"No. What's his name?" Joanna asked, slightly dazed.
Although she was speaking to Jax, she couldn't take her eyes off the handsome, aloof man next to him.
Throughout the years, she had only experienced this feeling with one other person.
"Julian's very handsome, isn't he? From a certain angle, he looks a lot like Ace Moran, Moran Group's president. That's why his fans call him Little Ace Moran…"
"Ace Moran?" Joanna instantly came to her senses when she heard that, and quickly averted her gaze, gritting her teeth.
Why did everyone have to bring up that man wherever she went? He was haunting her like a ghost!
Jax thought Joanna didn't know who Ace was, so he started explaining earnestly, "Do you know what Ace looks like? If you don't, I have a picture of him… See? Don't you think he looks a lot like Julian?"
Joanna wasn't in the mood to look at the picture. The only thing on her mind was how bad her luck was!
She'd finally met someone she felt attracted to after getting divorced, but he ended up being her husband's lookalike. What kind of luck was that?!
Julian was still playing video games and couldn't be bothered to look at Joanna again, but he scoffed when he heard their conversation. "Of course, she knows who Ace is. He's her husband."
The room went dead silent.
"What? This pretty lady… is actually Ace's wife?" Jax's face turned pale, and he quickly took a step back to distance himself from Joanna.
The other men stared at Joanna as if she was a monster, and kept their distance too.
"Money really doesn't come easy, huh… I know our company wants us to spend time with clients, but I can't believe our client today is Mr. Moran's wife! This is putting our lives on the line… I don't want your money!"
"Count me out too!"
The handsome men all took off their glamorous coats and complained, standing up to leave.
Joanna quickly tried to persuade them. "Hold on a minute, there's no need to be afraid. My husband is very open-minded. He has fun with other women, and I have fun with other men, so it's fair! Nothing bad will happen to you, I guarantee it!"
"Miss, I like you a lot, but I really can't take your money. Please don't tell anyone you saw us, Please!"
The men waved goodbye as if they were sad about leaving, but right after that, they ran out of the room as if they were running for their lives.
"Wait, don't leave! I'll give you more money. How about it?" Joanna tried again, but the men fled the room regardless. She was speechless.
She and Ace were not publicly divorced, so to outsiders, they were still a married couple. Who would dare come between them?
This wasn't the first time Joanna had come out to play, but every time she did, her identity as Ace's wife would eventually be exposed, and the fun would soon be over.
Joanna was devastated by how close she had come to a good time.
The room that was previously full of handsome men was now empty, except for Little Ace Moran who was still playing his video games in the corner of the room.
"How boring!" Joanna let out a long, disappointed sigh. She picked up her purse and stood up to leave.
Although the man seated there made her heart race, she lost interest as soon as she found out, his nickname was Little Ace Moran.
"Hold on," the man said suddenly, and stopped playing his game. He looked nonchalantly at Joanna. "Are you this desperate for a man's attention?"
"Huh?" Joanna was dumbfounded.
Julian stood up, revealing a tall and lean figure. Now Joanna knew why he was the face of the boy group – his attractiveness said it all!
"Are you sure your husband doesn't mind that you're out here chasing after men?" Julian asked, raising an eyebrow.
"What does that have to do with you?" Joanna snapped, annoyed.
This man truly lived up to his nickname. Besides his appearance, his cold demeanor, arrogant. expression, and vicious tongue were very similar to Ace's.
This was definitely karma!
"Of course it has something to do with me," Julian scoffed.
The man approached Joanna one step at a time, his eyes every bit as icy as Ace's. "You paid me, so I have to make sure you get your money's worth. Tell me… How would you like to play?"
"Umm…" Joanna couldn't get any words out, no matter how hard she tried.
The man was a little too close for comfort. His handsome face, which reminded her of Ace, seemed even more attractive up close. Joanna's heart was beating fast, and she began to feel nervous.
His eyes looked identical to Ace's… It was almost as if he could see right through her.
The only difference,Joanna she could see, was that Ace's eyes held a steely dominance, whereas Julian's weary gaze suggested he had been through a lot in life.
Joanna sighed softly. Humans were indeed creatures of habit.
Three years ago, it was love at first sight when she met Ace. Three years later, she fell for another man who looked just like Ace.
At this point, she couldn't even tell if she was attracted to this handsome man or Ace.
"What are you thinking?" The man murmured. He moved even closer to Joanna, and she felt his warm breath on her skin. His deep voice was intoxicating and smooth, like wine going down her throat.
"Nothing. I should get going." Joanna backed away, but she moved a little too fast and nearly fell.
The man reached out and easily caught her by the waist. "I might look like your husband, but I'm not him. What are you so afraid of?"
"I'm not afraid!" Joanna bit out, her cheeks flushed in anger.
However, she couldn't deny that he was right. Why should she be afraid?
The other men ran away as soon as they heard she was Ace's wife. Not only did this guy stay, but he even flirted with her. He clearly didn't think much of Ace, so she ought to enjoy herself.
With this reasoning, Joanna started feeling much more comfortable. She stopped behaving shyly, and reached out to hold his chin. "I'm not afraid, kid. I'm just worried you might be afraid of me."
This took him by surprise, and his eyes gleamed in interest. "Oh? Please explain."
"You can't handle me," Joanna said challengingly.
Julian's eyes widened. "According to the rumors, Mrs. Moran, you're a prim and proper lady. Does Mr. Moran know about your wild side?"
"Why should I tell him? He's a cold person who doesn't know a thing about romance. Apart from killing the mood, what else could he be capable of?" Joanna rolled her eyes in disgust.
To Joanna, Ace was trash that she'd already thrown away. She'd no longer reminisce about the past. The young man before her was much better, after all.
She continued teasing him. "What's the matter? Did I scare you? Are you afraid to play with me now?"
Ordinary folks would have felt intimidated in this situation, but Julian was no ordinary man.
"I don't think I'm lacking in the looks department, so I'll give it a shot," he said in a serious tone.
"Alright, then. You said it yourself that this place won't do, so let's go somewhere else," Joanna replied brightly. She grabbed the man's tie and started dragging him out of the room.
The man seemed very obedient, and there was a playful smirk on his face that suggested he might actually be enjoying himself.
Ethan, who happened to come to the club to look for someone, witnessed this very scene. His jaw dropped. He wanted to stop Joanna, but she had already dragged the unknown man into the elevator.
The scene was so shocking that he stood there for a few minutes trying to process it. Once he regained his senses, he immediately called Ace. "Ace, do you know who I just saw?"
"Get to the point."
"Your wife is going to book a hotel room with another man!"
To make matters worse, Ethan added on bluntly, "That man looked just like you too!"