Chapter 23 Make You Jealous
Griffin and Nolan were sitting on the sofa, apparently in the middle of a conversation.
Both men looked up at the sudden commotion, their brows furrowing.
The moment they saw Vincent practically dragging Juliet inside, shock flashed across their faces.
Griffin straightened instinctively while Nolan's mouth parted slightly in disbelief.
Neither of them had time to say a word.
Vincent didn't spare them a glance. His jaw remained tight, the muscle ticking visibly as he marched straight through the living room and toward the kitchen area.
The dark look on his face was enough to make it clear he wasn't in the mood for questions.
Only when they reached the kitchen counter did he finally stop.
He released Juliet's wrist and immediately pointed at the spot beside him.
"Wait here."
The moment he let go, Juliet turned on her heel and started walking away without hesitation.
Before she could take more than two steps, Vincent caught her arm and pulled her back. The sudden force made her stumble slightly before she regained her balance.
"I told you to stay here."
His voice cracked through the room like a whip.
Juliet clenched her teeth and shot him an annoyed look.
Her chest rose and fell with restrained frustration, but she knew arguing with him right now would get her nowhere.
Folding her arms tightly across her chest, she stood there stiffly, her narrowed eyes tracking his every movement as he stormed away.
Vincent headed toward his bedroom, his heavy footsteps echoing through the house.
A few seconds later, he was already back.
It was almost as if he was afraid she would disappear the moment he took his eyes off her.
Juliet let out a long breath and rolled her eyes. The second she shifted her weight and attempted to leave again, Vincent stepped directly into her path, blocking her way with his broad frame.
"Seriously?" she muttered, staring up at him.
Ignoring her completely, Vincent slapped a stack of papers onto the countertop with enough force to make her shoulders jerk slightly.
The sharp sound echoed through the room.
Juliet frowned and looked from the documents to his face, confusion written all over her features.
"Look at this," Vincent ordered.
He jabbed a finger at the papers.
"Read it."
Juliet glanced down and followed the direction of his finger. The document on top was labeled Pregnancy Report.
Her brows immediately pulled together.
Confusion deepened across her face.
She folded her arms again and lifted her head to look at him.
"You are pregnant?"
For a second, the room fell silent.
The frustrated expression on Vincent's face instantly darkened into a glare. He stared at her as though he couldn't believe what had just come out of her mouth.
"Read the fucking documents, Juliet."
His voice rose sharply, whatever patience he had left disappearing altogether.
Juliet rolled her eyes. She seemed more annoyed by his attitude than intimidated by it.
Lowering her gaze, she picked up the papers and began reading. The room grew quiet except for the soft rustling of pages. Vincent stood across from her with both hands shoved deep into his pockets, his shoulders tense as he watched her every reaction without blinking.
As she continued reading, the confusion on her face slowly gave way to realization. Her eyes moved more slowly over the last few pages before she finally lowered them.
A few moments later, she lifted her head and looked at him again.
One eyebrow rose.
"Alexa isn't pregnant with your child?"
Her tone sounded more like a question than a statement.
Vincent slipped both hands deeper into his pockets and tilted his head slightly. A smug look slowly spread across his face.
"Yeah."
His eyes remained fixed on her.
"I've never slept with her. She lied to you."
There was a trace of satisfaction in his voice.
As Vincent stared at Juliet, a quiet confidence settled over his expression, and the tension that had been locked in his shoulders for so long finally eased as if everything had fallen into place the moment he spoke.
In his mind, the truth had already done its work, and now there was nothing left to fix or explain. Now she knew he had never been involved with Alexa, and everything she had believed was nothing more than a misunderstanding twisted out of proportion.
He watched her closely, almost expectantly, the faint smugness returning as the silence stretched between them, his gaze lingering on her face as though waiting for the exact moment it would change, waiting for anger to fade and soften into understanding.
He was already certain of what would come next, convinced that once the confusion cleared, she would see things exactly as he did. Now she would come back to him, now she would realize she had been wrong, and now she would want them to get back together.
That thought settled in his mind with quiet certainty, so steady it felt like fact, and he simply stood there watching her, waiting for the outcome he believed was already decided.
