Page 231 of King of Sin
The thought made Alexa's stomach tighten unpleasantly.
Because if Juliet truly had won over Cassian Han...
Then didn't that mean Juliet had traded up?
And if that was true...
Was she the one who had ended up with the lesser man?
The thought struck her like a slap.
For a split second, jealousy flashed across her carefully made-up face before she quickly concealed it behind a gentle smile. She tightened her hold on Vincent's arm, pressing herself closer against his side.
"Griffin's right," she said softly, lifting her head to study Vincent's dark expression. "Juliet's just trying to provoke you. Otherwise, why would she suddenly start openly showing affection to another man in public?"
Her fingers lightly smoothed the sleeve of his suit. "She's doing this because she wants a reaction from you. She wants you to chase after her."
Vincent didn't answer immediately.
He stood rigidly beside her, his gaze fixed across the lavish auction hall as though he couldn't tear his eyes away from Juliet and Cassian no matter how hard he tried. The crystal chandeliers cast a warm golden glow over the ballroom, guests mingling elegantly around them, but Vincent seemed completely unaware of his surroundings.
All he could see was Juliet.
Juliet standing beside another man.
Juliet smiling at another man.
Juliet looking happier than she ever had with him.
A muscle ticked sharply in Vincent's jaw.
"I'll never forgive her for this," he said at last, his voice so cold that even Alexa felt a chill run down her spine.
At that exact moment, Juliet casually glanced around the ballroom. Her eyes drifted over the crowd before eventually landing on him.
Vincent's heart lurched.
Without thinking, he suddenly wrapped an arm around Alexa's waist and pulled her flush against him. Alexa gasped softly, nearly losing her balance in her heels, but before she could speak, Vincent lowered his head and kissed her.
The kiss was hard, sudden, and completely devoid of tenderness.
A few nearby guests immediately turned to look, whispers beginning to spread through the crowd.
Alexa quickly understood what he was doing.
Vincent wasn't kissing her.
He was performing.
Even while his lips were pressed against hers, his eyes remained open, staring unblinkingly past her shoulder toward Juliet.
He was waiting.
Waiting for Juliet to get angry. To storm over, to cry, to argue, to demand an explanation.
After all, wasn't that what she had always done whenever she saw him with another woman?
But this time, nothing happened.
