About ten minutes later, a waitress in a cheongsam led Jane Brown into the beautfort Hall.
"I finally get to see you again, Ace. You can't avoid me this time!"
She went straight to Ace's left side. The person sitting to Ace's left was very tactful and immediately offered his seat.
Everyone in the City knew that Jane Brown, the future heir of Starlight Group and the pampered only child of Joe Brown, was crazy about Ace Moran.
Moran Group and Starlight Group were strategic partners that had cooperated for many years.
The two young people were comparable in age and family background. A marriage between them seemed like a matter of certainty.
But a certain Joanna Pierce suddenly appeared out of nowhere…
"Ace, you've grown even more handsome since the last time I saw you. You have no idea how much I've missed you. All I could dream about was you…"
As soon as Jane Brown came in, her eyes had never left Ace. She intimately grabbed his arm and said coquettishly, "How could you be so cruel? We're childhood friends, but as soon as you got married, you stopped hanging out with me. How could you?!"
Ace's face was cold. His sharp gaze swept through the banquet as he asked in an unhappy tone, "This is a private dinner. Who told her about it?"
Everyone lowered their heads and remained silent.
Jane Brown felt humiliated, her cheeks burning red with anger. "Ace, is this really necessary? I'm not a monster. Why do you try so hard to avoid me?"
A smile full of schadenfreude suddenly appeared on her face. She said hurriedly, "You have the awareness of a married man, but the same can't be said for your wife unfortunately. She looks dignified and dutiful on the outside, but she's not an honest woman at all. If she hadn't admitted it herself today, I wouldn't have known she's such a promiscuous woman. It's unbelievable. I feel bad for you, Ace!"
Ace asked, "What did she admit?"
"Well…"
Jane Brown looked at the crowd, pretending to hesitate.
Everyone instantly understood. They all stood up and said goodbye.
Soon, only Ace and Jane were left in the spacious hall.
Jane was very excited. She had been waiting for this moment for a long time. She wished she could just jump onto Ace. "Ace, I finally get to be alone with you again. I…"
"Five minutes."
Ace's voice was cold and impatient.
It's not that he had anything against Jane Brown personally, he was just not too fond of being overly intimate with women. He especially hated to be touched by wornen.
And he found Jane Brown, who was really clingy and liked to make all kinds of contact with him, very annoying.
Jane was so mad that she wanted to curse, but she tried to calm herself down.
Because she believed that Ace's attitude towards her would do a complete 180 soon.
"Ace, I have a video here. You'll understand everything after you watch it."
Jane took out her phone and played the video she recorded.
It was actually a video of Joanna.
Ace stared at the phone screen, his eyes getting colder and colder.
The Joanna in the video said, "As long as you're willing to persuade your father to sign the contract with Stellar Group, I'll agree to your request to divorce Ace, and I'll never see him again."
Jane carefully observed Ace's reaction and added, "I don't know what Miss Pierce was thinking. I just casually mentioned that I could help her, and she immediately agreed to film this video. She never considered how you would feel at all. This also shows how much she loves
Liam Blackwood. She's willing to go to such lengths for him!"
Ace's expression was cold and he remained silent. His deep eyes showed no emotion. He just kept staring at the phone screen.
Jane continued, "But she's such a fool. I'm not actually gonna help her. Since I like you so much, if I were going persuade my father, of course I would persuade him to keep cooperating with Moran Group. There's no way I would let her benefit…"
"Moreover, because I just can't stand how disloyal she is to you, I taught her a lesson. She's probably scared out of her wits right now while regretting some of her life choices!" Ace's eyes turned cold and he snapped, "What did you do to her?"
Joe's Villa.
During the day, the primeval forest with dense vegetation was a natural oxygen bar for the wealthy, a place for them to take vacations and recuperate. However, during the night, it was a dangerous place where all kinds of wild beasts roamed,
At the center of the forest was a sealed underground bunker surrounded by vines and thorns. Few people came to this area. Right now, it was emitting a faint blue light which looked like ghost fire in the dark night.
Joanna was sitting at the bottom of the hole. The humid air carried a musty smell, and occasionally mice and cockroaches would crawl past her. Her delicate little face was expressionless. She was calm.
Heh, that fool Jane Brown thought that if she tricked Joanna into this air-raid shelter and locked her in, she would be teaching Joanna a lesson.
However, Joanna's grandfather had taught her survival skills in the wild when she was little. This environment was no doubt a nightmare for ordinary people, but for her, it was nothing
In truth, Joanna had a hundred ways to escape, but she did not.
Not only did she not escape, she even intentionally made herself look like she was in a miserable state, like she was about to die at any moment.
Joanna rubbed the ground with a stone to start a fire, then made use the light to write on the wall with a stone.
"10, 9, 8, 7…"
She counted down in her mind.
According to their plan, Liam would be rushing here with Joe Brown's men very soon.
Joanna was worried that she might not look miserable enough, so she quickly ruffled her hair even more, grabbed a handful of dirt from the ground, and wiped it on her cheeks.
Sure enough, Joanna soon heard the sound of an SUV being driven at full speed. It was getting closer and closer to her.
She quickly extinguished the fire and lay "dying" on the ground…
In the dark, quiet night, the metallic door of the air-raid shelter was forcibly pried open with a bang.
Amidst the moonlight, Joanna saw a tall figure jump down from above. She cleared her throat and was preparing to tragically cry out for help.
But the next second, she heard a voice that completely took her by surprise.
"Joanna, are you okay?"
The cold voice that carried a bit of nerve was so clear yet sounded so unreal in the dark.
Ace?!
How could it be him?!
"1"
Joanna was so confused.
What was Ace doing here in the middle of the night? How should she continue her act with his sudden intrusion?
Ace tightly grasped Joanna's thin shoulders with his big hands and carefully examined her whole body under the dim moonlight. After confirming that she was not injured, his tightly furrowed eyebrows relaxed slightly.
"Jane Brown has gone too far! This is unforgivable!"
His cold, stern face, outlined by the moonlight, was so perfect that Joanna could not stop looking at it, as if she was bewitched.
She quickly shook her head and tried to keep a clear head.
"Umm… Mr. Moran, I'm fine. Liam will be here to rescue me soon. You can go back now. Don't worry about me."
Joanna distanced herself from Ace and said politely.
After all, being alone in a space like this was inappropriate for two people who were about to get a divorce.
But more importantly, Liam will be here with Joe Brown's men to rescue her soon. She had a whole show planned out.
If Ace stayed, or worse, took her way, the show could not go on!
"That no-good pretty boy again…"
Ace's handsome face turned gloomy. He held Joanna's tiny face with his long fingers and stared deep into her eyes, as if to see through her.
"Can you explain to me what kind of charm Liam Blackwood has? How did he bewitch you to this extent?"
Joanna was frightened by how fierce he looked. She put on a docile appearance and a fake smile. "Well… maybe it's because he's handsome? His face confirms to my sense of aesthetics."
It was merely a random excuse to make Ace leave as soon as possible. "That's why you can go now. Let him be the hero that saves the damsel in distress. You're just the ex-husband, so you should stay out of this,"
Ace's face darkened. He fought back the urge to tear her into pieces.
Haha, because he's handsome?
He, Ace, was widely recognized as the most handsome man in the entire City. How could Liam Blackwood with his influencer-like face even compare to him?
"Shut up!"
Ace could not be bothered arguing with her. He simply swept Joanna off her feet and was prepared to carry her away from the place.
Joanna was about to resist when she suddenly sensed an incoming danger. She immediately froze and warned Ace in a soft voice, "Be careful… Ace, don't move!"