Chapter 76

Leslie had already followed the waiter to the dressing room. Roy squinted, slipped around the corner, and quietly trailed after them.

By now, the dressing room was already laid out with a variety of snacks and red wine. Faced with desserts and red wine, Shermaine didn’t hesitate to reach for the wine glass. She picked it up and swirled the wine gently, about to take a sip. But just as her lips neared the rim, she suddenly froze. Her gaze instantly turned cold, fixed on the wine, as if she’d just discovered something wrong with it.

Just as she was about to ask something, there was a knock at the door. The next moment, Leslie walked in. Shermaine hadn’t expected Leslie to make an appearance at the engagement party. At just eighteen, dressed in an impeccably tailored suit, he radiated youthful charm with a touch of maturity. If any of the girls from school who had a crush on him saw him now, they’d be over the moon.

But to Shermaine, he was just another classmate, and their few encounters at school had left her with a rather poor impression. She really didn’t expect Leslie to show up at the engagement party. Not that it would have been a problem; being invited over meant his background must be respectable enough. But why was he looking for her? It was not like they were close or anything.

Leslie stepped inside. "Shermaine."

Shermaine set the wine glass back down and asked coolly, "What do you want?"

Roy stood quietly outside the slightly ajar door, catching every word inside. Seeing the two face to face, he instantly conjured up a stormy melodrama of love and hate. "Hmph, just as I thought. Shermaine isn’t worthy of Joshua. He’s always kept himself pure, but Shermaine? She’s already entangled with countless boys at school. No way. I have to make Joshua see her true colors." With that, he whipped out his phone and dialed Joshua.

After Shermaine spoke, Leslie broke into a nervous sweat, feeling his heart race. "It’s her engagement day. I’m not supposed to say this," he thought. "But if I don’t speak up now, I might never get another chance." The idea of Shermaine marrying a man she barely knew twisted his stomach into knots.

Leslie opened his mouth but couldn’t quite get the words out. Shermaine frowned slightly at his hesitation. The dressing room was brightly lit. Street-smart from an early age, Lily could tell at a glance that this boy had a crush on Shermaine; but he just stood there, tongue-tied.

Lily thought, "Gutsy, I’ll give him that—daring to pull something like this on Joshua’s turf just to get close to Shermaine. But honestly, I don’t see it working out for him. It’s obvious Sheary isn’t interested." Besides, this kind of behavior was totally inappropriate. If the wrong person saw it, who knew what kind of rumors they would start about her. The destructive power of rumors—surely everyone understood that.

Leslie was as antsy as a cat on a hot tin roof. He desperately wanted to speak, but his nerves held him back. When he spotted the glass of red wine nearby, his eyes lit up instantly. Without hesitation, he strode forward and downed it in one gulp. Leslie moved too fast for Shermaine to stop him; she could only watch helplessly as he downed the suspicious glass of red wine.

Boosted by alcohol, Leslie set down his glass and gazed at the stunning woman before him. "Shermaine," he said, "you’re still so young. Are you really okay with getting engaged to Joshua? Let’s not even mention that Joshua is way older than you—you two just aren’t right for each other. And do you even know what people say about him? I remember there was a woman who made a dramatic suicide attempt just to get his attention, but Joshua didn’t even visit her in the hospital. Are you sure you’ll be happy marrying someone so cold-hearted and unfeeling?"

Leslie blurted out, then took a deep breath before continuing, "Besides, you don’t even like him. Why force yourself into this engagement? Don’t you yearn for mutual love? Don’t you want to find someone who truly loves and cherishes you?" As Leslie spoke, his agitation mounted, and his face flushed red.

Lily gave him a strange look, thinking, "This is between their families. What’s it to you? Besides, if Shermaine weren’t willing, why bother holding this party?" The makeup artist was stunned. "So you have a thing for Ms. Shue—fine. But why badmouth Mr. York? Sure, you might be right, but did you really have to say it out loud? Besides, a smart and beautiful woman like Ms. Shue surely has her own judgment, doesn’t she?"

Outside the door, Roy was seething with anger. He leaned in and whispered to Joshua, "Joshua, did you hear that? She doesn’t want this engagement at all. Otherwise, why would that guy say such things?"

Joshua shot back, "No. She wants this."

"Joshua, how can you be so clueless?" Roy hissed.

Joshua narrowed his eyes. "You’re the clueless one."

Roy was speechless. He thought, "That’s it. There’s just no saving him."

Joshua had arrived early and caught every word Leslie said. Almost all the men tonight wore suits, yet none could match Joshua’s aloof handsomeness. With his tie perfectly in place, the faint glint in his glasses, and his sexy thin lips, he seemed almost like an enchanting demon, wickedly captivating and dangerously seductive.

Shermaine pressed her lips together. Leslie always managed to exasperate her. She had no idea where he got the idea that she was unwilling. Their engagement was a done deal, and she had no intention of backing out. Besides, hearing him badmouth Joshua actually annoyed her. "Cold and heartless? I can’t really say, but it’s true that he doesn’t want to waste his energy on romance." She did long for a relationship where both people truly care for each other, but just as Leslie said, she was still so young. There’s no need to hurry. Even if she ended up divorcing Joshua someday, with her qualities, finding someone else would be the least of her worries.

Leslie continued, his voice trembling, "I know this is totally inappropriate, but Shermaine, I have to tell you this: I… I like you. Could you… Could you please call off the engagement?"