Chapter 14 The Party
The title immediately made Vincent's brows twitch.
A strange look flashed across his face.
Mr. Jacobs.
Not Vincent.
Not fiancée.
Not even a greeting filled with affection.
Just a formal title.
The women surrounding him exchanged surprised looks. Their eyes bounced between Vincent and Juliet. Everyone had expected a scene.
After all, Juliet had spent years openly pursuing Vincent.
Most people assumed she had approached to cling to him, greet him affectionately, or pull him away from the women surrounding him.
Instead—
Juliet's smile remained perfectly pleasant.
Perfectly professional.
"Did you receive the engagement annulment papers I sent over earlier?"
The entire group went silent. Several people nearly dropped their drinks. Others stared openly.
Even the surrounding conversations seemed to die down.
Alexa's smile instantly froze. Juliet's gaze briefly shifted toward her. The look lasted only a second. Then Juliet calmly returned her attention to Vincent.
"I'm sure they were delivered successfully."
Her voice remained light and professional.
Not a single trace of emotion could be heard.
"I already signed them."
Vincent's face visibly darkened. The muscles in his jaw flexed. His fingers curled tightly at his sides.
Juliet either didn't notice or simply didn't care.
Tilting her head slightly, she continued speaking in the same calm tone.
"Unfortunately, I don't have unlimited time to wait for your signature." The smile on her face never wavered. "I just wanted to confirm whether you've reviewed them."
Her eyes met his directly.
There was no love in them.
No longing.
No nervousness.
No attempt to please him.
Only calm indifference.
Something Vincent found far more unbearable than anger.
"So there won't be any unnecessary delays while I move on with my life."
Seeing the complete lack of jealousy on Juliet's face, Vincent felt something tighten painfully inside his chest.
Instead of feeling relieved, an inexplicable irritation crawled through him.
In the past, whenever she saw him surrounded by other women, she would immediately lose her temper.
Her eyes would flash with anger as she marched over to him, demanding to know why he was wasting his time entertaining them.
She would glare at every woman standing too close to him and stubbornly insist that she was more important than anyone else.
She always made it painfully clear that she hated seeing other women around him.
Back then, Vincent had found her behavior annoying.
Every single time, he would brush off her complaints with a careless shrug and tell her there was nothing to worry about. Everyone already knew they were engaged. To him, it had never seemed like a big deal.
But now, standing before him in the middle of the ballroom, Juliet looked completely different.
There was no anger.
No jealousy.
No possessiveness.
Her beautiful eyes were calm and clear as they rested on him, showing not the slightest trace of displeasure.
It was as if she genuinely didn't care.
As if it made absolutely no difference to her whether he spent his time with other women or not.
The realization settled heavily in his chest, making something dark and ugly twist inside him.
Vincent's jaw tightened. His fingers curled slightly around the stem of his wine glass before he forced the irritation off his face. Lifting his chin, he looked at her with a cold, arrogant smile and raised an eyebrow.
"You know your little tricks aren't going to work on me, don't you?
" he said, staring at her as though trying to see through her thoughts.
"I don't even like you that much, Juliet.
You're my friend, that's all. Just because we're engaged doesn't mean you get to control my life. You should learn to respect that."
Juliet listened quietly.
She didn't interrupt him.
She simply stood there with one hand resting loosely at her side, her posture relaxed and unbothered.
Then, to Vincent's disbelief, a bright smile suddenly spread across her face.
"Oh," she said cheerfully, tilting her head slightly as though she had just figured something out. "So I guess you haven't signed the papers yet."
The smug expression on Vincent's face instantly froze.
A deep frown appeared between his brows.
"What does that mean?" he demanded sharply.
Juliet blinked at him innocently.
"Didn't you hear anything I just said?" Vincent snapped, his patience beginning to fray. "I told you that you shouldn't—"
Before he could finish speaking, Juliet casually lifted a hand between them.
The simple gesture immediately cut him off.
Her movements were unhurried and relaxed, as though she couldn't be bothered listening to another word.
"Don't ruin my mood," she said lightly, a pleasant smile still lingering on her lips. "I'm already in a very good mood today, and I really don't want to listen to any explanations."
