Joanna once told Liam that Ace wasn't good at drinking, and that he was like an elementary school kid when it came to drinking games. That was why Liam had prepared a bottle of the strongest vodka he could find. He wanted to play a drinking game with Ace until he became drunk. Liam would then humiliate Ace and avenge Joanna.
Liam felt that Ace was a proud person. With some encouragement, he would certainly accept the challenge.
However, to Liam's surprise, his plan didn't work.
Ace didn't plan on accepting the challenge at all. He stood up and turned to face Christopher and Ethan. "Something came up. I'll catch you later."
After that, he turned to Shirley. "Come with me."
"Huh. I… Can I?" Shirley's eyes were wide in disbelief. She was an ordinary college student, and it was her first time working in a bar as a part-timer. Everything that had happened tonight felt like a dream to her.
Ace didn't answer her, and just walked towards the bar's exit.
"W-Wait for me!" Shirley grabbed her purse and mustered the courage to follow him. From her perspective, Ace was more than a knight in shining armor. Even if there was a sliver of hope, she'd grab onto it tightly and not let go.
The two of them walked out one after the other, and everyone else was in shock.
Even Ethan, who had been unconditionally supporting Ace, couldn't resist complaining. "Damn. He didn't drink much today, so what the hell is he thinking? Does he really have feelings for that girl? That girl really does look like his ex-wife. He's leaving the real thing behind and going for the fake version… What's wrong with him?"
Christopher glanced in the direction where Ace and Shirley had gone, then looked at Joanna. A playful smile appeared on his face. "Ace is serious this time."
"Serious? About that girl?" Ethan shook his head. "I don't think so!"
Christopher chuckled. "I didn't say he's serious about that girl."
"This is so lame. Today's supposed to be your bachelor party, so why did Ace leave on his own? Even if he does have feelings for that girl, can't he just resist them for a while?" Ethan asked.
A man and a woman meet at a bar, and they then leave together. Even a fool knows what's going to happen next.
Liam hurled his glass onto the floor and snarled, "Ace is a heartless scumbag! He's playing with someone's feelings. He'll get his karma soon enough!"
Liam returned to Joanna's side with his head hung low. "Sorry, Boss… I didn't avenge you. I wasn't expecting him to be such a jerk!"
Joanna didn't react to his words. In fact, she smiled as she shuffled the tarot cards she was holding. It seemed like she didn't care about what happened earlier at all.
"Boss, don't be sad. You're divorced already. He can find someone new, and so can you. If he's going for someone younger, you can go for someone younger too!"
Joanna didn't say anything, and slowly placed the shuffled cards on the table. She then randomly picked one and smiled. "The sun card… It represents freedom and success. My luck is about to change, so there's nothing to be sad about."
Liam and Clara looked at each other. They felt sorry for Joanna. When a girl started believing in superstitions and mystic arts, that meant she had been hurt badly and was hoping to heal. Although Joanna appeared to be very carefree lately, she was probably struggling on the inside…
"I'm tired. Let's go home!" Joanna said suddenly and stood up.
When she walked past Christopher's table, he called out to her. "Ms.Pierce, do you have a minute?"
Joanna stopped walking and turned to look at him.
Christopher smiled apologetically. "Ace is the emotional equivalent of a rock when it comes to relationships. He doesn't know how to express how he truly feels, so please don't mind his childish behavior."
Joanna shrugged. "It doesn't matter. We have nothing to do with each other now, so he can do whatever he wants. I don't care."
Christopher shook his head and didn't say anything.
After that, he retrieved an invite from his bag. "Cecilia and I are getting married tomorrow. I wanted to ask Ace to pass this to you, but it seems like a better idea for me to personally hand it to you. I hope you'll come tomorrow."
Joanna was a little surprised. She and Christopher had only met on two or three occasions, so she wasn't expecting an invitation to such a private event.
However, after thinking about it, his family was very powerful in the realm of politics. Being on good terms with them would be very helpful for the Pierce family's future developments.
