Chapter 4

After getting out of the car, the two of them headed straight for the private room where the party was being held.

However, the moment they opened the door, they sensed the tension in the room.

It was supposed to be a welcome-back party, yet almost everyone there was a man, most of them Hank's close friends. They looked at him with uneasy expressions, as though they had something they wanted to say but could not bring themselves to voice.

Before anyone could speak, Cecilia walked over with a smile.

"You made it!"

Then her gaze landed on Jeanette. She paused for a moment before breaking into another smile.

"So, this is your little girlfriend? She looks so young! By the way, thank you for donating blood for me the other day. You practically saved my life. If you ever need anything, just say the word. I'll be there for you."

Jeanette forced a smile.

"You are giving me too much credit."

Cecilia smiled and invited them to sit wherever they liked before turning away to greet some other guests who had just arrived.

Although Cecilia was busy mingling with everyone else, Hank's eyes never seemed to leave her.

When he saw her laughing and chatting with other men, his expression darkened instantly. When he noticed her eating a few extra macarons, he quietly instructed a server to bring every macaron in the venue to her. When someone accidentally knocked over the champagne tower, sending it crashing toward Cecilia, Hank sprang to his feet and pulled her into his arms to shield her.

"Watch out!"

Jagged shards of glass sliced several cuts into his left hand. Everyone urged him to go to the hospital and get the wounds treated, but he simply grabbed a silk scarf and wrapped it around his hand as though nothing had happened.

"It is just a small cut. I am fine. Do not worry about it."

Jeanette looked at the white scarf slowly staining red with blood. She had just taken her car keys out of her bag, but then she slipped them back inside.

The room fell silent for several minutes before the party gradually returned to life.

At eight o'clock, when everyone seemed to have eaten, drunk, and settled into the evening, Cecilia picked up a microphone and made an announcement.

"Now that everyone is here, I can finally share the big news!

"As most of you already know, I broke up with my boyfriend before returning to the country. I invited all of you here today because I want to start dating again and find myself a new boyfriend!"

The moment she said that, everyone turned toward Hank with nervous, uneasy expressions.

He said nothing. He simply stared at Cecilia, his gaze locked on her, until the glass in his hand shattered beneath the force of his grip.

Blood ran down his hand, but Cecilia acted as though she had not noticed. Instead, she raised her glass toward him with a smile.

"Hank, I did not invite you here for nothing! I need your help figuring out which of your wonderful friends would be the best match for me."

The entire room fell utterly silent.

Looking at the evasive expressions around her and the dark fury on Hank's face, Jeanette finally understood why the atmosphere had felt so strange the moment she walked in.

Just as everyone sat frozen in uneasy silence, one of the men in the middle of the room suddenly stood up.

"I..."

Before he could even finish saying, "I need to use the bathroom," Hank flipped the table in front of him and shot him a murderous glare.

"You better not even think about saying yes, you son of a bitch!"

Caught completely off guard, his friend froze, unsure whether to sit back down or remain standing.

Hank clenched his fist and strode toward Cecilia, blood still dripping from his hand. His eyes were red, and his voice trembled as he demanded an answer.

"Cecilia, sometimes I honestly wonder whether you even have a heart."

With that, he stormed out of the private room without looking back and slammed the door behind him.

He had completely forgotten that he had left his girlfriend behind.

After everything that had happened, there was no way the welcome-back party could continue. Jeanette gave a bitter, self-mocking smile and got up to use the restroom.

She had barely reached the hallway when she heard Hank's friends arguing with Cecilia.

"Cecilia, what the hell are you thinking? Why would you pull something like this just to make Hank angry? You know better than anyone that he has been hoping to get back together with you, right? You are the one he has been pining for all these years. Who among us would dare make a move on you?"

"So what if he wants to get back together?" Cecilia replied dismissively. "Am I supposed to say yes just like that? Where is the sincerity?"

"Sincerity? What more do you want from him? Do you have any idea what he has been through all these years? Have you ever seen anyone in our circle as hopelessly devoted as he is? He has everything going for him, and yet look at what he has become because of you!

"After you broke up with him and went abroad, he drank himself into oblivion every single day. He nearly drank himself to death! Whenever you posted something you liked on social media, he spared no expense buying it for you. Then he would fly overseas and secretly leave it on your doorstep in the middle of the night. A little while ago, you told your best friend that you had not seen fireworks in ages. He immediately arranged an entire fireworks show for you in Paris. Do not tell me you knew nothing about any of this!"

As Jeanette listened to the outrage in his voice, her hand trembled slightly.

During all the years she had been with Hank, he had disappeared without explanation time and time again.

So all those times, he had been doing things for Cecilia.

The argument in the hallway grew more heated, but Cecilia remained completely unmoved.

"He chose to do all those things for me. I never forced him to do anything. Besides, they were all little things. What is the big deal? Let him try risking his life for me sometime. Then we will see how much he really loves me."

"Cecilia, keep taking advantage of Hank's feelings for you while you can! One day he will run out of patience and stop loving you. Then you will be the one regretting everything!"

"Stop loving me? That is hilarious! He even got himself a girlfriend who is nothing more than my substitute. How could he possibly stop loving me? What happens between Hank and me is none of your business!"

Cecilia spoke with absolute confidence. After delivering that final remark, she turned around with a smug, satisfied smile.

She had not expected to come face-to-face with Jeanette, who was standing a short distance away.

Their eyes met.