Damien even considered himself a bit perverted. Killing got him excited, and now there was something else making Jasmine cry – excited for that. That thrill was even more intense than the rush he got from killing. Every cell in his body was screaming for it. Yesterday, when he pinned her to the bed, he wanted to make her cry, take her hard, and tease her. But it was the first time he’d had such dark thoughts. It really threw him off and left him unsure of how to handle those twisted urges. Scared he might actually go too far, he’d left.

That was when he realized why he hadn’t felt disgusted when Jasmine bit him. His body had been okay with her getting close. Yet, because of his nature, he’d instinctively pulled away. He could protect her, but his world didn’t need anyone else pushing in. That was what he thought. He was fine on his own.

So when Jasmine kept forcing her way into his space, trying to get into his life, and even prying into his privacy, he’d unconsciously put up a wall to keep her out, starting to guard himself. He hadn’t expected that his coldness would hurt her. He never meant to hurt her. Like he’d said, it really wasn’t about her. He’d have acted the same with anyone else. That night, he’d snapped at her and scared her off. ‘Good,’ he thought. ‘She shouldn’t have tried to get close.’ But that hurt look on her face that night? He cared about it so much.

He’d held back from going to her, and by the time he couldn’t resist anymore, Jasmine had changed. She wasn’t clinging to him, checking on him, or smiling at him like before. He apologized, but she still brushed him off. The second he touched her, she’d get all worked up like she hated him so much that she couldn’t stand to see him, hiding from him.

Tonight, Jasmine was even going on blind dates with a bunch of guys. He thought, ‘Mrs. York invited them, so they must be brilliant. Jasmine’s pretty enough, and she’s Joshua’s cousin, not to mention Baykeep’s city lord. She’s bound to be popular with these men. She’s like a cute bunny—easy to be after by them. I won’t allow it. These men didn’t even get to think about eyeing my bunny. Jasmine belongs to me.’

But he’d been so close to taking his bunny with him. Then Ava showed up and he lost his chance. Before he knew it, his bunny had slipped away. And Ava even dared to keep pestering him. He was tempted to kill her.

Ava was crushed. Damien calling her delusional had stung, burning her cheeks. She thought, ‘He’s right. I was trying to reach for something way out of my league.’

Chapter 531

Damien’s voice turned cold. “Get lost. And don’t let me see you again.”

Ava’s face went even paler. Her legs felt weak like she couldn’t stand. She could tell if she stayed, Damien might take back whatever mercy he'd shown. Worse, he might even kill her. The man in front of her was nothing like he used to be. No amount of trickery would fool him now. Ava forced herself up, stumbling away in a panic.

Damien had no choice but to head back to that so-called party.

Not far off, Joshua watched the whole thing and actually admired Damien’s bluntness. Most men in the Kingdom of Xyperia had a soft spot for women, always letting their sympathy get the better of them. It was his least favorite thing about them. That was why in the Kingdom of Xyperia, even though men claimed to respect women, the divorce rate was a whopping 80%. Of course, it wasn’t all men’s fault. The culture there was loose and women played the field just as much. It was a lot like some developed countries. That meant people—men and women—who were truly loyal and devoted were few and far between.

Damien was an odd one out there. And Jasmine? She was from a branch of the royal bloodline. The royal family’s tradition was simple. Whether it came to family, friends, or lovers, the royals must be loyal to them.

Joshua slid his hand around Shermaine’s waist. “Sheary, let’s head up and watch the drama.”

Shermaine looked up, chuckling, “Joshua, why do I get the feeling you’re more eager to see him make a fool of himself than I am?”

Joshua’s voice dropped, as smooth as a cello’s hum, rich and pleasing. “Sheary, it’s your little setup. Of course, I’m interested.”

“You’re just bored,” Shermaine said.

Joshua laughed, thinking, ‘Sheary really knows me well. I’m bored indeed.’ He’d stepped back from power and stopped handling things with the Eagle Assassins. Gracie didn’t need much looking after, and he couldn’t very well spend every day glued to Shermaine, lost in bed. So, yeah, he was a little bored.

Joshua didn’t argue. He bent down and kissed her.

