Chapter 4

"Idiot!"

I scowled, climbing onto the team bus.

As soon as I got on, my teammates were roaring with laughter.

"What's wrong with his eyes? How could he mistake you for that conniving stepsister of yours?"

"First time I've seen a guy confess his love and get the wrong person. Was he even trying, haha?"

"K, maybe we should be nice and tell him?"

I pursed my lips, retorting:

"No need. Keep it a secret."

"I want to see what kind of mess he makes this time."

The next day, Julian arrived with his big mess. The celebration party had gone on very late yesterday, and I was so happy that I had blacked out. I barely remembered who took me home.

So by the time I arrived at the gala today, it was quite late.

Julian's declaration of love was already nearing its end.

Seeing me arrive fashionably late, Serena, clutching the flowers Julian had given her, walked over to me, eager to show off:

"Sister, I'm so sorry."

"I never thought such an outstanding man like Julian would actually be in love with me."

"You'll bless us, won't you?"

Julian saw Serena cautiously speaking to me, and his protective instincts immediately kicked in.

He shielded Serena behind him and yelled at me:

"Maya Sterling, what are you doing here?"

"Let me tell you, don't get any ideas about me. I won't give you any response."

"This life, I will only marry Serena. No matter how much of a perfect homemaker you are, I, Julian Blackwood, would never marry a glorified nanny for the rest of my life! The perfect elite wife candidate? In my eyes, you're just loveless, uninteresting, and utterly boring!"

Julian's emotions were exceptionally intense.

It was as if he wanted to vent all the suppressed emotions from his previous life onto me.

His voice was particularly loud, drawing the gaze of all the guests.

Watching Julian, with the face I had loved for over a decade, publicly humiliate me like this…

It hurt, that was undeniable.

But mostly, it was pure disgust.

I suppressed the urge to throw my glass of wine in his face and, scowling, shot back:

"Julian Blackwood, are we even acquainted?"

Julian was taken aback by my question.

He suddenly remembered that in the previous life, though we moved in the same circles, our true acquaintance began at this very gala.

Julian let out a relieved breath, as if narrowly escaping disaster:

"Good, good, no, we're not!"

I seized the opportunity and walked away, not wanting to get entangled with him further.

Behind me, I heard someone gossiping:

"What's going on? Didn't Julian always want to pursue Maya Sterling? How did he suddenly end up with her stepsister, Serena Hayes?"

"He probably couldn't catch her and gave up. Who is Maya Sterling? Even my notoriously picky mother said if I could marry a girl with half her qualities, I'd consider myself incredibly lucky."

Julian's voice interjected into their conversation.

"Then your mom clearly misjudged."

He sneered, glancing at me not far away, deliberately trying to provoke me:

"Maya Sterling only looks good."

"Honestly, marrying someone like her would be a lifetime of misery. She'd constantly be micromanaging you. The only good thing is she'd cater to your every need, and pretty comfortably too. But why marry a glorified nanny when you could just hire one?"

"Serena, though, is different. You know 'K,' the champion esports player? That's Serena!"

A collective gasp of surprise went through the group:

"What? 'K' is Serena Hayes?"

"No way, I never would've guessed. She looks so delicate, but she's a total beast!"

"Julian, can you ask Serena to play some games with me? I'd love to experience being carried by a national champion!"

Julian's vanity was instantly satisfied, and he nodded.

With his chin held high, he cast a cold glance at me.

Then he turned to the approaching Serena, speaking softly:

"Serena, are you busy tonight?"

"Want to play some games together? We need to worship your gaming skills!"