Chapter 268
Renee’s lips curled up, but her expression was cold. In a moment, her heart froze into ice.
She assumed that Stefan would never have to ask such a stupid question, but since he had actually blurted it out, it was clear that a vast chasm had opened up between them, forever separating them from each other, no matter if he believed it or not… Exclusive content © by Nô(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.
“I have nothing to explain,” replied Renee. “If you trust me, I don’t have to say a word, and you’d still trust me. But if you don’t believe me, it won’t matter even if I explain everything to you till my mouth gets dry. I could dig out my heart and show it to you, and you still won’t believe me.”
Renee forcefully yanked her hand from him. There was only calm diffidence on her flawless face. Then, as if not caring at all what Stefan thought of her, she added, “Do whatever you want. I’m leaving!”
Then she turned on her heels and left without having the slightest feeling left for the man, not giving a jot of what he thought of her. So what if he thought she was a vicious murderer? To him, she was bad enough in the first place, so why bother worrying about it?
Stefan stared at Renee walking away, seemingly carefree and unbothered. His brows were tightly knitted. He was inconsolably enraged, partly due to the fact that Cecilia nearly drowned, and partly from his frustration of losing control.
He had always prided himself on effortlessly keeping everything under his control, but right now, he had absolutely no control over Renee Everheart. Setting aside the fact that he had no idea if Renee had really pushed Cecilia into the sea, what boiled his blood was Renee’s obtuseness, where she refused to explain herself. Her complete indifference towards him irrationally set his teeth on edge!
Dusk had fallen. The ambery sun slowly descended below the sea on the horizon. Light was disappearing, and it was getting dark everywhere.
There were now only Stefan and Ruby on the beach. Ruby was secretly delighted, knowing that her chance had finally come.
She worked up her courage and slowly approached Stefan, gingerly asking him, “Do you have some time to spare, Mr. Hunt? There’s something that I need to tell you.”
Stefan’s turned to her with eyes cold and frigid, and he asked her in a displeased tone, “Do we know each other?”
Having never paid much attention to the entertainment industry, he naturally had no idea that Ruby Chisholm was currently the hottest, most sought-after celebrity with a vast influence in pop culture and a sea of rabid fans.
“You might not know me,” said Ruby, while gazing at Stefan with twinkling eyes, every little gesture of hers coquettish and flirty, “but I’ve been admiring you from afar for a long time. Perhaps you’re not aware that I will be working with H Group soon, and we’re going to be bumping into each other a lot.”
“Oh, really?”
Stefan narrowed his eyes and studied the woman.
Indeed, Ruby Chisholm was nearly flawless. She had perfect bone structures and looked like a purely natural beauty, not the kind that resulted from surgeries and botox. Her eyebrows were thin and delicate, her nose bridge was narrow and straight, and yet the most striking features on her face were her lips—shapely yet dainty like a cherry. They were slapped with the color of vermillion that one might see in old paintings, perfectly extrapolating the soft delicacy of a rose that was full of classic charm.
“Yes,” Ruby replied with a gentle smile. Then, in a tone that suggested neither false modesty nor boastful pride, she added, “Because I will become the next spokesperson for H Group. From now on, we’ll have a lot of opportunities to bump into each other. I look forward to it, Mr. Hunt. I wonder if you feel the same?”
Ruby had full confidence in her appearance and even meticulously studied Stefan’s likes and preferences. One could even say that the path she had taken so far had been calculated to mold herself into the ideal woman for Stefan Hunt. It would not be an exaggeration to say that each step Ruby took in her entertainment career was solely done to achieve the ultimate goal ofclimbing into Stefan’s arms.
After all, wasn’t that where all female celebrities ended up anyway- married to rich and powerful men?
Stefan, however, was nothing but disinterested. He could see through Ruby’s true intentions at a simple glance and had no intention of humoring her. Thus, all he did was bluntly ask, “What’s going on between you and Renee?”
Ruby’s smile stiffened. She awkwardly replied, “What… What do you mean, Mr. Hunt?”
’I saw how you vehemently targeted her just now, so I assumed there’s something going on between you two. Do you mind telling me about it?”
“That’s not true!” Ruby argued defensively. Her eyes flickered, ashamed that Stefan managed to see through her deceit. “To be perfectly honest, I’d never even heard of Ms. Everheart’s name before today. All I did was speak the truth about what I saw. I’d harbor absolutely no animosity towards someone I consider a stranger!