CHAPTER 119: CHAPTER 119: SAVE ME, FORGIVE ME

He brushed the collar of the cheongsam from a distance, his tone holding an unashamed dominance and frustration.

"My wife looks so beautiful today, they really got lucky."

Holly blushed and lowered her head.

In the cramped space of the elevator, he bent over, his gentle breath brushing past her ear, "Holly, it’s the first time I’ve seen you in a cheongsam, it’s stunning."

Holly’s heart raced as she pretended to be calm, "I also wore it on our marriage registration day."

"That’s different."

"How is it different?"

"The Holly now loves me even more than back then."

The man’s love words were straightforward and passionate, making Holly’s ears burn.

This man’s sweet talk is really impossible to resist.

Luckily, the elevator doors opened, and she quickly pushed him a bit and stepped out first.

The waiter led them towards the private room.

Just as they got to the entrance, they saw a man with dyed yellow hair, wearing a floral shirt, anxiously pacing in circles. Upon seeing them, he rushed over like a savior, heading straight for Blake Sinclair.

"Second brother, you must save me! You must forgive me!"

He grabbed Blake Sinclair’s arm exaggeratedly, as if the end of the world had come.

Holly was bewildered beside them.

What...is happening?

Blake Sinclair withdrew his hand expressionlessly, then glanced disdainfully at the hand that had grabbed him, and introduced him to Holly, "Henry Dempsey, heir to the Dempsey Group."

Upon hearing this, Henry Dempsey immediately put away his gloomy look, put on a professional smile, and introduced himself enthusiastically to Holly.

"Hello Holly, I’ve heard so much about you! I’m Henry Dempsey, second brother’s schoolmate in Brelond, his neighbor two streets away, his dining buddy in Brelond, his eventual unfortunate business partner, and the most handsome best man at his wedding."

He rattled off a long list of titles as if reciting a menu, speaking very quickly.

Holly was a bit dumbfounded by his self-introduction.

Are all of Blake Sinclair’s friends so...unique?

First, there was the uniquely-tasted Shane Yates, the distinguished-looking police captain Ulysses Grant, and now this...master of changing faces.

She nodded in greeting with a blank mind, "Hello...."

After greeting Holly, Henry Dempsey instantly reverted to a bitter, deep-in-enemy-look, looking at Blake Sinclair with pitiful eyes, begging, "Second brother! We’ve known each other for so many years, if I made a little mistake due to momentary foolishness, you’d forgive me, right?"

Blake Sinclair squinted.

"Would you really bear to have your wedding in three months lacking a handsome and lively best man like me?"

Blake Sinclair glanced at him speechlessly, "Speak human language."

Henry Dempsey glanced at Holly, hesitant to speak.

Understanding the situation, Holly immediately said, "You guys talk first, I’ll go to the terrace over there...."

Before she could finish, Blake Sinclair held her hand.

He looked down at her, his gaze firm and sincere, "Holly, I promised you, I have no secrets from you."

He then turned to Henry Dempsey, "Just say it."

Henry Dempsey closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and said, "Summer called earlier to check on me, and I thought since I was with you guys at a proper gathering, there was nothing to hide. But I didn’t expect she was with...that other one, and then...then they came over together just now."

That other one?

Who is it?

Summer, who is that?

Blake Sinclair and Holly both had the same confused expression.

Henry Dempsey’s voice was muffled as though he had walnuts in his mouth: "###just that @¥%¥..."

Blake Sinclair’s patience was running out, his gaze turning slightly cold.

Henry Dempsey shivered with fear, closed his eyes, and shouted loudly, "Shannon Yarrow! It’s Shannon Yarrow!"

He pointed to the private room, "Summer was just hanging out with Shannon Yarrow, and when they heard I had plans with you, they pulled her along to come over. They just arrived a little while ago and are all inside now."

Holly was stunned.

Shannon Yarrow?

Why did Shannon Yarrow coming over make Henry Dempsey act like the sky is falling?

She instinctively looked at Blake Sinclair.

Blake Sinclair clearly had not expected what he was going to say and frowned deeply.

His first reaction was to look at Holly, his gaze filled with tension.

Henry Dempsey quickly leaned over to Holly and explained, "Please don’t misunderstand! Second brother truly wasn’t aware of this, that’s why I’m waiting at the door to apologize with thorns. Otherwise, I can take my girlfriend away now, and we can meet again another time."

