Playing the Villainess, He Fell for Me

Henry Hughes thought he must have misheard, or that Joanna Kennedy had misspoken.

He ventured a guess, testing the waters. ”Are you trying to say you’re already engaged to your boyfriend, so he’s your fiancé now? Is that it?”

Having a boyfriend and a fiancé at the same time was just too ridiculous. If it was as he guessed, then it would be a little more acceptable... like hell it would be!

’Joanna Kennedy is engaged?! Joanna has a fiancé?!’

’A top-tier celebrity, just casually evading the ever-present paparazzi, about to enter the sacred halls of matrimony in the prime of her life?!’

”No, wait, Joanna, who are you engaged to?” Henry Hughes still couldn’t accept it, his voice unconsciously rising on the last few words.

A circle of people turned their heads in unison, their suspicious gazes flickering between Henry Hughes and Joanna Kennedy.

Henry Hughes: ”...”

”Ah... hahaha,” Henry Hughes laughed awkwardly, forcing down the twitch at the corner of his mouth. ”Joanna and I were just gossiping. Haha, just gossiping.”

The crowd: ”...” ’Weirdo.’

’He gets so worked up over gossip, but he can’t act to save his life. What a waste of a handsome face.’

Seeing that everyone had looked away and was no longer paying attention, Henry Hughes lowered his voice, intending to ask more, but Joanna cut him off ruthlessly after he’d uttered a single word.

”Dude, can you just let me have a moment of peace?”

Joanna was speechless. She knew Henry Hughes was simple-minded, his head filled with nothing but smut, but she never thought he could be this dense!

’My bullshit was so obvious. Anyone with a shred of emotional intelligence would have shut up and stopped asking by now.’

But Henry Hughes had managed to ramble on to himself for so long that Joanna’s ears were still ringing.

She took a deep breath. Having reached a certain peak of annoyance, she paradoxically felt her emotions stabilize, and even the fuzziness from the alcohol cleared up considerably.

”If you dare say another word, I’ll expose the fact that you’re two-timing,” Joanna threatened, a smile on her face that didn’t reach her eyes.

Henry Hughes: ”!!!”

Henry Hughes sucked in a sharp breath. He snapped back to reality and immediately glanced at the people nearby. Seeing no one was looking their way, he breathed a slight sigh of relief. He subconsciously reached for his forehead and found it was already slick with cold sweat.

He wasn’t sure if Joanna really had a boyfriend or fiancé, but he had genuinely two-timed someone before!

If that got out, the leading role he just landed in a serious drama would go down the drain.

”Okay, okay, I won’t say anything. I’ll shut up,” Henry Hughes said placatingly, knowing when to back down. When Joanna refused to even look at him, he sullenly went to chat with someone else.

’It’s true what they say,’ he thought. ’The more beautiful the woman, the more vicious her heart. I’ve seen it firsthand today.’

With the annoying chattering gone from her ear, Joanna let out a breath of relief. She declined invitations from others to play games and found a less crowded corner. Sitting on a sofa, she idly toyed with the flowers on the table.

Unlike the artificial flowers at other banquets, all the flowers at tonight’s dinner were real. Roses and lilies were arranged together, emitting a unique, fresh fragrance.

Two completely different types of flowers, yet at a certain moment, they seemed perfectly harmonious. This contradictory quality was much like the girl toying with them, drawing the subtle and not-so-subtle gazes of many.

The heat was on inside, and lulled by the floral scent, Joanna started to feel a little drowsy again. She didn’t notice these gazes at all—or perhaps she was so used to them that she paid them no mind.

The rose in her hand was suddenly snatched away. Joanna snapped back to her senses. She frowned, and as she looked up, her eyes met a pair of smiling ones.

The man’s smile made her very uncomfortable, just like his smile in the tea room that day—scrutinizing, mocking, and contemptuous.

”Young Master Sinclair, isn’t it a bit rude to take what isn’t yours?” Joanna said with a smile, though her tone was anything but polite.

She didn’t deliberately lower her voice. The people secretly watching from the side couldn’t help but gasp when they heard her blunt words.

Who here didn’t know Jasper Sinclair? He was the First Young Master of the Sinclair Family, the future heir to the Sinclair Group. What right did someone like Joanna Kennedy have to speak to him like that?!

Everyone waited for the First Young Master Sinclair’s expression to darken. But Jasper Sinclair only paused for a moment before breaking into a wide, happy smile. He even sat down beside her and said apologetically, ”My apologies. I didn’t realize you liked it, Miss Kennedy.”

The crowd: ”...” ’Wow, what a good-tempered young master.’

Joanna: ”...” ’What an act.’

After speaking, Jasper Sinclair’s tone shifted. ”However, this flower isn’t yours either, Miss Kennedy. So it shouldn’t be a problem for me to take it, right?”

The flowers at the banquet certainly didn’t belong to her alone. But there were so many others, yet Jasper Sinclair had specifically snatched the one from her hand. That was rather classless.

Joanna raised an eyebrow. ”I had no idea Young Master Sinclair was such a flower enthusiast. In that case, don’t forget to take them all home when the party’s over. They’re nothing rare; I’m sure Mr. Spencer won’t mind.”

Seeing Jasper Sinclair’s smile fade, Joanna felt not fear, but a sense of satisfaction. She continued in a leisurely tone, ”Stick them in some soil, and they might even live. Then you won’t have to snatch them from other people’s hands.”

The passive-aggression in her words was blatant. If it had been anyone else, they would have been thrown out on the spot. But as Jasper Sinclair looked at the girl’s beautiful face, his anger dissipated for no reason.

’That cheap brother of his might be a love-struck fool, but his taste in women is actually quite good.’

”Miss Kennedy certainly has a sense of humor,” Jasper Sinclair said, finding himself a way to save face.

Joanna didn’t respond, merely offering a professional, fake smile. ’Can’t offend him too much, or a cornered dog might lash out.’

Joanna wanted to end the conversation, but Jasper Sinclair clearly had other ideas. The thought of Old Master Sinclair’s will brought a cold glint to his eyes, and he nearly snapped the rose stem in his hand.

’Just an illegitimate son, and he thinks he’s worthy of being my equal? The nerve.’

He stared at Joanna, recalling what Simon Lockwood had said at the Sinclair family’s old residence. An enigmatic glint flashed in his eyes.

’Since that’s the case, I’ll let Simon Lockwood have a taste of getting nothing at all.’

Jasper Sinclair casually tossed the rose onto the table. The vibrant, dew-kissed flower scattered a few petals across the surface. Under Joanna’s reproachful gaze, he spoke. ”Actually, I came here today mainly for one thing.”

”After thinking it over, I decided you have the right to know,” Jasper Sinclair said.

’What could possibly make Jasper Sinclair come and tell her personally?’ Joanna’s intuition screamed that it was nothing good. She wasn’t about to take the bait. Averting her gaze nonchalantly, she replied with a flat, ”Oh.”

Jasper Sinclair: ”...”

Jasper Sinclair was taken aback by her attitude, but he wasn’t so easily provoked. After a brief pause, he took the initiative and said, ”Simon Lockwood is about to be engaged. Did you know?”

”His fiancée is the young lady from the Pemberton Family. She’s here tonight.”