Chapter 7
Rowan could feel every pair of eyes in the room on her.
Tonight was just a private gathering of friends—some were Kingsley's, some were Ezra's.
They weren't necessarily close with each other, but they had one thing in common: they were all hostile toward Rowan.
So in this moment, everyone was waiting to see how Rowan would react.
Blake was already whispering to someone beside him. "She wouldn't dare resist. This'll be good."
Rowan wanted to tell Blake his voice wasn't as quiet as he thought—she could hear every word—but in the end, she said nothing. Under Kingsley's emotionless gaze, she silently bent down and picked up the wine bottle.
The sound of pouring liquid filled the air. Ezra's glass was quickly filled.
But Ezra still wasn't satisfied. "As a private secretary, Ms. Lavien, you don't even know how to pour wine properly. You're worse than the servers here. But that's fine—I can have them come in and teach you how wine should be poured."
With that, Ezra lifted her chin slightly. A woman beside her immediately understood, stood up, and pressed the call button on the wall by the door. Someone had been waiting outside. The door opened immediately.
The server looked at Kingsley and Ezra, waiting for tonight's hosts to give instructions.
Kingsley remained silent. Ezra glanced at him, clearly pleased by his reaction.
Private secretary? Everyone in their circle knew what that really meant.
It wasn't that Ezra didn't trust Kingsley. It was just the nature of their world.
A secretary was a secretary.
If it was called a 'private secretary,' then even if the secretary were a man, Ezra would suspect Kingsley swung both ways.
Fortunately, Kingsley showed no reaction when she made things difficult for Rowan. That made Ezra feel much better.
Rowan didn't bother wondering what she was thinking.
Right now, she just wanted to satisfy Ezra quickly so she could leave.
She cooperated obediently. Kingsley showed no sign of protecting her or any change in expression. Ezra quickly grew bored and dismissed Rowan.
Ethan Diaz's gaze flickered between Kingsley and Ezra for a moment before he finally worked up the courage to stand and leave the room.
"Don't touch me!" Rowan backed away, watching Ethan warily.
Ethan was stung by the disgust in her eyes. He stepped forward and pinned her against the wall. "Rowan, what right do you have to be disgusted by me? Do you know what you are now? You're Kingsley's mistress. A homewrecker inserting herself into someone else's marriage. Women like you—aren't you a dime a dozen in our circle? Haven't you seen how they all end up? Ezra's already engaged to Kingsley. How long do you think she'll tolerate you staying by his side? You should start thinking about your future now. For example, when you leave Kingsley, you could come to me."
He lowered his head. Rowan's sweet fragrance drifted into his nose. "Smells so good. You're not the first woman around me to wear this perfume, but why do you feel so different? It makes me... want you even more."
Ethan tilted his head, trying to bite Rowan's neck.
"Ah!"
Before Rowan could bite down, Ethan covered his eyes and stumbled backward.
After what happened last time, that incident had left Rowan traumatized. Now whenever she went out, she carried pepper spray.
She hadn't expected to need it so soon.
Rowan stepped aside, putting distance between herself and Ethan.
Picking up the high heel that had fallen off during Ethan's grabbing, Rowan ran without looking back.
In the corner, watching Rowan flee in a panic and Ethan still covering his eyes, too furious to catch her, Kingsley glanced at Blake beside him, who was marveling at Rowan's performance.
"Kingsley, good thing you're Rowan's sugar daddy. Otherwise, if she did that to you... She's a ruthless woman. But I guess she has to be. If she wasn't ruthless, back then she wouldn't have..." Blake's voice trailed off.
Seeing Kingsley's expression, he knew if he kept talking, he'd be in for hard times.
"Kingsley..." Blake smiled apologetically.
"Teach Ethan a lesson. Regardless, Rowan is my woman right now. Before I finish my revenge, I don't want to be cuckolded."
Blake looked worried. "Kingsley, are you really just worried about being cuckolded? You can't go soft on her. Back then she—"
Blake didn't finish his sentence. One look from Kingsley and he shut his mouth. "Fine, fine, fine. I'll go warn Ethan."
By now Ethan had recovered. He didn't chase after Rowan's retreating figure, but he was clearly determined to have her.
Blake shuddered. Ethan was insane. Even if Kingsley didn't like Rowan, as long as she had that kind of relationship with Kingsley, she wasn't someone Ethan could touch.
Blake walked toward Ethan.
After returning home, Rowan's heart was still racing. Worried that Ethan wouldn't give up, she blocked his WeChat and phone number before finally feeling slightly at ease.
The former heiress of the Lavien family, now Kingsley's private secretary—either identity made men who once stood at the same height as her covet her endlessly.
Curled up in bed in a ball, Rowan felt lost.
She definitely had to leave Kingsley's side.
But what would she do after?
Kingsley wouldn't let her participate much in company projects. She couldn't just sit and wait for death.
Rowan climbed out of bed and pulled her sketches from her desk drawer, pressing her lips together.
If she wanted to leave Kingsley and live well afterward, she had to stand on her own two feet.
Rowan forced herself to rally, organized her sketches, and sent them to Jett Parker, a senior from school she hadn't contacted in a long time.
After that, she fell into sleep.
She woke to noise from downstairs.
Rowan frowned. Only she and Kingsley came here. Did Kingsley not need to accompany his fiancée tonight?
She hesitated, unsure whether to go downstairs and check.
If it really was Kingsley...
Thinking of Lena's death, the affection she'd held for Kingsley in her heart was suddenly crushed into a tiny ball and locked away in a corner, never to resurface.
Rowan clutched her blanket. The thought of going downstairs never appeared again.
But then her bedroom door was suddenly opened from outside.
She closed her eyes, pretending to sleep, but had already identified from the footsteps that it was Kingsley.
She was already asleep. Why was he coming to her room?
Before Rowan could form more questions, the blanket was yanked off her. Kingsley showed no consideration for the fact that she'd been sleeping and pressed his body over hers.
Her wrists were grabbed and pinned above her head.
Before she could even open her eyes, his lips captured hers.
"Mmph!"
Her parents' faces flashed through Rowan's mind. She felt sick. She wanted to struggle, but Kingsley's entire body weight pressed down, trapping her.
"Not asleep? Then why pretend? Avoiding me?"
Kingsley increased the pressure on her wrists after making this discovery.
"Mmph! Kingsley, please, let me rest a bit longer."
Whenever Kingsley got close, she thought of her parents. She felt so sick she wanted to vomit.
"Wait? On what grounds? Don't forget your place." Kingsley ripped open Rowan's nightgown in one motion.
