The Villain's Wife

"Your Highness!" As expected Rafa immediately greeted the man approaching them. In the world of business, Harringfort was known as the young genius who was working in the oil industry. He might not be the CEO but his list of contacts far surpassed a lot of executives of some companies. Aside from this, he was also a prince who chose business over his royal duties.

These two facts were one of the reasons why many people admired him. However, what many of those businessmen did not know was the fact that Harringfort was a compulsive gambling — this was something that Rafa knew. This was also the reason why Rafa and Harringfort were considered quite close. Both men were influential, both men came from prestigious families and both extremely loved to gamble.

Beaming, Rafa stood and walked towards Harringfort. He was about to introduce the man to Lily and the others when the Knight commander informed them that the Grand Duke was about to enter.

Everyone immediately stood from their seat and waited for the Grand Duke to arrive. Seeing this, Lily also eyed the other entrance. She knew that Zhou Jingren would not show himself with the Duke. So, his only option was to use the other entrance.

And as if on cue, Zhou Jingren indeed walked inside the ballroom. He roamed his eyes around the room before he found Lily. He gave a small nod before he smiled and started walking towards her. At the same time, the Grand Duke arrived at the main entrance and was immediately greeted by a lot of nobles as well as the Princes that accompanied Harringfort.

"Hey." Zhou Jingren stood next to his wife, his eyes gentle, ignoring the fact that Harringfort was just standing a few feet away from them. To be honest, he already expected the man to show himself tonight. This was not something that surprised Zhou Jingren. Even the people that accompanied Harringfort was something that he already expected.

After all, he had already gambled with Harringfort once. And as impossible as it may sound, that one gamble already made him understand some of this man's personality; like that fact that he absolutely hated losing.

Since Harringfort did not like losing, it would only make sense for him to meet Zhou Jingren again so he could show off, his wealth, his power and influence. Something that matters to a person like Harringfort but not to Zhou Jingren. Leaning down, Zhou Jingren planted a kiss on Lily's temple. 

"Hey, I miss you." Lily said, unperturbed by the fact that someone was glaring at them. She gave him a gentle smile before she fixed Zhou Jingren's tie. "You look really good." To match Lily's black dress, Zhou Jingren was also wearing an all black three piece suit.

"I am only trying so people will not mistake me as your mere driver, your highness." Zhou Jingren whispered. His statement immediately made her giggle as she thought of what happened when they first met. Or rather… when they met again.

She mistook him for a driver. The thought of Zhou Jingren trying to fit his tall frame in her small car only made her laugh even more. She immediately used her hand to cover her mouth as she tried to control her glee. Ah… memories.

"Hey… you look really good when you are my driver." She whispered. "I told you… being my personal driver suits you best. Of course… there is also the option of staying at home but knowing you…" she smiled. "I know you would prefer to drive me than— Oops." She let out another giggle. "I mean my beetle."

Zhou Jingren chuckled in response, his hot breath just enough to linger in her neck. This flirty atmosphere was soon interrupted by none other than Harringfort. How could he stand watching these two whisper sweet nothing while he stood just a few feet away from them?

"Madame Zhou… is this your husband?" He asked, a tinge or irritation quickly flashed across his eyes.

"Yes, my beloved husband please meet Mr. Harringfort. Remember? I told you about him wanting to meet me for the oil company?" Lily put her hand on Zhou Jingren's chest.

"Of course… how could I forget?" Zhou Jingren smiled. "It is my pleasure to meet you." On the outside, Zhou Jingren's face did not contain any hint that he had already met Harringfort before this. "And this is…" Zhou Jingren quickly turned his gaze towards Rafa who stood next to Harringfort.

"Rafa Neeson… He Is the Grand Duchess' nephew. " Lily said.

"Mr. Zhou… " Rafa nodded, a jovial smile was plastered on his face, yet anyone could immediately tell that he was not very fond of Zhou Jingren. Despite his grandfather's warnings and words about getting close to Lily and Zhou Jingren, Rafa could not hide the fact that he considered Zhou Jingren's status a bit lower for him to qualify in this party.

He was simply not from the world that many of the people here stood on. To him, Zhou Jingren still needed to eat a lot of rice to have the right to stand next to Princes and nobles as well as prominent businessmen. Moreover, he had heard about Zhou Capital's plan to branch out in Europe… or to increase their branches in Europe. To him this was only possible because he used Lily. But this did not mean that Lily didn't benefit in this union.

He had heard news of Lily's Facci Group starting to dominate the market in Asia. Rafa was smart enough to know that this was also possible because of Zhou Jingren's help.

Obviously, Lily and Zhou Jingren looked happy. However, anyone in the business industry would easily assume that the two only married each other because of their own personal interest. But if one would consider all these facts, both of them benefited from this marriage so it should be illogical for Rafa to only dislike Zhou Jingren.

Rafa knew that this hate came out of nowhere and was somewhat illogical. He quickly turned his head away to grab a champagne from an attendant. Smiling, Rafa avoided to look at the glaring difference when it came to their height.

Rafa gritted his teeth. How could an Asian just like Zhou Jingren be taller than his five foot eight frame?