"What the hell? Bella, are you about to cry?"
James froze, completely dumbfounded.
He had always treated Bella Kennedy like one of the guys, never having any improper thoughts about her.
Why? Because she was flat as a board.
If he tried to fake attraction, he'd probably have to admit he had a bigger chest than she did.
They were both practically menâhow could she cry over a simple comment?
What was he supposed to do now?
Her dad was so powerful. If she threw a tantrum and got him arrested, what then?
Panicked, James quickly let go of Tailsa and stood up, placing a hand on Bella's shoulder as he awkwardly tried to explain himself.
"Miss Kennedy, let's just talk this out, okay? Don't pull this move on meâit makes it seem like I've done something terrible to you!"
"Get away from me! Don't touch me!"
Bella tried to shrug off his hand, but in doing so, she accidentally shook loose a tear.
Once the first tear escaped, the others followed relentlessly, streaming down her face.
Bella Kennedy was a striking beauty with an air of charisma and boldness.
Her sharp, defined features, delicate oval face, and intense eyebrows gave her a commanding presence.
She wore a loose, oversized black T-shirt that concealed her denim shorts, exuding a cool and confident vibe.
She moved with a casual swagger, giving off the impression of an untamed free spirit.
But when this fierce young woman started crying, it was far more shocking than when most girls cried.
James was at a complete loss.
Without thinking, he reached out to wipe her tears.
"Hey, don't cry. Fine, I was wrong, okay? Just tell me what you want, and I'll do it."
Surprisingly, Tailsa didn't seem jealous of James's affectionate gesture.
His submissive tone confirmed that Bella was indeed a high-status young lady, someone they couldn't afford to offend.
This realization made Tailsa nervous, too.
She stared anxiously at Bella, terrified that the young woman might retaliate against her and James out of spite.
"You scumbag, get your filthy hands off me!"
Bella felt even more wronged when James tried to comfort her. Seeing him reach out to touch her face, she completely lost it.
Enraged, she raised her hand and swung it toward his face.
The slap came fast and suddenâtoo quick for an average person to dodge.
But James wasn't an average person anymore.
Since his "evolution," his reflexes had improved exponentially.
Not only could he dodge the slap, but he could also calmly catch her hand.
In an instant, Bella's hand stopped just an inch from James's face, firmly held in his grasp.
James smirked and shamelessly pressed her hand against his cheek.
"Okay, let's pretend you landed that slap. Feel better now? Stop crying, alright?"
Bella froze for a moment. In her fury, she hadn't thought about the consequencesâshe had only wanted to vent her frustration.
But now, her wrist was held securely in his large hand, and her palm was touching his warm face.
The heat from his skin seeped into her hand, and Bella's cheeks slowly turned red.
She forgot to keep crying.
Somehow, she didn't feel as upset anymore.
At that moment, James was wiping the tears from her face with one hand, while her other hand rested on his cheek.
The scene between the two of them was undeniably intimate.
Asa, standing nearby, was so shocked her eyes nearly popped out of her head.
In her mind, Bella Kennedy had always been an arrogant, domineering rich girl.
She had never seen her cryânot even when she was angry.
Now, not only was she crying, but it seemed like this man had somehow managed to calm her down with just a few words.
How could this guy have so much power, to the point where he could toy with such a proud young lady?
Asa covered her mouth in disbelief and instinctively raised her phone to record the scene, but after some thought, she chickened out and put it back down.
This drama was something she'd have to savor privately. Sharing it was out of the question.
Asa felt a deep sense of frustration.
"Brother, what's going on?"
Tailsa, meanwhile, had also noticed the strange vibe between James and Bella.
She immediately spoke up, interrupting the charged moment.
She knew her man had a soft spot for crying womenâshe'd used that trick on him plenty of times herself.
Snapped out of her daze, Bella quickly pulled her hand back, her face flushed with embarrassment.
Then she glanced at the innocent-looking Tailsa and remembered that James already had a girlfriend.
Her anger surged again.
This scumbag! He dared to flirt with her right in front of his girlfriend?
Unbelievable. He was shameless, utterly shameless!
Bella slapped James's hand away from her face and yelled angrily,
"You scumbag, I hate you!"
"What the hell? You're being unreasonable!" James retorted.
"You try to hit me, then say you hate me?!"
Suddenly, a thought occurred to him, and his eyes widened in disbelief.
"Wait... don't tell me... you've fallen for me?"
Bella's face turned bright red, and she lashed out with her foot, aiming a kick at him.
"Even if every man on earth died, I'd still never like someone as trashy as you!"
James wasn't about to let her land another hit.
Abandoning any ideas of grabbing her foot to stop her, he quickly sidestepped, dodging her kick.
Seeing that she wasn't about to stop, James raised a hand and said sternly,
"Stop!"
His tone turned serious as he continued,
"Miss Kennedy, first you argue with my girlfriend, then you try to punch and kick me. What exactly did I do to you?"
"Hmph! You know exactly what you've done," Bella said, crossing her arms and glaring at him.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," James replied, confused. "Is this about me saving you? Are you trying to get revenge on me for that?"
"Revenge? You're the one who's being ungrateful!" Bella shouted, her words catching in her throat.
"Then what are you doing now?" James asked, genuinely puzzled.
Bella fumed in silence for a moment before blurting out the reason she had come here in the first place.
"You're with this woman. How could you do this to Shirley Taylor?"
Hearing Shirley's name, James felt a headache coming on.
"Miss Kennedy, you're unbelievable! This is between me and her. Why are you meddling?" James said, frustrated.
He glanced at Tailsa, whose expression had shifted into one of suspicion.
James felt a wave of panic and began brainstorming excuses, sweat forming on his brow.
Tailsa, meanwhile, furrowed her brows at the mention of another girl's name.
From their conversation, it was clear this Shirley Taylor had some sort of connection to James.
Her anger simmered.
Two women had already shown up at their door. How many others were still out there?
No wonder James had told her not to post their engagement video publicly after it went viralâhe'd been worried about the other girls he'd strung along coming after him.
Tailsa felt a sour mix of jealousy and anger swirling in her chest.
She looked at James with a resentful gaze, and though she knew she shouldn't ask, she couldn't help herself.
"Who's Shirley Taylor?" she asked softly.
James hesitated, knowing he couldn't lie with Bella standing right there.
Finally, he sighed and admitted,
"She's just a poor girl from the countryside. I felt bad for her, so I gave her some money."
Afraid Tailsa would still be upset, he quickly grabbed her hand and said in a soothing tone,
"Don't worry, she doesn't mean anything to me. You're the only one who's important."
Hearing his explanation, Tailsa felt somewhat reassured.
Just a penniless girl, she thought. Nothing to worry about.