She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear before looking at him again.
"I understand now that you haven't signed the papers yet. If you had signed them, all you needed to do was nod your head. That's it."
Her smile widened slightly.
"So... have you?"
She looked at him expectantly.
Vincent's face darkened.
His lips pressed into a thin line, but no answer came.
The silence was answer enough.
Juliet immediately nodded in understanding.
"I see."
A satisfied smile appeared on her face.
"Then you haven't signed them yet. That's alright. I'll take care of it myself."
Without giving him a chance to respond, she turned around and walked away.
Her long dress swayed elegantly behind her as she disappeared into the crowd, not once looking back.
Vincent stood rooted to the spot.
The hand holding his wine glass tightened so violently that the veins on the back of his hand bulged beneath his skin. The crystal groaned under the pressure, looking as though it might shatter at any second.
Beside him, Amara's eyes widened.
Alarmed, she quickly reached over and pulled the glass from his hand before he accidentally crushed it.
Even then, Vincent barely noticed.
His gaze remained locked on Juliet's retreating figure.
Across the ballroom, he watched her effortlessly join a group of men. Within moments, laughter surrounded her as she chatted comfortably with them, her smile bright and carefree.
The sight made his blood boil.
His jaw clenched so hard that a sharp ache spread through his face.
"What the hell is she doing?" he muttered through gritted teeth.
His dark gaze swept over the men standing around her.
They were leaning toward her, smiling at her, clearly enjoying her company.
A dangerous look flashed through his eyes.
"She was always lecturing me about being around other women." The muscles in his neck tightened visibly. "And now she's standing there surrounded by men."
The hypocrisy he perceived ignited something fierce and irrational inside him.
A possessive fury rose in his chest.
How dare she?
His hands slowly curled into fists at his sides as he continued staring at her.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't look away.
It was as though every smile she gave those men, every laugh that left her lips, and every second she spent in their company was personally provoking him.
And the worst part was that he couldn't understand why.
None of the guests downstairs noticed that above the grand ballroom was an exclusive VIP floor reserved for only the wealthiest and most influential people attending the event.
The upper level overlooked the entire venue, providing a clear view of everything happening below while remaining completely removed from the noise and chaos of the crowd.
Access was strictly controlled. In the entire city, there were only a handful of people powerful enough to receive an invitation to stand there.
Among them stood Cassian Han.
His tall frame was positioned near the polished railing, one hand resting lazily against the metal while the other remained tucked inside his pocket. At first glance, he appeared completely relaxed, almost indifferent to the lavish event unfolding beneath him.
Only those who knew him well would notice that he had barely moved for the past twenty minutes.
Because his attention had been fixed on one person.
Juliet.
His dark eyes followed her through the ballroom with unwavering focus, tracking her every movement no matter where she went. The crowd shifted constantly around her, yet she remained the only thing he seemed capable of seeing.
Nothing escaped his notice.
Not the way she smiled when someone spoke to her. Not the way she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Not the way her laughter lit up her face. And certainly not the way Vincent's eyes kept drifting back toward her over and over again.
A faint tension lingered around Cassian's shoulders as he watched, though his expression remained unreadable.
Standing beside him was Xavier Chen, one of the few people who had known him long enough to recognize the warning signs.
Where Cassian possessed a raw, intimidating masculinity, Xavier's appeal lay in his elegance.
Tall and impeccably dressed, he looked more like an aristocrat than a billionaire.
His long black hair brushed his shoulders, framing a handsome face defined by high cheekbones, arched brows, and sharp, refined features.
A thin scar sliced through his right eyebrow, the only imperfection on an otherwise flawless face.
There was something unnervingly composed about him.
Not a single strand of hair was out of place. His charcoal suit was immaculate, and even the way he held his whiskey glass seemed carefully controlled.
Most people found Xavier charming.
Those who knew him well understood that his calm smile was far more dangerous than Cassian's temper.
Leaning casually against the railing, Xavier swirled the amber liquid in his whiskey glass while his gaze moved between Juliet, Vincent, and Cassian.
The longer he watched the strange triangle, the more amused he became.
Finally, a quiet scoff escaped him.