Chapter 119
Andre was sipping his glass of champagne, looking bored. Janet approached him from the back and bumped into his shoulder. Andreâs hand shook. Some champagne spilled onto his white shirt. âOn my god! I am so sorry sir!â Janet gasped, âAre you alright?!â
Andre jerked around in fume.
He was about to scold Janet. Yet when his eyes fixed upon Janetâs face, the angry look was quickly replaced by an awed expression.
He was dazzled by Janetâs beauty.
And from the look on his face, Janet could tell that he didnât recognize her at all. Which made sense. Because her face was covered by a gold masquerade mask, and they had only met each other two times.
âDonât worry about it, miss.â Andre grinned, flashing his white teeth. âAnd I bet a lot of men here tonight would love to have a pretty lady like you bumping into them.â
Janet giggled, fluttering her eyelashes, âYou flatter me. Is there any way that I can make up for my clumsiness?â
âHow about a dance with me?â Andre held out his right hand to Janet.
âMy pleasure,â Janet smiled, placing her hand in Andreâs palm.
Together, they waltzed into the crowd of dancers.
The hall was filled with the harmonious melody of a waltz, couples gracefully twirling across the floor.
Andre held Janetâs right hand and his left hand was on her waist, leading swirling across the dancefloor.
He was actually a masterful dancer, his movements fluid and precise, leading her effortlessly through the steps. Each twirl and dip was executed elegantly.
Yet Janet didnât have time to enjoy this dance.
She looked beyond Andreâs shoulder and spotted a few guards standing by the dancefloor, watching them intently from the distance.
They were monitoring Andreâs every move.
If she wanted to talk to Andre without causing the guardâs suspicion, now was her only chance.
âWhat is the matter?â
Andre had noticed her absence of mind. He raised an eyebrow and asked, âYou donât seem to enjoy this dance very much. Did I step on your feet or anything?â
Janet gulped.
She had to cut right into the chase.
Her time was limited.
har line barely
âAndre, do you know who I am?â she whispered into his cars, her lips barely moving
Andre frowned.
Then he let out a dry laugh, âI donât. But this is the point of a masquerade ball, isnât it? Should I know you?â
They whirled around. And Janet happened to have her back facing those guards.
So she quickly took this chance and lifted her mask slightly so that Andre could take a clear look at her face.
Andreâs eyes widened abruptly.
At that moment, he recognized who she was.
âY-You!â
He gasped, sounding infuriated.
âYou are Daranâs Gamma! What are you doing here?!â
âKeep your voice down! I donât want to alert your guards. They are watching you like a fucking hawk,â Janet said in a low and urgent voice. âAnd I am here to talk to you.â
âForget it! We have nothing to talk about,â Andre snapped.
He tried to pull his hand back and walk away.
Yet Janet held his hand and shoulder tightly and kept him on the spot.
âKeep dancing. And listen to what I have to say!â she commanded.
Her voice sounded very authoritative.
Andre winced. After a little internal struggle, he chose to stay.
âOK. What do you want to say? But make it quick. Father will kill me if he catches me talking to you,â he said reluctantly.
Janet nodded.
She got straight to the point, âI saw how Danton abused you in that alley behind the nightclub. I know that he is not a great father as everyone else believes. So if you are willing to trust me, I am here to help you.â
Andreâs body became stiff.
He gave Janet a nasty stare and huffed, âNo. You saw it wrong. That wasnât me. My father is awesome and he has been nothing but loving to meââ
âJust cut the crap, Andre! We all know that you are lying to yourself. Why are you trying to protect a horrible person like Danton?â Janet snarled.
âHe is my father. Of course, I have to defend him-â
âYour FOSTER father,â Janet stressed. âYou are the former Rogue Kingâs son. Danton only adopted you because he needs to keep an eye on you for Lance. You are his captive, not son.â
Andre glared at Janet.
A hint of panic flickered across his eyes.
ââ¦How did you know about this?â he asked dryly.
âI have my source,â Janet said. âAnyway, I know that you are living a horrible life without any freedom and dignity. And I know that deep down you want to change that. So work with us. We are here to help you.â
Andre blinked his eyes. He looked at a lost.
Janet held his hand and took the lead. They couldnât stop dancing. Or they would catch the guardâs attention.
After a long pause, when her patience was about to run out, Andre finally spoke up again:
âNo.â
Janet frowned, âSo you would rather stay by Dantonâs side like a salve than working with us? Why is that?â
Andre let out a sneer, âYou are a Gamma and I am a rogue. I will never work with my enemy.â
âBut we have shared interest here. Donât think of me as an enemy for now-
Andre cut her off sharply, âPlus, how are you going to help me anyway? You canât walk up to Danton and give him a fucking lesson on parenting. You canât help me. Nobody can help me. This is my fate. My destined fate.â
âAndreâ¦â
â
She wanted to say something else to change his mind.
But right at this moment, the song came to a stop. This dance was over.
Andre gave Janet a freezing look pulled his hand back and turned to leave.
Janet bit her lips, staring at his back, frustrated.
She knew that it would take some effort to persuade Andre.
But it still came as a shock when Andre turned her down with such a firm attitude.
She took in a deep breath and picked up her long skirt, rushing towards Andre.
âWait!â she called out to him.
When she finally caught up with Andre by the edge of the dancefloor, she found Andre surrounded by his guards.
ââ¦General Danton asks to see you now,â said one guard in a cold voice.
Andre gulped nervously. His face was pale due to fear.
Bearing his head down, Andre walked up to those guards and was ready to leave with
them.
Janet rushed forward. But one guard stuck out an arm and stopped her.
âMiss, the dance is over,â the guard said warningly.
Janet ignored him.
She stared at Andreâs back and said in an eager voice, âJust-think about it. Come and find me laterâ¦Please.â
C
Janet ignored him.
She stared at Andreâs back and said in an eager voice, âJust-think about it. Come and find me laterâ¦Please.â
Andre halted in his tracks. His fists were clenched by his body side.
After a small pause, he said lowly, âI enjoyed our danceâ¦But that is it. Donât come and talk to me ever again.â
With that said, he followed those guards and walked away decisively.