Chapter 20

Sensing that the atmosphere was getting tenser and tenser, Kate lifted her head to look at Noah. She was surprised to sense that he was mad. He was not a man who showed his emotions. From what she remembered, he was cool, elegant, and majestic. She had never seen such an emotional side of Noah. At that moment, she clearly realized that she was not the reason he was behaving like this. It was Isla who was doing this to him. What was their relationship exactly? “Mr. Noah.” Zac took half a step forward and blocked Isla. His voice was deep. “It was Ms. Kate who was mean to Sister Isla. I merely asked her to apologize. Was that too much to ask?” Sister Isla? Noah casually glanced at Isla. There was a subtle sneer on his lips. “So what if she doesn't apologize?” The smile on Zac’s face started fading. “So Mr. Noah is playing favorites?” Noah said nothing, and his eyes were cold and mean when he looked at Isla. Seeing that he was protecting her, Kate smiled brighter and pretended to be noble. “Forget it, Noah. We shouldn’t be fighting at such an event. I’ll apologize to Ms. Isla.” She took a step toward Isla, secretly anticipating that Noah would stop her and stand up for her. However, he merely watched coolly. He did not have any intention of stopping her. Disappointment flashed through her eyes. Very soon, she adjusted her emotions and smiled at Isla. “I’m sorry, Ms. Isla. I hope you won't take this misunderstanding to heart.” “No, I will.” Isla was merciless. Kate’s face froze, and anger flashed through her eyes, but she could not vent in front of Noah. “Is–” “Noah.” Isla walked around Zac and approached Noah. She suddenly grabbed his tie to force him to look down. “What are you doing?” Kate yelled at her. “Let go.” Isla ignored her. She stared into Noah’s dark eyes with anger on her beautiful face. She then pointed at Kate and said, “She said she’s your girlfriend. Don’t you think you should explain that?” Her exquisite face was close to his, and her skin was so fair that he could see the tiny hair on her face. Her eyes sparkled like amber, and she was very charming. They were so close that he could even feel her breathe and smell her unique fragrance. He was secretly riled up, and an indescribable feeling took over his body. He gulped to suppress the desire inside of him. However, the more he looked at her, the more that desire brewed. It was getting very intense. Before he was overcome by it, he decided to push her away. Shock, confusion, and disappointment flashed through her eyes as she looked at him blankly. At that moment, she felt like he was a stranger. He turned around, half of his face hiding in the shadows so she could not see his emotions. He fixed his tie, which was messed up, and said in his cold and deep voice, “There’s nothing to explain.” At that moment, Isla did not know how to react. What he had said had crushed her completely. He did not fight back, nor did he explain. The relationship he had with Kate was not what she had thought, and it was not Kate who had one-sided feelings for him. So all men were the same after all? He saw her pale face out of the corner of his eye. He pursed his lips, his voice becoming terribly scary. “Let’s go.” Kate still felt what he had said echoing in her ears. She responded sweetly when she heard his voice and went after him. Zac looked at the two of them, seemingly lost in deep thought. He saw Isla’s sad face as soon as he turned around. She looked worried now. “What’s wrong? Why do you look so terrible? Should I take you home?” Her eyes were teary, but she tried her best to keep her composure. She sniffled and shook her head. “It’s okay. Let’s go in.” He looked at her worriedly and said gently, “Are you really okay? No need to force yourself, okay?” She shook her head and gave him a bitter smile. Zac’s eyes sparkled, and he took the initiative to hold her hand. “Let’s go in, then.” She hesitated before holding his hand and walking into the house with him. She looked around, her heart sinking when she did not see Noah and Kate. “I heard that Mr. Matthew Newman of Osten is coming today. Let me introduce you guys.” Zac spoke. Isla nodded and followed him downstairs. Only then did she realize the villa was something else. The amenities were as extensive as those of a mini club. There was a tobacco smell as soon as the door was opened, and she covered her nose with a frown. Through the dim lights, she saw over ten people in there, and both men and women were sitting together. She saw Noah sitting in the most prominent seat. He leaned lazily on the leather couch, swirling the wine glass in his hand. Kate sat on his right, drinking and talking to the foreigner next to her. Although it was dark, Isla saw disgust on Kate’s face. She looked around, but there was only one foreigner there. He was approximately 30 years old, with blonde, curly hair. His eyes were blue, and he was tall and handsome, but he was rather frivolous. He should be the man that Zac was talking about. Noah was sitting with him. He must have planned to meet him by coming to the party today. People were singing and talking, so it was very noisy. Not knowing if this was intentional, Zac bent down to inch closer to Isla’s ear. “Let’s find a seat.” “Sure.” She looked away and followed him to a corner. Noah lifted his head at that moment. He was squinting in a terrifying way as he looked at Isla and Zac. The latter seemed to have noticed. He suddenly looked back and grinned at him as they locked eyes. The gesture was provocative. Noah clenched the hand that was holding the wine glass and finished his drink. There was a storm brewing in his dark eyes. “I’ve seen your work, Ms. Kate. I adore you.” Matthew caressed Kate’s hand while speaking. He was hinting at something with his eyes. She clenched her teeth, her face sinking. She quietly tried to retrieve her hand, but Matthew was unwilling to let her go. He was crossing the line. He intentionally inched closer to Kate and blew into her ear. He then snickered. “Ms. Kate, did anyone tell you that you’re charming? To be honest, the second you stepped in, I felt that none of the women here tonight could compare to you.”