But Juliet looked at him with complete indifference. Her gaze remained steady on his face, and then a look of disbelief slowly crossed her features, as though she genuinely couldn't understand why he thought this information should matter to her at all.
"All right. Good for you."
She raised her eyebrows slightly and folded her arms across her chest, leaning one hip against the counter.
"What do you want me to do with it?"
The smug look on Vincent's face disappeared almost immediately.
The confidence that had been sitting so comfortably on his features moments ago faltered. He stared at her for a second, clearly caught off guard by her reaction. He had expected surprise, relief, maybe even happiness.
Certainly not this.
His brows gradually drew together, and a puzzled frown settled on his face as he searched her expression for something—anything—that suggested she cared.
"So you don't remember what you said to me on the day of our engagement?"
His voice was lower this time.
As he spoke, Juliet's fingers drifted to the edge of the counter, lightly resting against the cool surface. His words pulled her back to a memory she hadn't thought about in a long time.
She remembered the day he had slipped the ring onto her finger.
Back then, she had been so excited that she could hardly contain herself.
Her heart had been full of hope and anticipation.
After spending so many years alone, she had been genuinely happy at the thought of finally having someone to share her life with.
The idea of coming home to someone every day, eating meals together, talking about ordinary things, and building a future together had filled her with excitement.
Vincent had been one of her closest friends, someone she trusted completely, and she had truly believed they were about to begin a new chapter together.
The moment the ring had settled onto her finger, she had immediately wrapped both hands around his arm. Her eyes had sparkled with happiness as she looked up at him.
"From now on, you'll be my man."
She could still remember how happy she had been when she said those words.
At the time, Vincent had only glanced at her before giving a small, careless wave of his hand.
"It's just an engagement, Juliet."
His tone had been casual and dismissive, as though the moment wasn't nearly as important as she thought it was.
Juliet hadn't argued with him. She had simply smiled and told herself that he wasn't as expressive as she was.
Even so, the excitement inside her had dimmed slightly.
She remembered lowering her eyes to the ring on her finger, quietly tracing it with her thumb as she tried to ignore the small disappointment settling in her chest when she realized he didn't share the same happiness she was feeling.
The memory faded.
Juliet blinked and returned to the present.
A quiet sigh escaped her lips as she looked at the man standing across from her.
He was the same Vincent who had placed that ring on her finger.
The same face.
The same voice.
The same person.
Yet somehow, he looked completely different to her now.
It was as though the man she had once liked had slowly disappeared over the years, leaving behind someone she no longer recognized.
Straightening her posture, Juliet smiled faintly before lifting her hand and giving him the same dismissive wave he had once given her.
"You should forget about it."
Her voice was calm and easy, carrying none of the emotion he had expected.
"It's boring to force people into relationships and marriages."
Vincent's expression tightened immediately. His jaw flexed, but before he could interrupt, Juliet continued.
"Besides, don't you like women who aren't like me?"
She tilted her head slightly and looked at him with genuine curiosity.
"We fought all the time. I got jealous. You were always annoyed with me, and half the time you looked like you couldn't stand being around me."
A small shrug lifted her shoulders.
"To be honest, Alexa seems like a much better match for you."
The more she spoke, the darker Vincent's expression became.
The corners of his mouth flattened. His eyes narrowed slightly, and the muscles in his jaw tightened one after another.
Juliet either didn't notice or simply didn't care.
"She's calm. She doesn't get jealous. She doesn't make a scene whenever you're around other women."
She spread her hands lightly.
"Isn't that exactly what you've always wanted?"
Her voice carried complete sincerity.
There wasn't a trace of sarcasm in it.
"I think she's actually the perfect woman for you."
Vincent stared at her without saying a word.
The reaction he had imagined never came.
There were no tears.
No relief.
No desperate attempt to reconcile.
Instead, Juliet looked at him as though they were discussing someone else's life entirely.
"I don't have any objections if you want to marry Alexa."
Her voice remained steady and indifferent.
"In fact, you should marry her as soon as possible."
She offered him a bright smile.