Kyle almost lost his temper from Cordy's contempt. "Cordy Sachs…!""There's many people watching right now," Cordy warned him nonchalantly. "Do what you will—if you think you haven't been humiliated enough, that is.""You…!" Kyle growled through his teeth.However, he could not resist looking around just then, and he found some of them whispering while gesturing at him.Having no dignity left to speak of, he stormed out of the banquet hall.Cordy watched as he left, her smirk turning icy.She turned to glance at John, who was being encircled and fawned over constantly, and decided to leave as well.She only answered John's invitation to witness an important moment in his life, while meeting up with Richard.And since she had done all that, she had no reason to stay. If anything, she did not like socializing unless it was absolutely necessary!"Ms. Sachs." Randy Martin suddenly appeared before her, stopping her. "My name is Randy Martin—I'm Mr. Levine's personal assistant. Hi

Mandy froze, well and truly stunned by John's intimidating demeanor.However, she threw all caution in the wind and started screaming the next instant. "John Levine, do you think Cordy Sachs is some sort of treasure? You've just returned to the country, so you wouldn't know of her debauchery—but she already started sleeping around at eighteen, and even had a child! She even refused to break up with my brother, and shamelessly latched her fingers on you! Don't fall for her trap!""That's Cordy Sachs? Amazing. She actually managed to hook up with Mr. Levine so quickly!""Didn't someone say her gown was worth a billion dollars? She really spared no expense to seduce a man.""Didn't his son call her mommy? Did she bewitch the boy too?""She really is a succubus…"Mandy smiled smugly even as everyone mocked Cordy—she was bent on humiliating Cordy, so that John would understand what Cordy was really like! She would never believe that John could accept Cordy after knowing all that,

Cordy raised her glass, offering Jay a toast. "Long time no see, Mr. Parker.""You should not drink too much when you already have a bad stomach, Ms. Sachs," Jay told her, though he took a sip from his glass in turn to acknowledge her toast. Cordy took a sip too, but said nothing else—they were still not that close, and did not have much to talk about. "Johnny…" Jay suddenly said, watching as John Levine continued to mingle with his guest. "Is a good man."…Johnny?It took Cordy a while to realize that he was talking about John.Jay was Alan Levine's adopted child, and everyone knew that he and John were close.Even so, Cordy was silent and did not comment about John. "It's late. I should get going," Jay said then, and elegantly put away his glass.Alan himself had long since left—only John was left to handle the guests."Goodbye." Cordy smiled politely.Jay returned her smile with a nod.He was certainly no different from his public image—well-mannered, soft-spoken, and

John's deep, melodious voice was apologetic."I was too late."Cordy shook her head. "You were right on time."And everything was just fine.John's heart skipped a beat, his gaze tender as he watched Cordy's tears roll over her cheeks.He stroked her cheek then and gently wiped her tears.She flinched slightly and opened her eyes.Their eyes met, and an attraction seemed to be growing right then.She was still looking him straight in the eye even as he leaned closer. A small spark between adults could certainly burst into flames…However, as John leveled his lips against Cordy's soft, moist lips, she turned just as he was about to kiss her, so that he kissed her cheek instead.John opened his eyes, and he stared at Cordy from up close."I'm sorry," Cordy said.A refusal.John's Adam's apple was bobbing, but he slowly straightened and said, "No. I was getting ahead of myself."Cordy's heart raced once again.They clearly had not progressed that far, and John was not ups

Cordy got out of bed and turned to find a glass of yellow liquid on her nightstand.It had a note on its bottom, which read: [Honey helps with hangovers. Remember to have breakfast after you wake up—your belly is empty after vomiting, and it's bad for your health. P.S.: I will be leaving on a business trip and shall return to North City in a week.]The sharp handwriting was just like the handwriting on the invitation to last night's banquet. Cordy picked up the honey and took a sip. There was a sweetness in its chill, which seemed to seep into the chest.She felt a mysterious sensation inside at the same time, and she suddenly wondered why John insisted on making her wait last night, just so that he could give her a ride home.Was it because he had to leave on that business trip and they would not be meeting for a while?Cordy put down her glass and headed to the bathroom, where she took off the dirty gown and took a bath.Once she did that, she threw the gown into the tras