Chapter 823: Argument, Kiss
So, their game plan was to snag that marriage certificate as soon as Hannah hit the legal age.
After she got her college diploma, they’d throw a big wedding bash and then pop out some kids.
Kids were always part of the deal.
But now, she’s saying they should wait until her career’s on solid ground before having any little ones.
What the heck does a stable career even mean?
There’s no clear line for that.
Unless you’re at a level like Charles, where you’ve pretty much hit the ceiling. You can’t really say your career’s stable.
But getting to Charles’s spot? That’s no walk in the park.
In Austin’s twenty years, he’d only seen one guy like Charles.
To Austin, this was just Hannah’s way of dodging marriage and kids with him.
Ever since she met Charles, she’d been different.
Austin shot her a disappointed look, then swung open the car door and headed for the elevator without a backward glance.
Seeing Austin was pissed, Hannah jumped out of the car and chased after him, grabbing his arm and pleading, “We’re still young. I swear, I’ll have a kid before I hit twenty-nine.”
But Austin wasn’t having any of it.
He kept his mouth shut and just kept walking.
Hannah sped up, darted in front of him, and spread her arms to block his path, “I don’t want to look back when I’m old and regret not achieving anything. Austin, you love me so much. You get me, right?”
Austin finally looked at her again.
He asked, “Who are you trying to prove it to?”
Hannah was thrown off by the question, “Duh, to myself!”
Austin sneered, “Really? I think you’re trying to prove it to Charles! All this talk, isn’t it just ‘cause you wanna stick around him? Can’t bear to leave him, huh?”
He was so mad he let slip what was really on his mind.
Hannah was taken aback, “What are you talking about? Why would I need to prove anything to him?”
Sure, Charles was a great guy.
She admired him a lot.
But Austin’s words made her feel uneasy.
It made it seem like there was something fishy between her and Charles.
Austin was totally losing it.
Thinking about how Charles had grabbed her wrist earlier, he was burning with jealousy, his eyes blazing with anger.
In the past, Hannah and Charles had grown up together, and their bond was stronger than what she had with him, which he couldn’t argue with.
But now, Hannah was Austin’s fiancée.
‘Why was she still so tight with Charles?’ Austin wondered.
The jealousy bubbled up inside him.
He grabbed Hannah’s arm hard, his face twisted with jealousy, like a wild beast.
Austin asked, “You like Charles, don’t you?”
Hannah was pissed off by his words, “Austin, you’re insulting me.”
Austin sneered, “What? Am I wrong? If you don’t like him, why’d you sneak off to work at his company? If you don’t like him, why didn’t you tell me you went to Carol’s birthday party with him? If you don’t like him, why’d you let him hold your wrist?”
As he spoke, he grabbed Hannah’s hand, pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket, and furiously wiped the spot where Charles had touched.
He was rough. Hannah’s delicate skin quickly turned red from his rubbing.
Hannah said, “It hurts.”
But Austin didn’t seem to hear, still scrubbing away like he could erase Charles’s touch.
Hannah was in pain.
She shouted, “Austin, you’re hurting me.”
Austin asked, “Does it hurt? Then do you know how much it hurts me to see you lie to me and be with Charles?”
Hannah was super bummed out by him. She yanked her hand free with all her might and started heading for the exit.
Austin caught up and grabbed her now-red hand.
“Where you going?” he asked.
“I’ll talk to you when you chill out,” Hannah shot back.
Even though she was fuming, she kept her cool.
She knew that in a fight, people get all heated and say stuff they don’t mean.
But Austin, eyes blazing, said, “You going to see Charles?”
He was scared. Really scared. Afraid she’d ditch him for Charles again. Why, in this huge country, did they have to cross paths again? Why, out of all the schools, did Hannah and Stella end up in the same one? Why, in such a big university, did they have to be in the same major, same department, and even the same dorm?
It all felt like fate messing with him.
He tried so hard, but in the end, he couldn’t beat destiny.
Hannah turned around, pissed, but when she saw the fear and helplessness on Austin’s face, she froze, and her anger vanished.
She didn’t know why, but she could tell Austin was scared.
‘What’s he so afraid of?’ Hannah wondered.
She calmed down, took his hand, and softened her voice.
“Austin, what’s wrong?” she asked gently.
Austin’s eyes darted around, scared to hear the answer he dreaded, not daring to look at Hannah, and asked again, his voice shaking, “Are you going to see Charles?”
Seeing him like this made Hannah’s heart ache.
They’d known each other for so long, and in her mind, Austin was always the best, always the standout wherever he went.
And now, here he was, scared.
He couldn’t even look her in the eye.
Hannah sighed, feeling helpless, “Why would I go see him?”
Austin started to calm down, not as wild and out of control as before.
“You like him, you want to be with him,” he said.
Hannah laughed, “Why would you think I like him and want to be with him?”
“Because…” Austin almost blurted it out but held back at the last second.
“Because what?” Hannah blinked at him.
Austin never gave a solid reason.
Hannah figured it was his lack of confidence, feeling small next to Charles.
Any guy would feel that way around Charles.
Charles had it all: great family, good looks, top-notch education, plus he was smart, capable, polite, and had a great temper.
He had endless perks.
A guy like that made other guys feel like they didn’t measure up.
It made sense.
Hannah hugged him, her heart aching, gently patting his back to comfort him, “I’m not going to see Charles! He’s just my boss. I don’t have any romantic feelings for him, don’t overthink it.”
Austin was still doubtful, “Really?”
Hannah let go and promised, “I have no other feelings for Charles. I respect him as a boss and admire him as a successful person, but that’s it.”
Austin finally relaxed, his expression softening.
“I believe you; don’t let me down,” he said.
Hannah nodded firmly, “We’re engaged, we should trust each other!”
Austin breathed a sigh of relief.
The garage light made Hannah’s skin look even fairer.
Austin’s gaze shifted, his eyes landing on her pink lips, his Adam’s apple bobbing.
His stare was so intense, it was hard to ignore.
Hannah’s whole body tensed, her nerves instantly on edge.
Austin couldn’t help but swallow, cupping her face with his hands, looking down at her, and slowly moving closer to her red lips.
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