When Jasmine made it up to the party hall, she was breathing hard. She grabbed a glass of red wine and chugged it, trying to calm down. She thought, ‘Damien, that bastard. He already has a woman around, and he made it clear he couldn’t stand me. So why is he still pestering me? What’s his problem?’ The wine settled in her stomach, and Jasmine seethed.

But soon, her attention was snagged by all the hot guys in the room. She thought, ‘Holy crap. There are all types of hot guys here.’

Chapter 531

Right now, a group of them was chatting together, and Jasmine felt a little thrill just watching. Then a spotlight hit her, and a voice rang out. “Gentlemen, our City Lord, Ms. Farrington, has arrived!” In an instant, every eye turned to her. Jasmine pasted on a polite smile. Inside, though, she wanted to laugh out loud. She loved Shermaine for throwing this party. The guys burst into applause.

Let’s be real. These days, aside from Shirley, the two city lords of Baykeep were probably the last people anyone in the Kingdom of Xyperia would dare cross. Everyone was too busy trying to curry favor.

“And our esteemed Her Highness, Shirley,” the voice said.

Another spotlight flickered on, landing in a darker corner. Shirley was sipping a drink. When the light hit her, she smiled faintly. The room buzzed even louder.

They all knew, of course. Tonight was basically a blind date party. Everyone had come, hoping for a good match, ready to compete. No one had expected Shirley to be there though. But then again, Shirley didn’t have any men in her life right now. Still, she was the Kingdom of Xyperia’s only queen now. A lot more guys hesitated to make a move on her than they did with Jasmine.

The host went on to introduce several single socialites from Baykeep. Shermaine had invited them all and they were all single. After the introductions, the host said, “Now each of you has a rose in hand. If any lady here catches your eye, go ahead and give her the rose. Let’s see if you can win her heart and get the first dance of the night with her.” As soon as the host finished speaking, the men in the room started moving.

The moment Damien walked in, he saw Jasmine holding flowers. A line of men was waiting to give her roses and her eyes were full of smiles. Jasmine was undoubtedly the most popular one there tonight. She looked stunning in her outfit, sexy, yet still innocent. The men didn’t hold back their compliments, praising her figure and beauty. They wanted her too.

Jealousy hit Damien like a wild wave. He wanted to take her away. But it was too late now. If he acted out, he’d surely cause a scene. And if that happened, Shermaine would probably kick him out without a second thought. Damien knew this was Shermaine’s way of punishing him.

Jasmine was finding it hard to choose. All the men handing her roses were handsome and tall. She was overwhelmed by the choices.

Chapter 531

They introduced themselves by name, but she could barely remember any of them. She felt a little awkward, and it felt like something was missing. Jasmine was happy but also frustrated. ‘Even if none of them makes my heart race, at least one should make me want to dance, right? Is that too much to ask?’ Jasmine sighed inwardly as she kept accepting roses, her thoughts drifting elsewhere.

Just then, she felt a familiar presence drawing near. She looked up, her gaze settling on him. Her heart gave a lurch. It was Damien. He was watching her, his gray eyes deep. She was so spooked that she almost turned to run again. But she glanced around. ‘There are so many people around. He shouldn’t dare do anything,’ she thought. He walked up to her. Jasmine’s palms grew hot and sweaty.

She spoke up. “I’m not going with you.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Damien held out a bouquet of roses to her. Jasmine froze, wondering, ‘What’s this jerk playing at? Could I just not take his flowers?’

When Damien held out the roses, the assassins patrolling the shadows for security let out low murmurs. Teddy couldn’t believe it, but he found it even funnier. He thought, ‘If he’d come around sooner, he wouldn’t have had to compete with all these men for Jasmine tonight. She would’ve been all over him herself. Well, now it’s different.’ They started making bets on whether Jasmine would choose to dance with him tonight. Teddy bet she wouldn’t. He thought, ‘Jasmine is pretty good at holding a grudge. Damien won’t win her back that easily. He’s definitely in for a tough night.’

Damien didn’t seem to think there was anything wrong with what he was doing. His eyes were still deep, no hint of what he was thinking. Even so, just looking at him made Jasmine’s whole body feel hot, her bones going weak.

“Choose me,” he said.

Jasmine’s heart kept racing. She didn’t take the roses he was holding out. She just asked, “Damien, you’re not trying to be my man too, are you?”