Chapter 655

Vera's eyes swept the bustling hall, anxiety flickering behind her composed smile-until her gaze finally caught Vincent's familiar silhouette. He was standing near the bar, a solitary figure with a drink in hand, his expression unreadable, yet his line of sight seemed to be directed toward her.

A soft, knowing smile curled across her lips. Of course.Men were creatures ruled by sight, and Vincent was no different.She had captured his attention exactly as she'd intended.

Her confidence surged, and with each beat of the music,her movements grew bolder-every turn, every sway of her hips executed to inflame his focus further.

At the bar, however, Vincent's attention wasn't on Vera at all.His gaze had been fixed, unblinking, on Hannah. He had been upstairs earlier when a glance across the railing revealed her below. For one fleeting second, he thought she had come in search of him, and that thought was enough to draw him downstairs.

But the moment he saw her laughing easily among a circle of men, charming each of them with effortless grace, that illusion had shattered. She wasn't here for him. The glass in his hand creaked under the pressure of his tightening grip. Watching her tilt her head back in laughter felt like a quiet knife twisting in his chest. He emptied his drink in one hard swallow, the burn doing little to quell the unease clawing at him.

"Vincent, what's with that face? You look like you've lost a fortune." The teasing voice came from beside him-Ansell Fowler, an old classmate from high school who'd shared a few pleasantries with him moments earlier.

Ansell plopped down beside Vincent at the counter, elbowing him in jest.

Vincent tore his gaze away from Hannah, his expression frostbitten. "Too loud in here." His tone was clipped,edged with irritation. The pounding bass and overlapping chatter made his temples throb. He felt incredibly agitated.

Ansell chuckled, following Vincent's line of sight toward the stage where Vera was still dancing. "Loud, yeah-but worth it.Look at her. Vera's on fire tonight! Can't say I mind the view."

Vincent said nothing, his features blank as he poured himself another drink.

Ansell rambled on without pause, his voice carrying a hintof mischief as his eyes drifted away from Vera's direction toward the far end of the hall. Suddenly, his face lit up with boyish excitement. "Vera's hot," he said, leaning closer to Vincent,"but check this out. I've found someone even more breathtaking. Over there,look!"

Vincent didn't bother responding. His posture remained composed, detached, uninterested. But Ansell was relentless.He nudged Vincent again with his elbow, lowering his tone to a whisper brimming with enthusiasm. "See that woman in the blue dress? The one talking to Mr. Sampson? I've had my eye on her all evening. She's on another level-class, beauty, that figure-like she walked straight off a movie set. I swear, she's the most stunning woman here. Shame she's surrounded by half the men in the room. But once they clear out, I'm definitely introducing myself."

Vincent had been tuning out Ansell's chatter-until his gaze followed Ansell's gesture. The moment his eyes landed on the woman in the blue dress-unmistakably Hannah, his voice came out low,measured, but razor-sharp. "You like her?"

Ansell, oblivious to the tension simmering beside him, gave a careless laugh and leaned back, grinning. "Like her? Hell yes

eless laugh and leaned back, grinning. "Like her? Hell yes.She's got that rare kind of beauty-tight waist, legs for days,the kind of woman who could ruin a man in the best way possible." He chuckled crudely, shaking his head. "If I could get her in bed and make her scream my name, I'd keep her in bed for ten days straight-"

The sound of glass slamming against wood cut through the noise like a gunshot. Vincent's tumbler shattered against the counter, his eyes, dark and fathomless, locked on Ansell with lethal stillness.

Every trace of emotion had drained from Vincent's face,leaving behind something far more dangerous. Nothing provoked him more than hearing another man fantasizing about Hannah in such a vulgar way.

Before Ansell could blink, Vincent's fist crashed into his jaw.

Ansell stumbled backward, catching himself on the bar as pain and fury flashed across his features. "What the hell is wrong with you? Why'd you hit me?"

Vincent straightened, flexing his wrist with unhurried precision.His tone was glacial, cutting through the thundering music."Be glad I held back. Now, get lost."

Ansell's pride flared despite the warning in Vincent's voice."What's your problem? What, you fancy her too? Damn, we can both admire her. She's just a woman..."

He never finished the sentence. Vincent's second punch came faster and heavier, cracking through the bassline that pulsed around them.

The fury radiating from Vincent was palpable, his entire presence turning frigid and suffocating. He glared down at Ansell as though staring at something filthy beneath his shoes.

Ansell's bravado collapsed instantly. Shaken, he clutched his bruised cheek, muttering under his breath as he backed away

bruised cheek, muttering under his breath as he backed away.Moments later, he disappeared into the crowd, eager to vanish from Vincent's sight.

The booming music and waves of laughter drowned the scene,concealing the brief violence as though it had never happened.

Up on stage, Vera's dance reached its feverish finale. Amid thunderous applause, she descended the platform, flushed and glowing under the stage lights. Her outfit-a daringly cut dress that left little to imagination-clung to her curves as she strutted toward Vincent.

Still, Vincent remained motionless, not even granting her the courtesy of a glance. His very presence radiated an unspoken warning-a cold, impenetrable aura that made it clear no one should dare draw closer.

Sliding onto the stool beside him, Vera leaned in with a playful tilt of her head, her voice syrup-sweet. "Vincent, did you see me dance? Tell me it was mesmerizing."

She cupped her face, pouting with deliberate charm, waiting for a trace of approval.

Vincent's jaw tightened, irritation flickering in his eyes. "How would I know?" he muttered, his tone flat, almost dismissive.

Her smile wavered, but she pressed on, masking her hurt behind forced playfulness."Come on, just a few words. I want to hear what you think."

Finally,hne lifted his gaze-cold, impassive, utterly devoid of warmth. "Didn't watch. So I can't comment."

The words struck her harder than she expected. Her composure cracked, her voice rising. "Didn't watch? That's not true! I saw you looking at me-you were watching!"