Delwen Dowlin hadn't made it far, still clutching his face. He was humiliated, consumed by the urge to find some woman to restore his lost dignity.
He remembered that his girlfriend was still in the changing room at the store, so he stopped to send her a message, telling her he'd be waiting in the car.
Suddenly, he noticed a beautiful woman approaching, even more stunning than the one in the store earlier.
The best part was that she seemed to be alone, glancing around as if shopping by herself.
Her oval face was captivating, her features exquisitely delicate.
She wore a coquettish-yet-innocent JK outfit, featuring a tight, brightly colored shirt with a red bow at the collar, slightly unbuttoned at the top.
A pink plaid skirt hung at her hips, her long legs encased in white stockings, ending in round-toed shoes that completed the pure, alluring look.
Delwen's mouth watered as she wafted past him, carried on a breeze of sweet perfume.
Without a second thought, he followed her, plotting how to ask for her contact info.
The stunning woman was none other than Tailsa.
Against her conservative mother's wishes, she had dressed sweet and pretty, even insisting on wearing the coquettish stockings.
She wanted to emphasize how much younger and more attractive she was compared to James's "sister."
At the rock climbing area, she didn't find James there.
Guessing that they might've finished climbing and moved on to shopping,
Tailsa chose not to call James, wanting to keep up the illusion of a random, nostalgic meetingâthe kind you only see on TV.
As she wandered around looking for him, she noticed a crowd gathered outside a women's clothing store, with someone calling out James's name. She quickly headed over.
"This guy's got guts, kissing a rich woman with a kid right in front of his ex-girlfriend."
"That rich lady is gorgeous. I wouldn't mind being her kept man."
"I thought it was a cheating scene, but the guy's got some serious charmâsweet-talked the rich lady right back to happiness."
"And the daughter's adorable, standing there all cute and quiet."
"Gonna make me want a daughter too."
As heated discussions buzzed around her,
Tailsa squeezed through the crowd, her heart sinking at the scene before her.
James was kissing the woman he'd just introduced yesterday as his sister, both seeming to enjoy it fully.
Out in the open, without a shred of embarrassment.
Tailsa was fuming.
I knew this guy was trouble, she thought bitterly.
"James, what are you doing?" she shouted, her voice slicing through the chatter and sending a thrill through the dispersing crowd.
Nobody expected more dramaâanother girl? This guy deserved lightning to strike him down.
Delwen, who'd been too nervous to step back into the store,
perked up hearing the beautiful girl confront the man and hurriedly joined the throng to watch the show.
Hearing Tailsa's voice startled James.
Being caught by the official girlfriend rattled him a little, and he almost released Amanda.
But with sixty million in the bank, he held steady.
Ignoring Tailsa's outburst, he lingered over Amanda's lips for a few more seconds before reluctantly pulling away.
His demeanor remained calm, as if he hadn't just been caught in the act.
[System Alert: Tailsa's Affection Level -1]
James slowly turned to face Tailsa.
In her JK outfit, she looked stunning, exactly his type.
The stockings accentuated her long legs, making them incredibly enticing.
But at the moment, her eyes were shooting daggers at him, full of fiery rage, her chest rising and falling dramatically.
She resembled an angry kitten with her hair standing on end.
"Tailsa, you're here!" James greeted her with a smile, as if nothing had happened.
Seeing that he was still holding Amanda, tears threatened to spill from Tailsa's eyes.
"What are you doing?" she demanded again.
Amanda looked at James, mocking him teasingly, "Still not letting go?"
She understood that being with James meant inevitably facing situations like this.
A rich, handsome guy who could charm anyoneâthere were few women who could resist.
She didn't mind, as long as he was there when she needed him.
James didn't let go.
Although he genuinely liked Tailsa, he had already made it clear in the car that he would have other women.
His prior patience had been for this moment of truth.
"We were just kissing. Why are you overreacting?"
"What about what you said to me?" Tailsa pointed at James, seething with the urge to sink her teeth into him.
"What did I do?" he replied, feigning innocence.
"You're shameless. You said we'd be together," she accused.
"We are together. Look, the three of us are right here," James said, genuinely puzzled.
Tailsa was stunned by his audacity.
"You want me to be with you both?" she asked incredulously.
"Is that okay with you?" James asked sincerely.
Tailsa was at a loss, taking a moment to process it all.
"You... you're shameless. I hate you," Tailsa said, tears welling up in her eyes, her voice filled with indignation.
But James wasn't worried about her tears.
He noticed that Tailsa, upon finding him with Amanda, had only lost one point of affection,
which seemed significant, giving him a daring idea.
"Come on, don't cry. Come here for a hug," James smiled, letting Amanda go and coaxing Tailsa gently.
"Hug your sister, you jerk," Tailsa retorted through gritted teeth.
"Well, do you want to be my sister?"
James stepped toward her, softening his voice.
This flabbergasted Tailsa. She had vowed never to be the other woman.
Yet here he was, asking her outright to play second fiddle.
As a respectable young woman, she couldn't stand such humiliation.
Presented with three choices, she hesitated.
One, she could just walk away.
Two, tear into James verbally before storming off.
Three...
"You... you bastard, I'll fight you!" Tailsa cried, tears streaming as she lunged forward and bit down on James's shoulder in fury.
"Ah..." James winced at the sharp pain.
It hurtâa lot. But it was bearable.
Despite the throbbing ache, he wrapped his arms around Tailsa securely.
Amanda, her lips pursed in a playful smile, was caught by Tailsa's angry glare, prompting her to bite down harder.
The crowd was utterly dumbfounded.
Were things really okay now?
What magical powers does this guy have?
How can he kiss a wealthy lady and then embrace another girl right after?
Why isn't this guy getting punished?
Had they the means, they might have pulled out a gun just to shoot him on the spot.
In the crowd, Anna recognized Tailsa. Though they hadn't been in the same class, Tailsa, as the school's top beauty, was hard to miss.
At Tailsa's entrance, Anna had assumed that James had struck it big with the rich woman, using her money to spoil the school beauty.
She had hoped that the confrontation would be humiliating for James.
But within minutes, Tailsa and James were locked in an embrace.
So quick was the turnaround that Anna didn't even have time to swoop in and gang up on James like she'd planned.