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Chapter 4

Author: Warm Flow
"Well..."

Lauren tried to keep her expression natural and added a teasing smile. "Isn't the presentation about to start? Am I not qualified to interpret for you?"

Everyone knew their marriage existed in name only.

They glanced at Vivian beside him. His wife and mistress stood together, and the awkwardness left them speechless.

Yet none of the three revealed what they were thinking.

Jensen looked at Lauren. "Give her the documents."

Onstage, the host had the audience ready.

Jensen stepped up, and Lauren stood beside him.

Aside from their wedding, Lauren rarely got to stand openly at his side.

Even now, she was only there as an unpaid interpreter.

The partners switched between two foreign languages, and some of their questions were so awkwardly phrased that they were hard to follow.

Jensen answered most of them with ease. When the discussion turned to a detailed introduction, Lauren explained the product without looking at her notes. Her clear voice and steady pace held the audience’s attention.

They had never attended an event like this together, yet they worked in step with each other.

The handsome man and beautiful woman drew every eye in the room.

When they finished, applause filled the hall.

Someone asked, "Who is she? I didn't know Shaw-Sullivan Group had someone that beautiful."

"Go ask her when she comes down."

"With that kind of presence..."

The man lowered his voice. "I bet she'd be more fun in bed than those pretty faces who have nothing else going for them."

A few men laughed quietly before the crowd offering toasts drowned them out.

Lauren accepted every drink offered to her.

After a few glasses, a faint flush colored her face, giving her a different appeal from the poised woman onstage.

"It's been a long time."

Miles Stone stood before her with a smile and raised his glass.

"I never forgot how you used to outshine everyone in Cloudhaven, Miss Sullivan. I didn't expect to see you onstage with Mr. Shaw tonight."

Lauren smiled. "You're too kind, Mr. Stone."

Someone nearby asked, "Mr. Stone, aren't you going to introduce us?"

Miles laughed. "You really don't know her? This is—"

"This is my wife."

Jensen slipped an arm around Lauren’s waist. "Lauren Sullivan."

His tone was mild.

But the warmth of his hand against her waist made her tremble.

Was he finally acknowledging her?

Lauren’s heart beat faster.

She looked up at his face.

His expression gave little away, though she caught a trace of anger in his eyes.

She didn't know why he was angry.

She pressed her lips together.

"So, you're Mrs. Shaw..."

"Mr. Shaw, you're a lucky man!"

The men who looked at Lauren so openly earlier lost their nerve.

Everyone in Cloudhaven said Jensen and his wife were on bad terms and never appeared together.

Didn't people say Lauren pursued him while he wanted nothing to do with her?

They made her sound so unattractive that no one could bear to look at her.

Yet what did they just see?

The reception was full of beautiful women, and Lauren outshone them all.

Even Vivian, the woman Jensen brought with him, looked ordinary beside her.

And they talked about sleeping with his wife right in front of him.

Miles raised his glass. "You didn't recognize Mrs. Shaw? That deserves a drink, wouldn't you say?"

The men drank to hide their embarrassment.

Lauren lowered her head and sipped her wine. It tasted bitter.

It had been too long since she attended an event where everyone kept offering drinks. Her tolerance wasn't what it used to be.

She was about to speak to Jensen when he grabbed her wrist and pulled her into a nearby lounge.

He locked the door behind them.

Then he kissed her fiercely, the taste of wine still on his lips.

Lauren wasn't prepared for it.

He pressed her against the wall, his body crowding hers until her face flushed and her eyes filled with tears.

To him, she only looked more alluring.

"Jensen!"

Lauren pushed him away with all her strength. "What are you doing?"

"Isn't this what you wanted?"

He gave a cold laugh and moved toward her again. "Waiting for me every day isn't enough for you anymore? You couldn't help dressing like this to seduce other men?"

Lauren slapped him hard.

The sound echoed through the lounge.

She said, "Jensen, I love you."

Lauren seemed able to withstand anything, yet a few words from him could hurt more than she could bear.

Why did it have to be this way?

Why was he the one who kept hurting her?

Jensen’s eyes darkened.

He pinned her hand against the wall and gripped her wrist so tightly it nearly broke. "Lauren Sullivan, I wish I could kill you."

"But you won't."

Tears glimmered in Lauren’s eyes. "So, all you can do is love me."

"I don't love you. I never will. Stop imagining otherwise, Lauren!"

Jensen’s low voice held little besides hatred.

He tore the skirt of her dress. Pieces of black fabric fell to the floor.

The air touched her exposed skin, and Lauren panicked. "Jensen! There are people right outside! Don't do this..."

He ignored her resistance and grew rougher, his eyes red with anger. "Since when do you get to decide what happens between us?"

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