\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 81 Provocations\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damian scratched his ear nonchalantly and shrugged, projecting an air of complete indifference. \u201cI can hear you perfectly fine. No need to shout. You might scare my girl,\u201d he said, his tone dripping with mock\u00a0<\/p>\n
concern.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Daniel\u2019s face flushed a deep, furious red. He had always considered himself fairly audacious, but Damian operated on a whole other level of shamelessness.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Seeing Daniel rendered speechless and fuming only widened Damian\u2019s grin. \u201cWhat\u2019s the matter? Are you getting angry?\u201d he taunted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before Daniel could muster a retort, Damian cut him off again, his eyes sparkling with malicious amusement. \u201cYou being angry is exactly what I wanted to see. This is highly entertaining for me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Throwing his head back with a loud, triumphant laugh, Damian tightened his arm around Scarlett\u2019s waist and swaggered out of the private room with an exaggerated confidence.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A few minutes later, Vincent emerged from the booth.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Daniel spotted him immediately and launched into a heated complaint. \u201cThat Damian is utterly insufferable! He makes me want to punch his smug face in.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vincent\u2019s gaze was distant, his eyes holding a complex, unreadable emotion, though his voice remained perfectly level. \u201cHe has the capital to be arrogant.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Daniel grumbled, unwilling to let it go, \u201cBut Vincent, he\u2019s openly pursuing your wife.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vincent showed no visible reaction. His tone was flat, almost detached. \u201cLet him do as he pleases.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Daniel opened his mouth to protest further, but Vincent had already turned and begun walking away, his posture making it clear the discussion was over.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was evident Vincent had no intention of entertaining the topic any longer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just then, Harris approached and laid a calming hand on Daniel\u2019s shoulder. \u201cVincent knows what he\u2019s doing. Don\u2019t aggravate yourself over it. He never held any real affection for Scarlett anyway. Perhaps this development is for the best.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Daniel frowned deeply. \u201cBut Vanessa is fond of her\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Harris let out a soft sigh. \u201cShe will always be Vanessa\u2019s mother, Daniel. That fact remains.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Daniel muttered under his breath, his annoyance palpable, \u201cShe\u2019s not worthy of the title. In my opinion, Sabrina is the only one truly suited for that role. Sabrina is the only woman who should stand beside Vincent.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Outside the bar, Damian kept his arm firmly around Scarlett\u2019s waist all the way to the curb.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett, lost in her own tumultuous thoughts, barely registered the contact.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She only snapped back to the present when Damian reached to open the car door for her. She took a quick step back, creating distance. \u201cMr. Langley,\u201d she began, her voice quiet but firm, \u201cthank you for your help\u00a0<\/p>\n
18:08\u00a0<\/p>\n
Jan\u00a0<\/p>\n
: Chapter 81 Provocations\u00a0<\/p>\n
tonight.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damian could sense the turmoil beneath her calm exterior, but he knew better than to press her. He leaned down, bringing his face level with hers, a soft, engaging smile in his eyes. \u201cYou keep thanking me. Doesn\u2019t that feel a bit too formal between us?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett took another subconscious step back, her lower back pressing against the cool metal of the car. She eyed him with renewed wariness. \u201cSo, what do you suggest\u2026?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before she could finish her sentence, Damian straightened up to his full height, his expression turning uncharacteristically serious. \u201cSpend the night with me. How does that sound?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He wasn\u2019t joking. His gaze was intense and utterly sincere.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett\u2019s heart gave an involuntary lurch. \u201cAnything but that,\u201d she said quickly. \u201cI\u2019ll agree to anything else.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damian studied her face for a long moment. \u201cThen have dinner with me. A proper dinner.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Feeling indebted to him for his intervention, Scarlett found herself nodding. \u201cAlright. Dinner.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A triumphant, mischievous glint returned to Damian\u2019s eyes. He laughed softly. \u201cI guess Zachary was right. The best way to get a woman to agree to a simple request is to ask for something outrageous first.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Realizing she had been deftly maneuvered, Scarlett\u2019s brow furrowed in mild irritation. \u201cDamian, you\u2026!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damian quickly locked his eyes with hers, his smile deepening into something more genuine. He stared intently at her and asked, \u201cAre you angry with me?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett didn\u2019t answer, instead turning her face away to avoid his penetrating gaze.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damian chuckled, the sound warm. His handsome features softened with a rare sincerity. \u201cYou know, you look incredibly cute when you\u2019re flustered. It makes me want to kiss you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
As he spoke these words, he leaned in toward her once more, closing the distance between them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His sudden advance sent Scarlett\u2019s heart racing. She instinctively turned her head further away, evading his proximity.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Simultaneously, her voice emerged, laced with a plea she hadn\u2019t intended. \u201cDamian, I\u2026 I just want to go\u00a0<\/p>\n
home.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The vulnerable note in her voice instantly disarmed him, melting away any intention to tease her further.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damian immediately straightened up, putting a respectful amount of space between them. His voice was gentle when he spoke again. \u201cLet me drive you home.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett shook her head, her resolve firming. \u201cNo, it\u2019s fine. I\u2019ll take a taxi.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She promptly stepped to the curb and hailed a passing cab.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Within moments, she was inside, and the vehicle sped off into the night.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Damian stood on the sidewalk, watching the taxi\u2019s taillights disappear around a corner. A gentle, unguarded smile touched his lips, and a rare warmth lingered in his eyes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
273\u00a0<\/p>\n
18:08 hu,\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 81 Provocations\u00a0<\/p>\n
Inside the taxi, Scarlett sat by the window, her gaze blankly taking in the blur of city lights and the anonymous crowds flowing along the sidewalks.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
On a massive digital screen attached to a nearby shopping mall, a high-end advertisement was playing. It featured Sabrina, seated elegantly at a grand piano. Her cascading, perfectly styled curly hair fell down her back. Her makeup was flawless, accentuating her delicate features, and she wore a long, figure-hugging gown. The dress was a fiery, passionate red that made her porcelain skin seem to glow from within. Her body was slender and graceful, and the faint, enigmatic smile gracing her lips was utterly captivating.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Pedestrians had stopped to watch, their faces filled with naked admiration and envy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
There was no denying it-Sabrina was breathtakingly beautiful. Her mere presence on the screen commanded the attention of everyone in the vicinity.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She was the complete package-gentle, intelligent, stunningly gorgeous. And with Vincent\u2019s powerful patronage and care, she embodied the kind of woman others could only aspire to become, a seemingly unattainable ideal.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett was acutely aware that she couldn\u2019t possibly compete with such perfection. Yet, this rational understanding did nothing to ease the heavy, aching sorrow that settled deep within her chest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1.0K\u00a0<\/p>\n
272\u00a0<\/p>\n
W\u00a0<\/p>\n
18:08 Thu, Jan 8\u00a0<\/p>\n
Awakened Housewife. Ignore Betrayer\u2019s Begs\u00a0<\/p>\n
Silent Dreams Never Die \u2014 Author: John Miller 81 \u00a0 Chapter 81 Provocations\u00a0 Finished\u00a0 Damian scratched his ear nonchalantly and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[81],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27445","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-impossible-condition-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27445","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27445"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27445\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27445"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27445"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27445"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}