The Villain's Wife

Since the moment the two women walked inside the hall, Harringfort had been eying Lily. He stared at her, palms a little sweaty as excitement sparkled in his eyes. Harringfort was expecting Lily to recognize him, maybe even say hello? Or at least ask about his family's oil company. He immediately started wondering about how he would respond.

Would he shake her hand? Perhaps ask her about Corneels and everything that he heard about their demise? He could feel his heart start to beat faster, everyone around him seemed to disappear, dissolving into the messy state that he was in.

However, the more Harringfort expected about things, the more disappointed he became. Just like a flower, Lily had been surrounded by bees and other insects! People who hovered over her, as if she was some sort of a delicious meal that they wanted to eat. His mood immediately dampened. He turned his head away, eyes obviously dampened by the current circumstances in front of him.

The only thing that made him more furious about all this, was the fact that he did not have the right to react at all. Lily was after all not his woman. He gritted his teeth, pretending not to notice Lily and Eliza.

"Your highness, I thought Princess Eliza was your fiance?" He heard someone say behind him. He was not surprised to see that it was Yi. The man might be working for him but Yi never fell short in reminding him about everything, guiding him, and saving him from awkward situations like this. Harringfort eyed the blue-eyed man next to him, whose eyes perfectly mirrored his.

"I know!" he hissed, irritated at Lily for not even noticing him. Harringfort could even confidently say that aside from the people of the Nassae Family, he was one of the most important people in this room. So why did Lily not approach him? Why did she skip introducing herself to him?

"People are the ones coming her way," Yi reminded him. "If you keep frowning, people will notice. Plus, Princess Eliza is coming our way."

Yi's words made him freeze for a couple of seconds before he turned towards Eliza's direction. Smiling, he decided to meet her halfway. "You look dashing tonight." Wearing a red dress, Eliza truly looked beautiful with her long curly hair and fine make up. However, compared to Lily's black dress, Eliza's dress could be considered mundane. It was dull and lifeless. 

"Thank you, your highness." Eliza gave him a forced smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"Is something wrong?" He asked a nonsense question as he forced himself to avoid looking towards Lily's.

"I don't know your highness," Eliza said. "I was just surprised that you still recognized me." Her voice was not loud but it was not a whisper either. It immediately attracted the attention of people near them. "I thought… you had some sort of amnesia, which made you forget that I still exist."

Harringfort stared at Eliza for a few seconds, surprised at how confrontational she was. He immediately remembered knowing her when they were children. Back then, Eliza was timid and really quiet. The last time that he met her, Eliza even avoided looking into his eyes.

What could have changed? 

Lily.

Of course, it was Lily! Why else would Eliza suddenly act so direct? Wasn't this a trait that Lily was famous for? He laughed inwardly as he thought of Lily's influence in Eliza. Perhaps having the two meet was a good thing, he thought. "Your highness is truly humorous. Even the Grand Duke was well aware of my busy schedule." He answered.

However, how could Eliza miss the amusement in his tone? She immediately assumed that he was making fun of her. Eliza felt her face turned hot, she could feel herself turning scarlet red. Did she use the wrong way to approach him, after all? She eyed Lily who was busily talking to some people that she already knew from the UK as she wondered what she would do if she was in this situation.

And why the hell would Harringfort laugh at her? She directed her gaze back to the man in front of her. The man looked exactly the same as the one that she saw months ago. His hair had obviously grown, but the cunningness in the man's eyes was still the same. With his blond hair, blue eyes, and that trademark smirk, Antone Harringfort was obviously one of the most good looking men in this room.

However, this man did not respect her at all. If Harringfort did not like her then why not cancel the engagement instead of ghosting her like his damn high school girlfriend? The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. This man… This man was the reason why many women out there chose not to marry someone!

"Of course… he would be aware. After all, you are engaged to my father and not me." She fired back as she turned her back against him. Eliza immediately strode away from Harringfort without waiting for him to answer her. Smiling, she felt as if her words were enough to at least make him frown.

She fought the urge to turn her head to look at his reaction. However, what she heard next made her freeze on her tracks. It was his laughter… behind her.

Slowly, Eliza turned her head, only to discover Harringfort a few feet away from her. The man had actually followed her. She opened her mouth to say something but no words came out. It was as if her brain had stopped working.

Why would Harringfort laugh? She was not joking! It was an insult not a compliment! It was supposed to anger him, ruin his mood, and make him leave early so he could go rant to his father and cancel this stupid engagement!

"I have not seen you for so long… I think I have actually forgotten how funny you are." Harringfort said, his voice sweet— too sweet for her taste. Frowning, Eliza turned her back against him. This time, she walked towards Lily.

"You should be careful little one." She heard Harringfort utter the moment she took her first step towards Lily. "Schemes are coming along your way." 

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We have a small mass release today!