Chapter 77

Shermaine glanced at him, noticing his face was unnaturally flushed. What on earth was in that wine? she wondered. It seemed like some kind of parasite, or maybe even a poisonous worm. But before she could confirm, he had already gulped it down.

Leslie, terrified that his words weren’t sincere or moving enough, continued pleading, “It was my fault for misunderstanding you before, but I promise I won’t do it again. The truth is, I really like you.”

He continued, “At first, it was just a crush, but as time went by, I found myself thinking about you every day, falling deeper and deeper. Could you give me a chance? Please, call off the engagement.” He might as well have gotten down on his knees to beg.

Never before had Leslie pleaded with someone so desperately, swallowing his pride.

Outside.

Roy said, “I bet Shermaine will soften up. I mean, when a handsome classmate confesses his feelings so sincerely, what young girl could resist?”

At first, Roy was pretty pissed when Leslie badmouthed Joshua, but the more he thought about it, the more he had to admit it was true. Joshua might look like a perfect gentleman, but deep down, he was cold and ruthless, especially toward women.

Don’t be fooled by his appearance, Roy thought. He makes no distinction between men and women. Cross his line, and he’ll never show mercy!

Joshua didn’t hesitate. “She won’t.”

Roy snorted. “No way! With all my years of experience with women, no little girl could resist a man’s sweet talk.”

Joshua shot him a cold glance. No wonder Roy kept getting played by women. Then he said icily, “You’d be better off in Alendor.”

Roy thought, How ruthless. He threatened me just because I was right! He just can’t face the truth. Secretly, he couldn’t help but feel a little pleased with himself.

In fact, Shermaine barely hesitated. “Sorry, I don’t like you.”

Roy’s smile, which had just appeared, froze. How could she turn him down so fast?

At the sound of Shermaine’s voice, the faintest smile touched the corners of Joshua’s lips.

Leslie’s face fell, his heart plummeting into the abyss.

Shermaine’s rejection meant he didn’t have even the slightest chance – not a glimmer of hope. The realization hit him hard, making it hard to breathe.

Leslie clenched his fists, his eyes reddening with emotion. “And what about Joshua? I really hope you’ll think about what I said. You won’t be happy with him."

“It’s fine if you don’t like me, but at least be with someone you truly love. Otherwise, if you meet the right person after you’re married, you’ll regret it. And by then, it’ll be too late.”

Shermaine usually disliked explaining herself to Leslie, but this time, she couldn’t hold it in. Who gave him the right to turn her choices into something miserable and regretful? She fumed, “First of all, let me be clear: I have absolutely no reluctance about this marriage with Joshua.

“I know exactly what kind of person he is, so I don’t need your biased opinions. And maybe you don’t really know me, but every decision I make—even if the outcome isn’t perfect—is one I will never regret.”

Shermaine looked him straight in the eye and said, enunciating each word, “Let me make this clear: ‘Regret’ isn’t even in my vocabulary!”

Lily and the makeup artist’s eyes lit up.

“Sheary is so cool!”

“Shermaine is such a boss!”

Leslie was even more devastated.

No reluctance?

No regrets?

Lily couldn’t even look at the guy, not out of pity, but because she found his narrow-mindedness unbearable. With that kind of limited perspective, he’d never amount to much.

She hoped this incident would teach him a lesson: don’t be so opinionated – reality isn’t always what you imagined it to be.

Outside, Roy’s expression shifted. He was genuinely surprised by what Shermaine had just said. In his eyes, sure, she was pretty, but he’d always thought she was a scheming, cold-hearted woman.

Who would’ve guessed she could say something so bold and inspiring? And on top of that, she was actually standing up for Joshua!

But so what? That didn’t change the fact that Shermaine was a bully, especially toward Wendelyn. She never showed her an ounce of kindness.

“And…” Shermaine wanted to tell him that the red wine he drank was tainted, and she needed to check his condition. After all, that glass had been specifically intended for her.

But before she could respond, Leslie – perhaps overwhelmed by such a crushing setback for the first time – broke down. “No way! How could you possibly be willing to marry Joshua? He… he’s already thirty!”

That was twelve years older than Shermaine.

What was he even talking about?

Shermaine retorted coldly, “So what if he’s thirty?”

What did age have to do with anything?

What was wrong with being a little older?

On the contrary, men in their thirties were at their most charming. Just look at Joshua – sometimes, the sheer magnetism he radiated was even too much for her to handle.

Besides, Shermaine actually preferred men who weren’t around her age.

Most importantly, Joshua could outshine any man out there. So what if he was older?

Leslie screamed hysterically, “What’s so good about that old man who doesn’t even care about you?”

Lily and the makeup artist were shocked by his audacity.

Who says Joshua doesn’t care about me? Shermaine fumed inwardly. Of course he does – just not romantically. And all this ‘old man’ talk being thrown around? The more I hear it, the more my blood boils.

The words had barely left her mouth when Joshua pushed open the door and strode in. The moment this dashing man entered, his commanding presence brought a subtle yet palpable pressure to the dressing room.

Leslie had just finished his hysterical outburst when he spotted Joshua. His entire body froze solid under that piercing gaze; it felt as if his very soul was shattering into pieces.

“If anyone dares call Joshua old again, I’ll beat them to the ground,” Shermaine swore to herself. Years later, Joshua teased, “Darling, do you think I’m old?” Shermaine sat up in bed and snapped, “Get out of here!”