Chapter 19: Bold Words

The car traveled for nearly twenty minutes before finally coming to a halt at the hotel entrance.

Although it was only an engagement ceremony, the North family had invited a vast number of guests. Seren Thorne looked around and discovered many faces she had only seen on financial channels or in front-page headlines. They were all heavyweights from the business and political worlds.

{As expected of the male lead; this family background is truly deep. I've never seen so many big shots before.}

{Wow, wow, wow! Is that the male lead welcoming guests at the door?}

{He’s so handsome, he's off the charts.}

Hearing Seren's bold and unfiltered thoughts, the temperature around Alaric Vane dropped instantly. He shot a cold look at her.

Jasper Vane, on the other hand, turned red. His sister-in-law's inner world was truly as wild as ever.

Sensing Alaric’s gaze, Seren’s excitement cooled slightly.

{You old miser, what are you looking at? Never seen a beauty before?}

{But I do look quite stunning today. With this face and this waist, it’s only normal for this dog man to be mesmerized by me.}

Alaric: "..."

He had never encountered a woman so full of herself in his entire life. He glanced at Seren’s luminous, fair, and beautiful face. Fine—she wasn't "ordinary," but she was certainly confident.

With their various thoughts, the group entered the hotel together.

The couple of the hour, Sebastian North and Jasmine Jia, were standing at the entrance welcoming guests. They were a handsome pair and very pleasing to the eye.

The passing guests were all praising how well-matched they were. Jasmine was grinning from ear to ear, while Sebastian remained expressionless. He was distant and cold to everyone; even when speaking to Jasmine, he seemed indifferent, as if he weren't the one getting married today.

When the Vanes stopped to exchange pleasantries with the Norths, Seren couldn't help but steal several more glances at Sebastian.

{Good grief, the male lead's face is flawless. I can't even see his pores from this close.}

{He’s so tall, too. He must be over 185cm, right? The heroine is certainly eating well.}

As Seren was thinking, Alaric, who had been keeping his distance all day, suddenly reached out and grabbed her waist, pulling her halfway into his arms. It wasn't her imagination; he was practically radiating frost.

Just as Seren was about to push him away, she heard him introduce her to Sebastian: "This is my wife, Seren Thorne."

Sebastian’s gaze fell on Seren. He greeted her in a monotone voice, "Hello, Mrs. Vane."

With so many eyes watching, Seren didn't want to embarrass Alaric, so she didn't push him away. Instead, she exchanged a few polite words with Sebastian.

More guests were arriving one after another, so Alaric and the others didn't linger. They were soon led into the hotel by a waiter.

Once there were fewer people around, Seren finally pried the dog man's "claw" off her waist.

"If you're going to introduce me, just do it. Why did you have to hold me? How unlucky."

Alaric let out a cold snort. "Your eyes were practically glued to Sebastian North just now. If I hadn't held onto you, people might have thought he was your man."

Seren curled her lip. "What’s wrong with looking at a handsome guy for a few extra seconds? I don't believe you don't look at beautiful women."

Alaric said, "I don't. I'm not interested in women."

Seren looked suspicious. "Does that mean you like men?"

{Case closed! No wonder this dog man could resist a beauty like the original host for a whole year after marriage. It turns out he's into guys.}

Alaric’s face went dark. How was this woman’s brain wired? Her train of thought was always so bizarre!

"My orientation is normal!"

"Is it?" Seren arched an eyebrow. "Then which woman have you liked? Give me an example?"

Alaric said coldly, "I haven't liked anyone, and I haven't dated anyone."

"There you have it," Seren said decisively. "If you've never liked anyone, how can you be sure if you like men or women? Maybe one day a 'top' or 'bottom' who suits your taste will appear, and you'll fall head over heels?"

Alaric hadn't been this furious in many years. He considered himself emotionally stable, yet Seren was the only one who could trigger his temper so easily. Lately, he was either angry or on the way to becoming angry.

He reached out again, grabbed her waist, pulled her into his chest, and whispered through gritted teeth in her ear: "I am very certain I like women. I even thought about you while I was taking care of myself last night. Do you want to go back tonight and watch me put it into practice?"

Taking care of... what?

Seren froze for a few seconds before realizing what the dog man was referring to. Her entire face flushed crimson instantly.

"Alaric Vane! You're shameless! How could you think of me while doing... that?!"

Seeing her flustered state, Alaric’s mood improved significantly. He said, "Why not? Any normal man would. There's nothing to avoid."

In the past, he had thought about women, but they didn't exist in reality; they were just abstract concepts that moved him. It was only recently that the figure in his mind had become clear, taking on Seren Thorne's face.

However, even though he had thought about doing "that" with Seren, he didn't believe he had actually fallen for her. After all, a man's emotions and physical desires could be separate. Having an impulse toward Seren didn't mean he was in love with her.

"You! I—!" Seren wanted to curse him out, but she didn't know what to say. She could only glare at him through gritted teeth.

Alaric ignored her rage. His long, powerful arm wrapped around her slender waist again, pulling her into his embrace.

"Mrs. Vane, the engagement ceremony is about to start. Let's go."

Seren tried to push him away again, but her strength was no match for his. Furthermore, the dress she was wearing today was quite form-fitting, making it difficult to make large movements, so she eventually gave up.

Unaware bystanders saw how intimately they were behaving and couldn't help but feel envious.

"They say President Vane is cold-hearted, but I didn't expect him to have such a good relationship with his wife."

"There were rumors before that they weren't getting along. It seems those were just rumors after all."

"Mr. Vane hasn't had a single scandal in all these years. He has money and looks. Seren Thorne is truly lucky to have gained his favor."

Seren: {You can have this luck; I don't want it.}

{This dog man has such a bad temper. If I were the heroine, I'd choose to be with Sebastian North too.}

Just as she finished that thought, she felt the man beside her starting to radiate frost again.

{This dog man is truly temperamental. One second he’s smiling smugly, and the next, even though no one provoked him, he’s back to being cold-faced. Tsk.}

The engagement ceremony was held on the lawn behind the hotel. Seren followed Alaric to the lawn near the rose garden. Soon, someone came over with a drink to greet Alaric, their face full of fawning smiles.

Seren had no interest in these superficial social interactions. While Alaric spoke to people, she stood to the side eating small cakes, looking at the guests with boredom.

When she saw a man and a woman walking toward them, she arched an eyebrow.

{I didn't expect Lana Vane to actually bring her little boyfriend to such an important occasion today.}