"

I turned my head in the direction of the voice and frowned. It was a middle-aged woman dressed in a peach long gown with a deep v-neck, her neck and arms ardorned with elaborate gold jewelleries. In her left hand was a glass of red wine. She brought the glass to her red lips and sipped as she glared at me straight in the face, her eyes dripping with venom.

Mrs. Blackwell. Marco's mother.

She had never liked me, and she also did things that made me also hate her in the past. But it was a time when I couldn't do anything and could only endure her torment because of Marco. I knew she was itching to cause a scene and disgrace me with the way she was glaring daggers at me.

I glared back into her eyes daringly and spoke with a cold but gentle tone.

"Mrs Blackwell. The ruckus happened when your son made a rude remark but it's over since he has been taken away by his fiancée."

She froze for a moment, her face turning white with shock. She gripped the glass in her hand tightly. She fired back without caring about the volume of her voice.

"Very bold of you to refer to your ex-husband as "your son" after divorcing him and making him lose favour with the chairman."

I was stunned. Wasn't Marco the one who had done all sorts of things to me after using me before he divorced me? Also, he lost favour with the chairman?

The current Chairman was Mr. Blackwell, the grandfather of Marco. He had remained as the chairman even when he should have retired. Five years ago before Marco divorced me, the chairman had been paying a bit of attention to Marco after I elevated his status.

"Just because you were rejected and divorced, you went ahead to tarnish his reputation. You disgraceful child!"

Her accusing words were filled with anger and spite.

I curled my lips up in disgust and crossed my legs elegantly. There was no expression of agitation on my face.

"It's funny how you accuse me of ruining the relationship between your son and his grandfather when I didn't even do anything."

I turned my gaze in Marco's direction and continued.

"Why would I go ahead to do something as dumb as tarnishing his reputation and ruining his relationship with the chairman when he was capable of acting arrogant and foolish enough to achieve it by himself."

I turned my eyes back in her direction and lifted my chin arrogantly, looking into her eyes with spite.

"I think what you should be concerned about is how to correct the lacking education and wisdom you refused to impart into your son when he was a child." Then I sneered. "He's not much different from one now though... You still have your chance to educate him. If you can."

She dropped the glass of wine on the table beside her and approached me, her eyes bloodshot with anger.

She quickly drew closer to me and raised her hand. I flinched but continued glaring at her defiantly with unshaken eyes. Her hand quickly descended towards my face and I closed my eyes.

The slap never arrived.

"You really should control your temper." A familiar voice rang out.

I blinked open my eyes in surprise at the direction the voice had come from. The hand that had almost slapped me was stopped mere inches from my face by another hand gripping it tightly. I looked at the owner of the hand and the voice that had spoken just now and my body froze with my eyes turning wide open.

It was him again... the man from the bar. What was he doing here??

"You—! What the hell are you doing here?" Mrs Blackwell asked the same question on my mind as she shook her arm away from his grip, glaring at the man in a mix of anger and apprehension.

The man turned and looked at me squarely, a glint of amusement dancing his emerald eyes. A subtle smile formed on his lips and he winked at me before speaking.

"We meet again."

A shiver went down my spine. I felt like a rabbit that had been caught by the ears and I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. His eyes told me he had caught me now and I wouldn't be able to escape the third time.

Different thoughts raced through my mind.

'Who the hell is he? What is he doing here again? How did he know I was here? Has he been tracking me?'

I looked around, hoping for someone to throw this stalker out of the hall. But no one moved. Everyone in the hall had been quietly watching the drama unfold since I entered the hall and they had clearly seen him interfere. Yet they all stood still and did nothing.

They even looked like they were scared of doing moving. His presence was so intimidating and commanding.

I finally saw someone move towards me, where the drama was. It was Marco. The problem was that he also appeared to be intimidated. He opened his mouth carefully as though carefully considering his next words.

"Uncle Lorenzo, I wasn't expecting you to attend."

"!!!"

Uncle?!!

My head spun. In the past, I had heard rumours of Marco's uncle who was meant to have been the successor of the chairman of the Blackwell Group. They said he had disappeared for a long time and was get to return.

But apparently, he had returned at least five years ago.

That was the person I had a one night stand with and treated like a gigolo? I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me.

He watched me closely as I shifted through different stages of emotions and laughed. Then he turned his head to Marco.

"I don't need an invitation to attend my foolish nephew's engagement."