Blake Sinclair tightened his grip on Holly’s hand.

Seeing Blake Sinclair’s reaction, unease squeezed within her heart.

Her intuition told her something might happen today that she doesn’t want to face.

Yet, she was really curious to know about the entanglement between Blake Sinclair and Shannon Yarrow.

Why does Shannon Yarrow’s mere attendance at this gathering make his friends seem worried that she might mind?

Holly shook her head and forced a faint smile, "It’s fine, we’re already here, let’s go in."

As they pushed the door into the private room, Blake Sinclair kept holding her hand.

The private room was dimly lit, the atmosphere elegant, and soft music was playing in the background.

Upon hearing the door open, everyone inside turned to look.

Holly immediately saw Shannon Yarrow sitting on a bar stool by the bar, and upon seeing her outfit, Holly paused.

Their outfits today were very similar.

Holly was wearing a lotus pink cheongsam, while Shannon Yarrow was in a water-blue cheongsam, though hers was more of a new-style Chinese design.

In this setting, their outfits and styles formed a subtle harmony.

Shannon Yarrow’s gaze was fixed on the tightly held hands of Holly and Blake Sinclair from the moment they entered, a deep jealousy and pain welling up in her heart.

But she quickly collected her emotions, adjusted her expression, and walked over.

She smiled faintly at Holly, with a hint of familiarity, as if she was not the same person Holly had seen last time in Kennet.

"Holly, Mr. Sinclair. I was just shopping with Summer and heard there was a gathering, hope I’m not intruding."

Before Holly could say anything, a foreign girl in a playful short skirt with blonde hair and blue eyes came over and intimately locked her arm with Shannon Yarrow.

This must be Summer.

She spoke with a foreign accent, "Shannon Sis, why so polite? We often found you and Arthur to hang out with in Brelond, didn’t we? It was so fun then."

Holly’s eyebrow twitched at Summer’s heavily suggestive words.

Often?

Found you and him?

Holly’s heart felt like it was pricked by a needle, spreading a dense sourness.

She and Blake Sinclair? Were they together often in Brelond?

Shannon Yarrow shyly glared at Summer and then looked at Blake Sinclair beside her.

That look was deep, filled with complex emotions, hiding shared memories understood only by a few.

"Summer, don’t say silly things, now... the situation is different."

She spoke softly, a bit wistfully, as if emphasizing something deliberately.

Holly felt uncomfortable with what she implied in those words.

Summer, however, seemed oblivious, missing the implication in Shannon Yarrow’s words and simply standing up for her.

She looked provocatively at Holly, speaking in an exaggerated tone: "What’s so different? Just because someone is married doesn’t mean losing the freedom to make friends, right? Miss Crowe, you aren’t that petty, are you? When we were in Brelond, we were all very free."

"Besides, you Chinese have an old saying, ’Having friends from afar, isn’t it a joy?’"

The private room fell silent instantly, and everyone’s eyes were on Holly.

Who said foreigners couldn’t learn Chinese?

This Chinese was way too good!

It was virtually impossible to save face for anyone present.

You can’t be this sharp without a bit of a sarcastic edge.

The words were sharp and insinuating, openly and covertly suggesting Holly was petty, over-controlling, and deliberately highlighting the free interaction between Shannon Yarrow and Blake Sinclair in Brelond.

Henry Dempsey was anxiously scratching his head beside them, Shannon Yarrow looking indifferent to the world, and Blake Sinclair’s face darkened, just about to speak.

But then Holly suddenly chuckled softly.

She stepped forward slightly, maintaining her composure, and met Summer’s provocative gaze.

"Miss Summer, your Chinese is quite good."

"It’s all thanks to Shannon Sis teaching me," she boasted, swaying proudly.

"You’re right, ’Having friends from afar, isn’t it a joy?’ But..."

Holly raised an eyebrow and smiled, "We Chinese have another old saying, ’When in Rome, do as the Romans do.’ The host’s gathering is naturally set by the host’s rules. Coming uninvited and pointing fingers at the hostess—this behavior, no matter which country, isn’t exactly free, at best it’s...."

She paused midway, glancing at Shannon Yarrow’s stiff smile, her words as sharp as a knife:

"A lack of manners!"