Once Bitten, Twice Shy

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Samantha was stunned for a moment. She raised her eyes to look at Simon on her left. He was clutching his stomach after being kicked and fell to the ground with an agonized look.

She could not help turning to Cynthia on her right. The woman seemed to have been dragged by her wrists and shoved away. She staggered and nearly fell off the stage.

Samantha finally had a good look at the person.

A man stood in front of her. His handsome face was covered with a profound iciness and anger was surging in his eyes, making him look as though he was going to burn everything to the ground.

The sunlight shone in from outside and illuminated him, setting off a halo all around his figure. Samantha looked at the person in front of her in a daze and was unable to believe her eyes.

Why would Timothy show up?

In that split second, she instinctively stretched out her hand toward him, trying to touch him and ascertain if he was real.

It was then that the audience exclaimed the loudest.

The little saint’s appearance in the video had already amazed everyone, and not a single person expected that Timothy—son of the Barkers and CEO of the Barker Group—would be there!

He kicked Simon and Cynthia away as soon as he arrived, so did it mean that he came to help Samantha?

Samantha was his former fiancee with whom he had broken off the marriage, and rumor had it that he did not like Samantha. There was one time someone did a news report about the two of them spending the night together, but he immediately asked it to be taken down. Why else would he do that if he did not want Samantha to be related to him?

What was the situation at that moment?

The Barkers were a top-tier family, while Timothy was a business tycoon and the most desirable bachelor out there. He was the epitome of an elite, and the atmosphere of the entire conference room as well as the live broadcast has instantly shot through the roof!

When Simon saw Timothy, he was shocked for a full minute, but soon, he got up with difficulty, ignoring the pain in his stomach, and said respectfully toward Timothy, “Mr. Barker, were you also…deceived by Samantha? I have to tell you that you really shouldn’t believe a word she says. Not a single word. Just look at how cruel she is to her husband. She doesn’t deserve your help!”

As a man, Simon knew that men would always have some pity toward the women they used to be with. Moreover, a woman who deliberately showed weakness and pity would surely be able to spur a man into protecting them. Simon thought that Timothy came forth to help Samantha because of her underhanded schemes and plots.

The only way Timothy would not help her was if Simon showed Timothy Samantha’s true colors. If that failed, all Simon’s efforts that day would go down the drain!

It would be even better if he could persuade Timothy into helping him!

As soon as that thought occurred to him, Simon complained even more urgently. “Have you forgotten, Mr. Barker? Samantha conspired against you as soon as she returned to the country. After the news about your night together was circulated, she wanted me and her mother to go to the Barkers and force Old Madam Barker into approving her marriage. Her plan failed only because I couldn’t stand her despicable behavior and scolded her!”

Cynthia walked to Simon’s side and nodded repeatedly. “Yes, Mr. Barker. I can’t side with Sammy on this even though she’s my daughter. She’s just too terrifying and too cunning. She deceived too many men, and you mustn’t believe her!”

Simon and Cynthia’s words reached Samantha’s ears clearly.

Although she was bitterly disappointed with them, she still found it laughable when she heard them hurl all sorts of accusations at her.

Such were her parents.

An uninformed person might think they were her enemy.

However, would Timothy believe them?

Samantha’s long curly eyelashes trembled slightly and her black eyeballs moved extremely slowly as she turned to look at Timothy.

The man’s face became colder and colder and his thin lips were pursed tightly into a thin line. His body exuded a sort of dangerous aura that stopped anyone from going near him, just like one of those demons that came straight out of hell.

He finally responded to Simon. “Really?”

As soon as he uttered that word, Simon’s eyes lit up all of a sudden. It looked as though Timothy had believed what he said and immediately continued to add, “Yes, Mr. Barker. I swear that I’m telling the truth. The reason why I came forward today and placed truth over family ties is because I really can’t stand Samantha’s actions anymore!”

Samantha’s heart sank straight down, as if it had fallen into endless darkness.

After all that, did Timothy still believe someone else’s words?

Timothy’s dark eyes shifted to Samantha. He stared deeply into her eyes but said nothing, merely watching her for a few seconds before stretching out his hand toward her.

Samantha was just about to wonder what was going on when the man’s hand suddenly held her.

That warm palm wrapped around her hand slowly and he lifted her face up to look at everyone present there. Under everyone’s gaze, he inserted his slender fingers gently yet firmly between her fingers and interlocked with them.

The clicking of camera shutters rang all over the meeting room.

The comment section exploded in the live broadcast, with everyone typing question marks. Some viewers were somewhat distressed and posted comments saying: [Don’t be deceived, Handsome! Run for your life!]

Samantha herself was stunned silly and her head went blank. She had lost all cognitive ability. In her daze, could only stand there in confusion and allow Timothy to hold her hand.

Timothy raised his eyebrows.

Simple though that little action was, it carried an inexplicably powerful aura which surged forth and stopped the photographers from pressing on the shutter button. The crowd was quiet and there was pin-drop silence.

The man’s thin lips started to move and his voice was deeply sweet as he spoke clearly, “Hello everyone. I’m Samantha’s newlywed husband, Timothy Barker.”

The audience was thoroughly stunned. Time seemed to have frozen instantaneously.

The live broadcast crashed right away, and only a black screen remained.

Was Timothy that so-called disfigured, disabled, and inhumane rich husband that Samantha was newly married to?

How… How was that possible?

Mr. Cheadle was a much better fit no matter how one looked at it!

Although the reporters were stunned by Timothy’s charisma, they bit the bullet and asked questions for the sake of their news reports and site traffic. “Mr. Barker, if you’re really Ms. Larsson’s newlywed husband, then why is Mr. and Mrs. Larsson in the dark over having a son-in-law like you? Why did they acknowledge Mr. Cheadle as their son-in-law?”

“Do you still miss your old relationship with Ms. Larsson and end up being tricked by her sweet words, as her father said earlier? Is that why you showed up and pretended to be her husband and clear her name?”

“Heh.” Timothy’s lips twitched, as if he heard the funniest joke ever.

He could not be bothered to talk nonsense and immediately took something out from his pocket. He then projected it directly onto the big screen in the same way Samantha did.

When the reporters saw what was on the big screen, they exclaimed out loud and were utterly dumbfounded..