Chapter 764 A Gentle Face with a Ruthless Heart
Ann brought Jane to the occasion, so when did Jane become Richard's companion? This question left Ann puzzled. "But I heard Mr. Foster didn't bring a companion," she specifically asked about this because Richard, with his gentle surface and ruthless heart, seemed uninterested in women. For years, no one had seen Richard bring any woman to social gatherings except his cousin, Debra Foster. Some even privately speculated whether Richard liked men or he just hated women.
"Well, I did bring a companion, but didn’t you ask Ms. Watkins to leave in advance?" Richard asked Ann with a smile.
The guests were shocked. Just ten minutes ago, Ann admitted that Jane didn’t have an invitation and had asked her to leave. But then, Richard showed up and said Jane was his companion.
Ann didn’t know what to do with Jane. She wanted her to leave the manor. But if what Richard said was true, then Ann’s words from earlier were intentionally teasing Jane. Ann was a lady, yet she mocked a person younger than her. This was both absurd and despicable behavior. But if Richard’s words were a lie, why would he do such a thing?
"Mr. Foster, are you sure about this?" Ann's face turned anxious. She tried to maintain a friendly demeanor. With this question, she meant to ask Richard if he was determined to oppose her and her family for Jane.
"Well, that’s the truth," Richard said as he slowly walked over and pulled Jane closer to him. Then, he held her hand. This was the standard posture for a gentleman and his female companion at an event, polite. Since he wanted to protect Jane, he couldn't let her be harmed in any way.
Richard questioned Ann and defended Jane. As long as Jane was his companion, she had the right to be there and couldn't be driven away by anyone. Not even by the host.
"Mr. Foster, even if Jane was your companion, she couldn't just go around hitting people, could she?" Kelly didn't want to let Jane off so easily.
"She certainly can't hit someone without reason," Richard answered.
Kelly and Ann were both quite pleased. They thought, 'Jane may be pretty, but she wouldn't have a man to defend her!'
"Well," Richard continued, "The way I see it, Ms. Watkins had an obvious reason to hit someone."
Everyone was curious, but Kelly shouted angrily, "She did it for no reason! There’s no obvious reason for her to hit me."
Richard glanced coldly at Kelly, and she felt uneasy. Sensing how frightening Richard's gaze was, Kelly instantly recalled people’s opinions about his gentle surface but ruthless heart. She immediately fell silent.
"Ms. Watkins, why did you hit her?" Richard asked Jane.
Jane had been frozen in place, just like the other guests, and only snapped out of it when Richard asked her. "She cursed and said that my brother had died," Jane glanced at Kelly and added, "But I also feel it's immoral to curse my entire family."
It wasn't that Jane felt bad about it, but that Kelly didn't have a brother. Jane couldn't curse her family in the same way. So, she hit Kelly.
Richard nodded and said, "Then you certainly should’ve hit her."
Silence fell over the room. Even the guests at a distance noticed the strangeness and turned to look. Richard was defending Jane, and his attitude was clear.
"Nice outfit. Is this the customized dress that Flora gave you last time?" Richard ignored everyone’s attention and started chatting with Jane as if nothing happened.
"Yes," Jane paused, skeptically sizing up Richard. It was indeed a private, customized dress prepared by Flora for her, but how would Richard know? And he sounded as if he was familiar with Jane. Not only that, but he also seemed familiar with Flora. However, Jane had only heard about Richard and hadn’t met him until that night.
Jane wasn’t the only one getting puzzled. Other guests and socialites also looked at each other, shocked and puzzled. They never expected that Jane’s dress, which they had mocked for lacking a label and had never seen on a fashion show, was an exclusive custom design by Flora.
Flora's career was currently skyrocketing. She was a well-known designer and had been taught by fashion experts. She adopted the hunger marketing strategy. As long as the guests present could buy a dress designed by Flora, they would boast about it. But they couldn't get Flora to customize dresses for them. Several socialites who mocked Jane's dress instantly felt awkward for their ignorance.
"Mr. Foster, may I ask what your relationship with Jane is?" Kelly couldn't help but ask. She couldn't stand someone defending Jane like this.
In the past, Jovan defended her. But at that moment, it was Richard. They were both hard to deal with. Meanwhile, Jane couldn't help but look at Richard, curious to see what he would say. If it weren't for Richard's lasting impression on her, she might have forgotten about him.
"Ms. Watkins," Richard paused and glanced at Jane, as if recalling something interesting. "If it weren't for Mr. Clark, she would have been my wife now."
Everyone was shocked. They couldn’t believe what they just heard. Some even doubted their hearings. Jane was supposed to be Richard's wife, and this revelation made everyone dumbfounded and speechless. They couldn't believe Richard was about to marry Jane. If they were flowers, Richard would be a modest and elegant lily, while Jane would be a glamorous and mysterious rose. They were completely different.
Jane opened her mouth and recalled when Jovan discovered she still liked Anthony. He chose Richard as her fiancé so she would leave Anthony and correct her mistake. Thinking of this, Jane held her breath.
"Jane?" one of the socialites used to have a good relationship with Jane. She tried to get the facts straight.
Jane glanced at that socialite and disdainfully looked away. She and that woman used to be friends. But after the decline of The Watkins family, she hadn't had any contact with Jane. Jane didn't want to be friends with someone so hypocritical.
"Mr. Foster, do you like Ms. Watkins?" Ann asked through gritted teeth. She didn't want any other man to be interested in Anthony's ex. If it were some pathetic middle-aged man, it would be fine. But Richard was different. Richard was currently the most popular man in the country. He came from a highly respected and noble family, and every parent in the nation wanted to marry their daughter off to him. If Richard liked Jane, it would seem like she had won the lottery.
"Ann, you may not know this, but if it weren't for Anthony, Ms. Watkins would have been my fiancée in five years," Richard said. "However, I am also grateful to Anthony for showing Ms. Watkins that he's not right for her. Thanks to him, I have a chance with her, so I sincerely congratulate Mr. Clark and Ms. Dewar for their engagement!"
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
