After She She Stopped Loving Him

Chapter 163

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lan gazed at her, his whole body taut with anticipation. “Just say the word when you're ready.”

Yolanda opened her eyes, a dazed look overtaking her face, utterly unaware of just how enchanting she was at

that moment.

He loved seeing her like this-like a rose past its peak, her scent sinking deep into his bones.

Right now, Yolanda didn’t mind clinging a bit closer, nuzzling her cheek against his neck.

lan flashed an aggrieved grin, a hint of desperation in his voice. “You never thought of pamperingfor once?”

Yolanda’s lashes fluttered playfully as she teasingly stuck out her tongue. “Like this, huh?”

lan felt like his whole body was about to combust. Flustered, he slapped a hand over her mouth. “Spare me,

Yolanda... Please!”

Yolanda’s eyes clouded with doubt, totally baffled by his sudden surrender.

‘Wait, wasn’t this exactly what he asked for?’ Yolanda wondered.

lan couldn't help but bury his face against her neck in a rush, his fingers trembling as they covered her mouth.

Yolanda was like a temptress-completely irresistible in every way, yet her eyes stayed startlingly innocent.

“lan, I... I think | can try...” Yolanda murmured, her voice carrying a hint of shy determination.

She figured she could learn, though it wasn’t easy for her. Honestly, she'd never even cclose to being this

vulnerable with Charles before-it was hard for her to just let go like this.

Still, what woman could resist having a guy as gorgeous as lan totally losing his composure over her? Yolanda

felt a rush of satisfaction she'd never quite experienced before.

Late at night, Simone Sinclair called Yolanda.

“Charles just got hand realized you weren't there. He called me, and I told him you were with me. Now he’s

actually driving over to pick you up,” Simone said.

Yolanda thought she must've misheard.

She checked the time-it was almost one a.m. ‘Seriously, has he lost his mind?‘ Yolanda wondered.

Yolanda frowned as Simone kept talking on the other end. “Yolanda, maybe you should just go over to Charles’s

place first?”

Yolanda gritted her teeth in annoyance. ‘Didn't Joelle cback already? Wasn't she supposed to take care of

this?”

11:39 Sun, Oct 5

Chapter 163

6:0

She whipped out her phone and fired off a text to Joelle.

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[Con, | handed him over to you and you still can’t keep him on a leash? What did you even cback for? If

you're going to be this hopeless, | might just let him getpregnant tonight.]

Joelle hadn't managed to get Charles to stick around tonight, so the gang was still out hitting the town. For this

crowd, the real nightlife was only just beginning.

They'd switched venues and rolled into a bar now.

Charles had been keeping quiet all night, and everyone was trying to figure out what was really going on

between him and Joelle.

One guy who'd had a few drinks started mouthing off. “Heard Ms. Monroe's been slapped with a huge penalty

fee-like a billion or something? Is that for real?”

Joelle’s face changed in a flash. The penalty was legit-as soon as she dropped a string of gigs and cback to

the country, she had to pay up for two movies. Now she owed around a billion.

But paying it off wasn’t a problem for her. She just wasn’t planning on dipping into her own pocket.

There were tons of devoted fans back home. If she wanted, she could pick any one of them to handle it for her.

Joelle didn’t bother to explain. She shot the guy a frosty glare. “Yeah, it’s true. That billion? I'll earn it back

myself.”

The guy smirked. “Here's the deal-givea dance right now, and I'll fund three movies for you. Who knows,

you might just earn your way out of that debt.”

Joelle scoffed inwardly, her nerves already frayed after Yolanda’s text had rubbed salt in the wound. Her eyes

were rimmed red, lips pressed into a thin line-she looked like she could shatter her wine glass any second.

Without thinking, she glanced straight at Charles.

Charles was looking at his phone, but he was still keeping an eye on her out of the corner of his eye.

Quinn, sitting next to Charles, noticed the atmosphere around him change the instant that guy made that

disrespectful remark.

‘Guess he really does care. Joelle’s not the kind of woman you can just humiliate,” Quinn thought.

Joelle pressed her lips together and shot to her feet, the fire in her eyes unmistakable. “You for real?”

