With a snarl that seemed like he was ready to devour me whole, his tone was aggressive, almost threatening. But fear didn't grip me. In fact, I had been wanting to confront him myself, so I directly let go of Ernest's grip., However, in the next moment, Ernest tightened his hold on my hand instead., Turning to him, our eyes met, and the glimmer within his gaze felt eerily familiar., Right, it was the same protective spark I'd noticed back when we were at Galaxy Harbor, after Fat Jean had tripped me, sending me sprawling to the ground. Ernest had looked at me with the same fiery determination then., It was a look that meant to guard me., Yet, at this moment, I didn't need his protection. Gently extracting my hand from his, I said,

"Mr. Wagner can't intimidate me.

", Ernest didn't try to stop me again. Conrad, visibly seething, stormed off. Ivan hurried after us but only made it a few steps before Conrad turned and barked at him,

"This doesn't concern you.

", Startled, Ivan immediately froze, throwing me a cautious glance before standing still., Conrad marched on, and unsure of his destination, I called out to him,

"Mr. Wagner, if you have something to say, let's hear it now.

", He didn't stop, but I did, staring at his retreating figure.

"Mr. Wagner, whatever it is, spill it here. I've got other things to attend to, and you're eating into my work hours.

", At that, Conrad halted and turned to glare at me. Approaching him, I hadn't even steadied myself when he suddenly grabbed my arm, pulling me into a whirl. Before I knew it, I was pinned against a wall, his breath, and that face, the one I'd admired for over a decade, loomed closer., His nose nearly touched mine as he hissed,

"Felicia, you've really got some nerve, using yourself as leverage against me?

", The pressure against my back was painful. This man was impulsive, quick to anger., For the past ten years, I'd always tread lightly around him, fearing his temper., But now, facing his fury, I felt an unexpected surge of defiance,

"I'm simply not interested in Mr. Wagner letting your whims disrupt the schedule.

", Conrad remained silent but stared intensively,

"Are you really dating that guy?

",

"No,

" I said frankly.,

"Heh,

" Conrad scoffed, disbelief evident in his voice.

"You defend him, hold his hand, and then say 'no'? Do you think I'm blind?

", His words almost made me laugh,

"If holding hands means getting cozy, what does kissing imply?

", At this, Conrad's eyes widened in shock,

"You kissed him? Did you also-

", He trailed off, but it was clear he meant to suggest something more intimate.,

"Conrad, I was referring to you and Haley,

" I revealed what I had overheard., His grip on my arm stiffened.

"What nonsense are you spouting?

",

"In the diner yesterday, I heard it myself. Am I making things up?

" My voice was calm,

"Conrad, I didn't expect you to stoop so low. Before your good brother died, you had your hands on his wife.

", There's an unwritten code - you don't mess with a friend's wife. Jefferson had mentioned this before, and at the time, I thought he was just going along with Conrad's conversation. Now, looking back, it seemed like Jefferson was actually warning him.,

"It's not what you think,

" Conrad shook his head, his expression shifting from anger to a restless anxiety., I remained silent. The kiss was a fact, and whether it meant anything more, did it really matter?,

"I was drunk that time, I...I...

" he stuttered, struggling to find the right words., Search the website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.