Chapter 5

Wendy furrowed her brows. "What did I do?"

Stanley clenched his jaw. "Who told you to dress like this?"

'What? Like this?' she wondered. "What do you mean, Stanley?!"

Stanley glanced at her ultra-short skirt. "Your thighs are almost exposed. Do you really want people to see your legs like this?"

Wendy's skirt was a bit short, but it was Cecelia's choice.

Cecelia's exact words were, "My dearest Wendy doesn't show her legs, but look at how Jessica flaunts hers. Tonight, let everyone see who has the best legs in Hovendale."

Wendy raised her finely arched eyebrows. "Looks like Mr. Hawk noticed my legs."

Stanley paused.

Wendy leaned back against the wall, appearing languid and graceful. She slowly lifted her right leg, her crystal-high heel brushing against his ankle.

Stanley had on black trousers, showcasing his long, muscular legs, exuding an aura of coldness and restraint.

Wendy's pale foot gently grazed up his ankle, moving provocatively along his calf. It was an act of seduction and defiance.

Stanley shot her a cold glance. "What are you doing?"

Wendy curved her lips into a smile. "Mr. Hawk, which do you prefer? My legs, or Jessica's?"

Stanley stared at her small, delicate face that glowed with celestial radiance, yet she provocatively seduced him with a dazzling smile.

Last night, he had glimpsed the beauty hidden beneath her dark-rimmed glasses, but he hadn't expected her to be this beautiful.

He felt like he had seen this face somewhere before.

Wendy's clear eyes sparkled. "Mr. Hawk, has Jessica ever wrapped her legs around your waist?"

Stanley's breath hitched. His handsome face moved closer to hers, his gaze softening with a tenderness Wendy had never seen before. "Wendy, are you really this shameless? All you think about is men. You even hired eight male hosts to satisfy your needs!"

He didn't answer Wendy's question about Jessica. That was perhaps the best kind of protection a man could offer a woman.

Their love had been so passionate, full of youthful excitement. Jessica's legs had definitely wrapped around his waist, or else why would he still remember her so fondly?

Jessica was lucky to have a man like Stanley so deeply attached to her. He would never describe her as 'shameless.'

Though Wendy wore a smile, her eyes remained clear and distant. "Well, Mr. Hawk, your body isn't up to par and can't satisfy me, so of course I have to go out and find men. Let's get divorced quickly. If the first man doesn't work, the next will be better."

Did she actually say he was inadequate, and the next man would be better?

This woman was truly asking for it.

Stanley reached out, grabbing Wendy's chin. "Are you trying to provoke me? Do you really want to know if I'm up to the task?"

'What?' Wendy froze.

Stanley moved closer to her lips, teasing, but with words that carried no warmth. "Dream on. I won't touch you. The one I love is Jessica."

He loved Jessica.

He didn't even need to say it—Wendy already knew. It stung her heart, the sharp pain spreading through her, though the ache wasn't obvious.

At that moment, a sweet voice rang out. "Stanley."

Wendy looked up—Jessica had arrived.

Jessica, the Red Rose of Hovendale, was a beautiful woman with rosy lips and perfect teeth, her body delicate from years of ballet training.

Stanley immediately released Wendy and walked toward Jessica. He lowered his gaze to meet hers, his eyes filled with a tenderness Wendy had never seen. "You're here."

Jessica nodded, then turned to Wendy. "Who's this?"

Jessica didn't recognize Wendy at first.

However, Wendy would never forget Jessica.

Wendy and Jessica were stepsisters, but from completely different parents. Harry, Wendy's father, wasn't her biological father, but her stepfather.

Many years ago, Wendy had a happy family with her real father, Jerry, and her mother Lilian, who were always respectful toward each other.

Her father loved her dearly, always lifting her high. "Wendy, please be happy always."

Then, one day, her father suddenly passed away. Harry, Jerry's brother, moved in with his daughter Jessica. Wendy's mother became Jessica's mother as well.

Her mother remarried her second uncle. Her mother loved Jessica and stopped loving her.

When Jessica got an A in a test and Wendy got an A+, her mother hit her hand with a ruler. "Can't you give your sister a break? Why must you outdo her?"

When Jessica fell ill and had to undergo chemotherapy, her head had to be shaved. She cried, saying she had become ugly.

In response, Wendy's mother immediately shaved Wendy's head. "You should look the same as your sister so she won't cry."

Every night, her mother, Jessica, and Harry would sleep together, laughing and playing.

Wendy, holding the doll her late father had bought her, would stand outside their door, crying alone. "Mommy, I'm scared…"

Eventually, Jessica called her mother "Mom," which made her mother incredibly happy. But then Jessica said, "A mother can only have one daughter."

One rainy day, Wendy's mother took her to the countryside and left her there.

Wendy chased after the car, crying uncontrollably.

"Mommy, don't leave me! I'll be good, I'll always put my sister before me… Mommy, hold me… I'm scared…!"

Wendy fell heavily into the muddy water while holding her doll, watching helplessly as her mother's car disappeared from view.

Wendy would never forget Jessica.

At that moment, Benny rushed over. "Jessica, this is…your sister, Wendy!"

Jessica was stunned. "You're Wendy?"

Wendy knew that Jessica had always looked down on her.

When they were young, Jessica had always been the one to beat her. As Jessica grew up, she excelled in everything. Later, she even dated Stanley, the heir of the Hawk family. She grew up in a world of admiration and love, full of pride and arrogance.

Benny, once again, was stunned by Wendy's ethereal beauty. He whispered, "I didn't expect Wendy to be this beautiful."

Jessica's memory of their childhood was fuzzy because she had never truly paid attention to her unloved sister. But wasn't her sister the ugly duckling from the countryside?

Jessica approached Wendy, glancing at her, her brow raised in haughty pride. "Wendy, I didn't expect you to start dressing like me."

Wendy remained silent. 'Well, if you say so,' she thought.

Wendy straightened her slender back, smiling but saying nothing. The light from the corridor illuminated her delicate, otherworldly face, making it glow like a precious pearl.

She was no longer the Wendy from before.

Jessica sneered. "Wendy, I heard you're getting a divorce with Stanley. Can't you live without a man? Coming to a bar to hire male hosts to fulfill your desires? If I were you, I'd get a job."

As she spoke, Jessica glanced at Stanley. In a tone that seemed almost benevolent, she added, "Stanley, Wendy took care of you for so long. Even if she was your maid, you should at least find her a job."

Stanley's gaze landed on Wendy's face.

"Jessica, nowadays, you need a degree to get a job. What's Wendy's education?" Benny said.

Jessica seemed to recall something amusing. She lifted her chin and laughed.

"Wendy dropped out of school at 16."