CHAPTER 20: CHAPTER 20: DID WE HAVE A FIGHT?

Audrey Sutton is the kind of person who is particularly afraid of loneliness. Watching the lively dance floor, she found herself all alone, and a wave of disappointment suddenly surged through her heart.

Has Shane really decided to ignore her?

As she lifted her foot to walk out of the ballroom, she reflected on whether she had gone too far earlier.

But then she thought, compared to all his petite secretaries, what does she even count as?

She merely kept that business card to pave a way for her future.

Why did he have to leave without any explanation?

The more she thought, the more aggrieved she felt, and in this foreign land, all it added was a tinge of sorrow to her heart.

"Those blown away by the wind say love is shallow; those drenched by the rain say they won’t feel cold..." A familiar melody rang from the phone in her bag.

Audrey took out her phone and saw that the call was from Shane. She frowned while staring at the flashing name "Shane," contemplating for a few moments before hardening her heart and sliding the red button to reject the call.

Shane, having his call cut off, frowned deeply too. He circled the hall twice but didn’t see her — where had she disappeared to?

Could it be she had gone off with that foreign guy from earlier?

After Audrey hung up, she felt some regret. Staring at her phone, he didn’t call back, which made her frown even more deeply.

"Why are you here alone?"

Hearing a man’s voice behind her, Audrey turned around in surprise.

It was Vincent Warner.

He walked down the steps one by one and stopped beside her: "Did you have a fight with Shane?"

Audrey said moodily, "No."

Vincent chuckled: "It’s all written on your face."

Audrey glanced at him, then directed her gaze back to the shimmering pool surface.

"Shane has a sharp tongue but a soft heart; don’t get upset with him."

Audrey kept silent, internally wondering, weren’t Shane and Vincent supposed to have a bad relationship? Why would Vincent still speak on Shane’s behalf?

Or perhaps, Vincent was just trying to get close to her intentionally to obtain some secrets about Shane from her?

If that’s what he was after, he might end up disappointed.

Shane indeed had many secrets, yet as his wife, she knew nothing about them.

To put it bluntly, she probably knew less than Lan Irving did.

Suddenly recalling something about his brother, which seemed to have some connection with Vincent, Audrey tentatively asked, "...I heard he has a brother?"

Vincent’s eyes intensified, then he lightly responded with a "Hmm."

Audrey waited for Vincent to continue, but he stayed silent.

So Audrey said, "But I heard him say that his brother has passed away."

Vincent’s gaze became even deeper, seemingly lost in some unwilling-to-be-recalled memory of the past.

Just as Audrey was about to inquire further, Shane’s voice rang out from behind her: "Audrey! Get over here!"

Audrey turned to look at him. He was already striding over to her rapidly.

Without exchanging any words with Vincent, not even a greeting, nor sparing him a look, Shane grabbed Audrey’s wrist, pulling her back into the hall.

As they walked, he asked, "What did he say to you?"

Audrey assessed Shane’s mood and said gloomily, "Nothing much."

Shane stopped on the steps. Being already a head taller than her, he now stood on a step higher, so she had to look up at him while listening to him sternly, with a hint of warning, say: "Just try meeting him alone again next time."

Audrey could tell Shane seemed worried about her, as though afraid Vincent might harm her, so she wordlessly asked in confusion, "What’s wrong with him?"

Shane continued to pull her forward: "Just keep your distance whenever you see him in the future!"

Audrey lowered her eyes in puzzlement and stayed silent.

"Did you hear me?"

"Okay."

Noticing he seemed concerned for her, Audrey reluctantly forgave his fierce demeanor.

"Why did you hang up on my call just now?"

"...Didn’t notice, hit the wrong button."

Shane glanced at her, sighed helplessly, and after returning to the hall, downed two glasses of red wine as if to soothe his inner turmoil.

Audrey watched as the wine glass touched his lips and poured into his mouth, the movement of his Adam’s apple swallowing it down. She didn’t know if it was the allure of the wine or him that tempted her, but she said, "I want to try it too."

Shane gave her a look: "Have you ever had alcohol before?"

Audrey replied, "I’ve had beer."

Only then did Shane smile, reaching for another glass of red wine. As he handed it to her, he said, "You can drink a little when I’m around, but don’t touch it when I’m not."

Audrey stared at the wine glass in his hand and nodded several times.

Shane handed her the glass, and Audrey held it, taking a sip.

The taste was acceptable, so she took another sip.

It wasn’t exactly hard to swallow, but it wasn’t delicious enough for her to want to finish it either.

She placed the glass back on the nearby counter: "Not tasty."

Shane chuckled, picking up the glass she set down without any disdain, downing it in one go, and wrapped his arm around her as they walked towards the dance floor: "Better stick to your fruit juice."

Audrey: "I bet my tolerance is better than yours. I can drink half a case of beer!"

"Pineapple beer?"

Audrey glared at him. He suddenly stopped and turned towards her: "Can you dance?"

"I watched them all night; even if I didn’t know how, I’ve learned now."

Shane curved his lips slightly, took her hand, set it on his shoulder, and placed his other hand at her waist. Together, they blended into the dance floor with the rhythm of the music.

Knowing Audrey’s intelligence, Shane figured her effortless dance moves weren’t just learned from watching earlier. While keeping up with the rhythm, he asked her softly, "Have you learned before?"

Audrey laughed with pride and said, "When I was in school, I participated in competitions and won awards."

In truth, Audrey was the type to have a strong capacity for learning. Whoever she spent a lot of time with, she could always pick up some skills from them, but only the basics, like Shane’s assessment of her — half full of knowledge.

The demands of the dance occasionally brought her close to him, and from him came a faint scent of cologne, carrying the aura and charm of a mature man, which was particularly alluring.

Somehow, this attracted Lan Irving to their side.

Lan was very popular, receiving many dance requests, and she had already changed several partners.

But Audrey was well aware that the man beside her was truly who Lan Irving desired most.

With the interchange of steps and the change of positions, the glances between the two women occasionally met, but no one sensed the underlying tension.

"Focus on what you’re doing; don’t be half-hearted and impatient. You just started dancing, and you’re already distracted?" Shane’s voice came low from above her head.

Audrey looked up at him, smiled, and said, "Wasn’t I just attracted by your lovely little secretary?"

Shane glanced sideways at Lan Irving, then whispered to Audrey, "What conflict did you two have?"