Joanna accepted the invite with a grin. "Thank you for inviting me. I'll make sure to show up in style."
After Joanna left, Christopher grabbed hold of Julian. "Kid, you've got some explaining to do. Why are you so close to your aunt-in-law?"
"Didn't you hear? They're already divorced. She's not my aunt-in-law anymore," Julian answered casually.
"Don't mess around. Your uncle is serious this time," Christopher said sternly.
"Really? I couldn't tell." Julian's arrogant demeanor was very much like Ace's. "I already gave him a chance. He didn't appreciate it, and he even made things worse. He can't blame me for giving it a shot now."
Over the years, Julian had met all kinds of people through his carefree way of living, but he hadn't met someone as interesting as Joanna for a very long time…
Julian wasn't sure if his feelings for Joanna were romantic, but he certainly was interested in her.
Ace looked coldly at Shirley. He didn't answer her.
Shirley realized she had overstepped a boundary, and she frantically apologized. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked you that. I think you might find me useful in the future, so… can I have your number?"
This was the bravest thing that Shirley, who had been naive and conservative for many years, had done.
Her careful attitude reminded Ace of Joanna when he met her three years ago, and his heart softened a little. "Give me your phone.'
"O-Okay!" Shirley quickly handed him her phone.
The two stood very close to each other in front of the taxi, and to anyone watching, it seemed like a very intimate scene.
At the same time, Joanna and Liam walked out and happened to see this.
Joanna felt her heart ache. She wanted to pretend she didn't see anything and leave right away, but coincidentally, Ace looked up, and their eyes met.
His gaze was cold as usual, but there seemed to be an aura of superiority about him. He didn't feel awkward or bad at all, and this infuriated Joanna for some reason.
Impulsively, Joanna wrapped her hand around Liam's arm and asked him sweetly, 'Where are we going next? I think the hotel next to the sea we went to last time wasn't too bad. Should we go there again?"
'Umm…' Liam didn't dare move at all.
Was Joanna really willing? If she was, there was no way they could maintain their 'pure' relationship!
Ace's expression became several degrees colder. He went even further by opening the taxi door. "Go to this hotel," he said to the driver.
After that, he and Shirley got into the same taxi, and the car drove past Joanna.
Needless to say, Joanna knew what would happen between them next… She stood still for a long time and didn't say anything. Her gaze was fixated on the taxi until it disappeared from view.
Liam knew Joanna was sad. "Boss, I really do know a hotel by the sea. Would you like me to take you there for a walk?" He asked carefully.
"No, thanks." Joanna pulled away from Liam and smiled bitterly. "I'm letting him hurt me for the last time. Once Ms. Lee wins that case, I'll leave for good. He won't be able to hurt me anymore."
It was getting late. Liam and Leia wanted to send Joanna home, but she insisted she didn't want them to. She said goodbye to them, and quickly left. She didn't want to go home, and she didn't want to talk. She didn't want to deal with anyone. All she wanted was a quiet place where she could be by herself.
She wanted to go somewhere she could let out her true emotions, where she didn't have to pretend to be strong…
She had to admit that she was feeling really hurt. The thought that Ace might be sleeping with that girl right now made it hard for her to breathe. It felt like someone was driving a knife into her heart and twisting it.
Ace had never fallen for her despite being married for three years, but now, he had fallen for a fake version of her at first sight!
It wasn't fair!
She walked aimlessly until she somehow arrived at the shopping mall she went to with Ace and Jane the other day. Coincidentally, the movie
she'd been wanting to watch, Soul Travel, was still available in the cinema.
Joanna didn't hesitate. She bought the earliest show and silently walked into the dark cinema hall. Since it was a midnight show, there were very few people there, all of whom sat sparsely across the hall.
Joanna suddenly felt a sense of security she'd not felt for a long time.
Where else could a person cry to their heart's content than a cinema hall where nobody knew them?