Chapter 31 Meeting The Parents #2
A memory surfaced unexpectedly in his mind.
Juliet standing in front of him, tears shimmering in her eyes as she looked at him with pain and disappointment.
"I feel disgusted every time I see you with another woman, Vincent. The thought of marrying you has started to make me sick."
For a moment, he could almost see the scene again as if it had happened yesterday instead of months ago.
Back then, Vincent had merely leaned lazily against the bar counter, a glass of whiskey in his hand, completely unmoved by her complaints.
He had even laughed.
He had actually laughed in her face.
He had dismissed her feelings as childish jealousy and accused her of overreacting.
Of being overly sensitive.
He had dismissed her pain as nothing more than a tantrum from a woman too dependent on him.
But standing in the middle of the Han Industries auction hall tonight, Vincent suddenly understood.
Because the ugly feeling clawing relentlessly at his chest every time he looked at Cassian and Juliet together was exactly what Juliet had tried so desperately to explain to him all those times.
The bitterness.
The anger.
The overwhelming sense of revulsion whenever he saw Cassian's hand resting possessively on Juliet's waist or watched Juliet smile up at another man.
It hurt.
God, it hurt.
For the first time, Vincent realized that Juliet had never been exaggerating.
She had been telling him the truth all along.
And he had simply never cared enough to listen.
The realization settled heavily in his chest, making it strangely difficult to breathe.
"Don't tell me you're actually taking this seriously."
Griffin's voice abruptly pulled Vincent back to the present.
Vincent turned his head.
Standing beside him, Griffin casually swirled the champagne in his glass before taking a leisurely sip, looking entirely unconcerned.
"Juliet's obviously putting on a show," Griffin continued with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Women do this all the time after breakups. She's trying to make you jealous."
Nolan nodded in agreement.
"Exactly. Look at her. Since when has Juliet ever acted like this in public? She's definitely putting on an act."
Griffin smirked arrogantly.
"It won't be long before she gets thrown out anyway."
Vincent frowned slightly.
"What do you mean?"
Griffin let out a scoff.
"Come on. This is Cassian Han we're talking about." He lowered his voice, though the mockery remained obvious. "Either she's just a temporary plaything and he'll toss her aside once he gets bored, or he's using her for something."
Alexa immediately chimed in, eager to reassure Vincent.
"Griffin's right," she said softly, gently rubbing Vincent's arm. "After everything Juliet did to Cassian, there's no way he'll ever seriously commit to her."
She counted on her fingers as she spoke.
"She stole his business deals, publicly embarrassed him, betrayed him, and even got him attacked."
Alexa shook her head confidently.
"No man would forgive all that."
Vincent remained silent.
Logically, their words should have reassured him.
Instead, the uneasy feeling inside him only grew stronger.
Almost as if to prove them wrong, movement across the ballroom suddenly caught his attention.
Vincent's gaze instinctively followed.
He watched as Cassian rested a hand against the small of Juliet's back and gently guided her through the crowd. The guests instinctively stepped aside to make way for them, their eyes following the couple.
Cassian eventually stopped in front of an elegant middle-aged couple standing near the front of the ballroom.
Vincent immediately recognized them.
Casper Han.
Eloise Han.
Cassian's parents.
His body instantly stiffened.
For a moment, he didn’t even blink. The noise of the ballroom—soft laughter, clinking glasses, the distant hum of conversation—seemed to dull around him as his attention locked onto one point, one movement, one figure he couldn’t ignore.
***
Cassian’s large hand rested possessively against the small of Juliet’s back as he guided her effortlessly through the crowded auction hall, occasionally lowering his head to murmur the names and backgrounds of important guests into her ear before introducing her.
The intimate gesture didn't go unnoticed by anyone in the room.
Neither did the way Cassian would subtly draw her closer whenever another man lingered beside her for too long.
Or the way his hand would slide from her back to her waist, his fingers spreading possessively over her side.
The powerful billionaire looked every bit the protective, dominant man tonight.
Tall and broad-shouldered in his charcoal-grey suit, Cassian commanded attention wherever he went. His sharp features remained calm and unreadable, yet there was something intimidating about the way he carried himself. He barely needed to speak for people to instinctively make way for him.
And yet, every time he looked at Juliet, that cold, commanding aura softened almost imperceptibly.
As they finished speaking with another group of business executives, Cassian's hand tightened gently around Juliet's waist.
"Come with me," he said in a low voice.
Juliet looked up at him curiously.
"Where?"
Cassian merely looked ahead.
"To meet my parents."
Juliet almost stumbled.
"What? Already?"
She turned to stare at him, blue eyes widening in alarm.
"Cassian, wait—"
But he was already leading her through the crowd.
"Cassian!" she hissed under her breath, nearly tripping over the hem of her gown as she hurried to keep pace with him.
"You would've spent the entire evening worrying," he said calmly.
"I am worrying!"
Cassian glanced down at her.
For the first time that night, he looked mildly amused.
"You'll survive."
Juliet looked horrified.
By now, they had reached an elegant middle-aged couple standing near the front of the ballroom.
The woman carried herself with effortless grace, dressed in an exquisite champagne-colored gown, while the distinguished silver-haired man beside her exuded the quiet authority of someone accustomed to power.
Juliet immediately realized who they were.
Her heart nearly stopped.
Oh God.
These were Cassian's parents.