Juliette’s face froze.
Juliette knew Jovana was subtly mocking her.
A public clarification on Twitter would be a deathblow for an artist like her.
Jovana’s move was ruthless.
Juliette seethed, her teeth grinding, but she forced a stiff nod.
“Fine. I’ll do as you say, Ms. Atherton.”
Jovana smiled faintly.“Oh, and don’t forget about that penalty.”
Without sparing a glance at Juliette’s venomous expression, she turned and walked away with a calm smile.
Armando hesitated for a moment but followed her.
Juliette stood there, frozen, watching helplessly as Armando chose Jovana again.
Her heart twisted with rage.
Her assistant stepped forward, offering comfort.“Juliette, don’t worry. We’ll find
Leaning close, she whispered something in Juliette’s ear.
‘Here’s what you do…”
a way to get back at her.”
Jovana had no interest in joining the dinner. She didn’t want to dampen the team’s spirits, so she opted to stay
Armando stayed with her, picking out grapes from the buffet and peeling them for her.
Jovana’s eyes suddenly burned.
She loved grapes but hated peeling them. Armando always did it for her, insisting she needed the vitamin C.
Once, his buddies had teased him, saying he was acting like a housewife.
alone.
Armando had scoffed.“When it comes to my wife, who cares about looking macho? As long as she’s happy, I’m good.”
Jovana’s heart churned with bitterness.
“Vana, you’ve been wronged. I’ll make sure Juliette’s mess gets sorted out.”
Armando gently stroked her head.
The look in his eyes was so tender and so sincere. It didn’t seem fake at all.
Even the way he stood up for her earlier had felt real.
Jovana couldn’t fathom why a man like this would cheat.
She thought bitterly, “How could he be so good at pretending?”
Jovana gently pulled away, her heart heavy with sorrow, and said nothing.
Just then, Armando’s secretary called him over for some urgent business.
Armando agreed, giving Jovana a reluctant hug.“Wait here for me. I’ll be right back.”
“Okay.”
Jovana gave a faint smile. The moment he left, her expression turned cold as ice.
Half an hour slipped by in a flash.
Jovana, having eaten too much fruit, headed to the restroom.
As she rounded the corridor, she caught a burst of jeering voices from the end.
“What’s with the act? Playing innocent now? Come on, let me see…”
“Yeah, you think you can compare to Jovana? You’re not even in her league.”
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< Chapter 8.
A group of drunken men were harassing Juliette, their words crude and vicious.
Juliette’s face was streaked with tears. She sat crumpled on the floor, clutching herself like a wounded animal.
“I’m sorry. Please, I’ll never cross Jovana again. Just let me go…”
Jovana frowned as she listened, but she still pulled out her phone to call for help.
No matter what, she couldn’t stand by and watch a woman be bullied like this.
As she dialed, a man charged past from another corridor.
“How dare you mess with her? You wanna get blacklisted in all of Los Angeles?!”
The familiar voice snapped Jovana back to reality.
She looked up just in time to see Armando storming in, fury blazing in his eyes.
He punched one of the men square in the face, then kicked him hard, knocking him to the ground. “Sorry, Mr. Dunbar! We didn’t know! Please forgive us!”
Armando landed another brutal kick.“Get lost! If I catch you harassing her again, you’re done!”
The men scrambled away in terror.
Armando immediately crouched down, lifting Juliette into his arms with urgent concern.
“You okay?
“Are you hurt?
“Did those guys do anything to you?”
Juliette clung to his neck, sobbing loudly.“Mando, I was so scared. Thank God you came…”
He stroked her back soothingly, his voice soft. “Don’t be afraid. I’m here.”
“I thought you’d abandon me after I upset Jovana earlier,” Juliette cried.
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“Silly girl, how could I abandon you? I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you back there. But I’m here now, okay? Don’t cry. You’re breaking my heart.”
His voice was thick with tenderness.
Jovana’s phone slipped from her hand and clattered to the floor.
Her eyes welled with silent tears.
< Chapter 9