The guy just leaned back, grinning like he owned the place. “Obviously. Ms. Monroe, Mr. Sinclair's married now

and hasn't spared you a glance all night. That ten-figure debt? No way you're paying it off by yourself. Quit

trying to act tough. You don’t have sloaded family to bail you out either-I heard your dad and brother

gamble like crazy, right? If the press digs that up, well, sucks to be you.”

“Fine. I'll dance,” Joelle snapped, her voice sharp and clear.

11:39 Sun, Oct 5

Chapter 163

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She strode right into the spotlight, drew a long breath, and tossed back, “I'm an actress-no role | can’t play,

no dance | won't do.”

Just as she was about to begin, a hand reached out from nowhere and seized her wrist.

Joelle spun around to face Charles, snatching her hand away. Her voice was icy: “You ignoreall night and now

you suddenly care? Why bother?”

He didn’t spare her a glance; Charles locked his gaze on the guy, the warning in his eyes unmistakable.

The guy's expression shifted in a heartbeat, forcing an awkward laugh. “I was only kidding, honestly. Seems Mr.

Sinclair still cares about Ms. Monroe after all.”

Joelle slid into the seat beside Charles, quickly brushing away her tears. “Are things still okay between you and

her?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Without looking back, Charles got to his feet. “I've got something to deal with tonight. I'm heading out,” he said

curtly.

Joelle bit her lip, anxious, and hurried after him.

She caught up to him in the hallway, grabbing his arm and pulling him into a desperate hug from behind.

“Charles, | really was wrong. | traveled the world, but only now do I realize how good you were to me.”

Joelle sobbed, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Please, don’t go. I didn’t cback just to blow up your

marriage-1 don’t want anything from you. Just stay withtonight, please. I'm still pure. If you walk away, |

swear I'll go find srandom guy to sleep with!”

Charles frowned and turned back to her. “Got somewhere to stay?”

Joelle shook her head, her eyes still swimming with tears. “I'm just staying at a hotel.”

“That's not safe,” Charles replied.

Her face instantly brightened, breaking into a smile as she dove into his arms and stretched up to kiss him. “You

scaredhalf to death tonight. That cold look-seriously, it was terrifying.”

Charles glanced at the time, his voice cool. “Lettake you home.”

“Don’t-didn’t that guy inside just askto dance? | actually learned a bit, you know. How about | cover to

your place and give you a private show?” Joelle teased, eyes glimmering.

Joelle had learned sbasic dances for her film roles.

“My place isn’t really convenient,” Charles replied, dodging the offer.

“Then cto my hotel. I'll dance just for you,” Joelle insisted, voice soft but her gaze burning. “Charles, I'm

honestly still pure. Or... do you want to see for yourself?”

Charles was getting antsy as the clock ticked past one a.m.-Yolanda still hadn't called, not even once.

11:39 Sun, Oct 5

Chapter 163

‘She can’t possibly not know that Joelle’s back, right?’ Charles thought.

‘No way in hell.

“The entire circle’s talking-there’s no way she’s in the dark.’

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‘But she’s not reacting at all. Even these people cto see the mess, but Yolanda keeps her cool like nothing's

happening,’ he mused.

Charles's face was serious. “I'll drive you back to your hotel.”

“Sure,” Joelle agreed, finally letting out a relieved sigh.

She slipped her arm through his, happy again as they went downstairs together.

Meanwhile, Yolanda’s phone buzzed with a bunch of messages from an unknown number.

There were photos of Joelle kissing Charles, the two of them walking arm in arm, and even a few where they

were just staring into each other's eyes.

The person who took these pictures was a pro-they really nailed the vibe, making the two of them look like the

perfect couple.

Yolanda was sprawled across her pillow while lan covered her back with kisses. When she glanced up and caught

a glimpse of the photos, he casually propped his chin on her shoulder, his eyes still lingering on the screen.

“Whoever took these really knew what they were doing-pretty impressive candid shots.”

Yolanda let out a soft laugh. “Seriously, with skills like that, they could totally have a career as a paparazzi.”

lan brushed a kiss against her cheek. “Still hanging in there?”

“Nope, that’s enough for me,” Yolanda said, sounding a little spoiled.

She was honestly a total softie with this stuff-one tiny bit of discomfort and she’d kickstraight off. At this

rate, | was about to be tamed into the most obedient puppy ever.

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