Chapter 96 Mrs. Valencia, Welcome Back
After swapping out his threads, Antonio kicked back in the living room.
Tonight, he was still rocking all black, but this time, his custom black velvet suit had this slick, inky shine under the lights. A platinum tie clip, all decked out with diamonds, jazzed up his black tie. When he lifted his hand, the cufflinks and the bling on his watch caught the light, making Antonio look all kinds of fancy. His sharp features looked even more chiseled.
When James rolled in, he saw Antonio standing there with one hand in his pocket and was totally floored.
Antonio looked drop-dead gorgeous in that getup!
Even though he saw Antonio every day, he couldn't help but be blown away by how stunning he was!
Right then, Antonio was only thinking about Sarah and didn't even notice James. He checked his watch, his eyebrows knitting together.
'What's taking her so long? Is she up to something?' he wondered.
Antonio's face darkened a bit. Just as he was about to go find her, he saw a graceful figure at the top of the stairs.
Standing there, Sarah immediately spotted Antonio, a quick flash of amazement in her eyes.
Even though she couldn't stand Antonio, she had to admit, the guy had a unique charm.
Disgust quickly took over the amazement. Sarah hesitated for a couple of seconds before looking away, lifting her skirt, and heading down the stairs.
With every step, her red velvet gown flowed like water, perfectly showing off her curves.
Her hair was pinned up neatly, showing off her slender neck. The ruby necklace and earrings matched the red velvet gown, and the diamonds sparkled, making her look as elegant and regal as a swan.
Under the hem of her dress, her high heels peeked out, shimmering like stars, making it look like she was walking on a galaxy, adding a touch of cold elegance to her vibe.
Antonio looked up at her, his gaze deep, his eyes shining like gemstones, intense and bright.
He seemed to be watching a celestial being, seeing her descend step by step into the mortal world, coming closer to him.
His thin lips curved into a gentle smile. He stepped forward, his long arm wrapping around Sarah's waist, and whispered seductively in her ear, "Mrs. Valencia, welcome back."
Sarah stayed silent.
Half an hour later, a sleek black car pulled up outside a seven-star banquet hall.
The reporters outside swarmed, all trying to get the best shots.
Under the camera flashes, James got out of the car and opened the back door, followed by Antonio.
The flashes went wild, but Antonio didn't care, extending his hand towards the person inside the car.
Sarah glanced at Antonio, bit her lip, and placed her hand in his, her face cold as ice.
The sharp-eyed reporters recognized Sarah, their eyes gleaming with greed, all aiming their cameras at the couple, snapping away like crazy, not wanting to miss a thing.
This was the first time the couple had shown up in public after several media incidents, making it a hot piece of news everyone wanted to cash in on.
The reporters, being sharp, quickly noticed Sarah's cold demeanor and started speculating about trouble in paradise.
Antonio, seeing Sarah's indifference, pulled her into his arms, leaned close to her ear, and said softly, "Smile, or I will..."
He didn't finish, but Sarah got the message loud and clear!
She clenched her fists, turned, and glared angrily at the nonchalant Antonio.
Antonio was threatening her with Brady again!
But she had something Antonio held over her. No matter how pissed she was, she had to play along.
For Brady's safety, she had to play along for now.
Once the divorce was done, she wouldn't have to put up with this anymore.
Sarah tried to psych herself up, biting her lip to keep the anger in check, forcing herself to muster a smile that was barely passable.
Antonio, seeing Sarah's forced smile, didn't get mad. Instead, he smiled, his deep eyes showing a mix of helplessness and affection.
His smile softened even more. He reached out to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear, then wrapped his arm around Sarah, whose body had already stiffened, leading her into the inner room.
James, seeing Antonio's smile, was almost floored!
Antonio was always so serious that James had suspected he had a poker face.
But just now, Antonio had smiled so gently!
If he were a woman, he would've fallen for Antonio's affectionate gaze right then and there!
Not only was James shocked, but the reporters were also stunned, their eyes practically popping out.
For a moment, the flashes made the night as bright as day, and the reporters buzzed with chatter.
"I think this is the first time I've seen Mr. Valencia smile!"
"Mr. Valencia and Mrs. Valencia seem so affectionate. So what's the deal with Lisa then?"
"Isn't it obvious? Rich folks always have side pieces. The mistress must be trying to oust Mrs. Valencia. Don't forget, Lisa has a son!"
"That makes sense! The rich are the real actors, pretending to be deeply in love while hiding the truth. Don't be fooled by them."
Seeing them disappear into the venue, the sharp-tongued reporters turned to catch other guests' juicy details.
After Antonio and Sarah entered, the banquet hall was already buzzing with guests chatting and mingling.
This was the city's largest banquet hall, with simple and elegant decor. The setup wasn't flashy, fitting the theme of a charity gala.
The host of this charity gala was an eighty-year-old philanthropist, Kyle Cox, a highly respected figure and one of the few people Antonio admired.
The greeters at the entrance immediately recognized Antonio, warmly stepping forward to greet and place wristbands on them.
The wristbands served as both entry proof and an important prop for a mysterious segment later.
Antonio glanced at the number on his wristband and then casually looked at Sarah's wrist, a fleeting look of depth in his eyes.
He had known about the final segment of the gala in advance and had made arrangements.
Their numbers matched.
Sarah, however, was distracted the whole time and didn't pay attention to the wristbands or Antonio's gaze.
Rubbing her tired smile away, she glanced briefly around the banquet hall, her eyes darkening with a hint of somberness.
She always hated these events, where everyone was shrewd and wore masks.
Moreover, she had decided to divorce Antonio and didn't want to appear with him in public and media.
Being seen together and looking all lovey-dovey would be bad for her in the divorce proceedings.
If Antonio hadn't threatened her with Brady, she wouldn't have come.
In contrast, Antonio was in an exceptionally good mood tonight.
He glanced at the sullen Sarah beside him, took her hand, and led her into the banquet hall.
They had just taken a few steps when a small black figure quickly rushed from the side.
They were bumped. As Antonio looked down, he saw a boy in a tuxedo with his head bowed, his face obscured. All he heard was a murmured "I'm sorry."
Antonio instinctively frowned, but before he could speak, the boy ran off, skillfully weaving through the crowd and disappearing.
Antonio's face darkened, but he wouldn't argue with a kid on such an occasion.
However, Sarah stared in the direction the boy ran, not moving for a few seconds, a look of confusion in her eyes.
Why did that boy's back look so familiar?
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
