Chapter 4
After finishing their shopping spree at the mall, Cecelia brought Wendy directly to 1996 Bar. Tonight, she was determined to throw a celebration party for Wendy.
Wendy hadn’t expected to run into Stanley and his friends here, but she could hear their mocking remarks.
She recognized Benny and the others in the luxury booth. They were part of Stanley’s circle, and Benny was Stanley’s close friend. Back when Stanley had a whirlwind romance with Jessica, they were all fans of Jessica, with Benny even regarding her as Stanley’s future wife.
Over the past three years, Wendy had never truly integrated into their group. None of them ever accepted her.
The labels they plastered on her were always the same: desperate substitute bride, ugly duckling, country bumpkin, and the like.
When a man didn’t love you, his friends wouldn’t respect you either.
Cecelia, already fuming, rolled up her sleeves, ready to confront them. “I’m going to tear their mouths apart!”
Wendy quickly held her back. “Cecelia, forget it! We’re divorced now—there’s no need to stoop to their level.”
Seeing Wendy’s calm and indifferent demeanor, Cecelia reluctantly held back her temper. Then, as more and more people began to notice Wendy and exclaimed, calling her an angel, Cecelia’s mood improved. “Wendy, let’s go. Time to party.”
Cecelia dragged Wendy to another luxury booth and waved her hand grandly. “Bring all the male hosts from 1996 Bar over here!”
Meanwhile, back at Stanley’s booth, Benny and the others continued to mock Wendy. That was when they felt an icy and sharp gaze fall upon them.
Looking up, they saw Stanley lazily lifting his cold gaze to glare at them.
His expression was chilling, displeased, and full of warning. The men stopped laughing, and they immediately shut up, not daring to speak ill of Wendy again.
Benny glanced at Stanley. Although Stanley had never paid much attention to Wendy, she had, after all, cared for him diligently for three years. It seemed Stanley still held some regard for that.
At that moment, the commotion around them grew louder.
“Wow, what a stunning angel!”
‘An angel? Where?’
Following the direction of the crowd’s gaze, Benny looked ahead and was instantly dumbfounded. “Holy crap, she really is an angel.”
The other rich young men were equally astonished, their eyes glued to her. “When did such a stunning angel begin existing in Hovendale? How have we never seen her before?”
Benny nudged Stanley. “Stanley, look! It’s an angel.”
Stanley, who had no shortage of women around him, wasn’t interested. He had seen all kinds of women—slim, curvy, and everything in between. He had no intention of looking, but Wendy’s booth happened to be right across from theirs.
When Stanley glanced over, he saw Wendy.
Without her black-framed glasses and her usual dull, conservative attire, she revealed a delicate, fair face, her naturally exquisite bone structure, and ethereal beauty shining through. Her long, glossy black hair flowed gracefully over her shoulders, making her look like a true angel.
Stanley paused, staring at her for two full seconds.
Benny was excited. “Stanley, what do you think of the angel?”
Another rich young man chimed in, “Mr. Hawk probably doesn’t think much of her. Mr. Hawk likes delicate beauties like Jessica, not cold, aloof angels.”
“But look at her legs! Her legs are just as stunning as Jessica’s.”
Wendy was wearing a short, Chanel-inspired dress, shedding her usual conservative style and showing her legs for the first time.
Her legs were perfectly proportioned—slender yet shapely. Those were legs that could make any man’s imagination run wild.
She looked just as good as Jessica.
Stanley stared at the ‘angel’ for a moment and couldn’t shake the feeling that she looked familiar, as if he’d seen her somewhere before.
Just then, a line of male hosts walked in, all tall and handsome, forming a row in front of Wendy.
Cecelia grinned. “Wendy, make your pick of eight.”
Deciding to indulge herself to celebrate her escape from the misery of marriage, Wendy smiled and pointed. “You, you, you… All of you stay.”
Benny counted aloud. “One, two, three… Eight! She actually picked eight male hosts at once!”
The other rich young men laughed. “Why waste money? If the angel just asked, we’d serve her for free.”
Everyone chuckled.
Ding!
Stanley’s phone buzzed again with a notification. Picking it up, he glanced at it to see what Wendy had spent on this time.
[Dear VVIP user, your card ending in 0975 has been charged 500,000 dollars at 1996 Bar for eight male hosts.]
Stanley froze, staring at the words before raising his eyes toward the so-called angel across the room.
If that wasn’t Wendy, who else could it be?
Stanley was speechless.
Eight male hosts surrounded Wendy, pouring drinks into her glass. “Let’s play a drinking game.”
Cecelia clapped happily. “Yes, let’s play!”
In the first round, Wendy lost. One of the male hosts handed her a drink. “Please drink some.”
Wendy took a sip, but the other male hosts protested. “Why drink his and not ours? We want to serve you too.”
Surrounded by all the attention, Wendy found it impossible to keep up, overwhelmed by the ‘sweet burden’ of their pampering.
Stanley’s eyes narrowed, his handsome features tensing into a grim expression. Without a word, he stood up and strode out.
Benny was taken aback. “Stanley? Where are you going?”
Wendy was about to take another drink when a large, strong hand reached over, grabbed her slender wrist, and pulled her up like she was a rag doll. Startled, she looked up to see Stanley’s handsome face suddenly looming over her.
She froze for a second, then quickly tried to break free. “Stanley, let go of me!”
His face darkened and he dragged her away without a word.
Cecelia stood up. “Stanley, what are you doing? Let Wendy go!”
Benny and the others were completely stunned. They stared, dumbfounded, as if they had just misheard something.
“Wendy?”
“That angel is Wendy?”
“Is this the same ugly duckling Wendy we know?”
“She’s actually stunning!”
As they watched Stanley drag Wendy away, her cold, ethereal beauty still lingering in their vision, Benny muttered, “Damn, Wendy, who no longer chases after Stanley, just turned into a full-blown angel!”
–
Stanley’s grip was firm and unrelenting, like an iron shackle. No matter how much Wendy struggled, she couldn’t break free.
His strides were long, forcing Wendy to stumble as she tried to keep up. “Stanley, let go of me!”
Finally, Stanley stopped and flung her backward. Wendy’s slender frame collided against the cold wall behind her.
Before she could regain her balance, Stanley’s tall figure loomed over her, pressing her against the wall.
His eyes burned with fury. “Wendy, do you think I’m dead, playing around like this?”