Belinda let out a scornful chuckle. She said, "Miss...Qin? Don't you think that was a redundant question? You've already said it was something that happened a long time ago. Why do you have to mention it now? Should we be haunted by our past?" Belinda said, with a mocking sneer on her face, Belinda turned her gaze to Rachel. She'd like to know whether this woman had something called boundaries. How insolent of her to talk about her past relationship with Duke publicly! Who did she think she was? And how dare she insult Belinda this way!
"Who the heck are you? I'm talking about my relationship with Duke. Who do you think you are to meddle in our private affairs?" Rachel retorted arrogantly. Studying Belinda up and down, she thought so little of this woman, and couldn't imagine her as a rival for Duke's affections.
Amused, Belinda laughed out loud. She then walked to Duke and stood tiptoed to kiss him on his lips. That done, she glanced at Rachel from the corner of her eye triumphantly. She had replied to Rachel's question with the act.
What now? Do you still think it's nothing to do with me, Miss Qin?" Belinda was not like Daisy. She was an aggressive and strong woman. She wouldn't deign to explain herself when she was set up, nor would she sit there and try to defuse a fight. Her only solution to problems was to fight back directly. However, her aggressive gesture not only shocked Rachel, but also petrified Duke. A second later, Duke recovered, and smiled charmingly after she did that. He gazed into her eyes dangerously, as he wondered, whether her kiss meant that she had forgiven him. Her resentment had been hovering over them for days.
"You! You're so shameless!" Because Belinda remained silent at the start, Rachel had imaged her as a weak woman. She never expected Belinda to behave so aggressively, and couldn't think of a way to fight back, but to sputter in exasperation. She wanted Duke's kiss desperately. She had missed him and his kiss over the years. The soft touch of his lips was the most precious memory in her heart. It embodied her first love, which had passed away due to her stupid mistake.
"What? Did you say shameless? Why? Because I kissed my husband? In Miss Qin's opinion, it's shameless for a wife to kiss her husband? How ridiculous." Belinda smiled wickedly. Her every word pointed at Rachel, as she not only flaunted her ownership of Duke but also ridiculed Rachel as an irrational woman.
Rachel turned to Duke in shock. "Duke, is this true? How can you marry this worthless, no good woman? How can you forget our promise to each other in the past?" She ignored Belinda completely. Despite Belinda's sarcastic words, she looked into Duke's eyes intently. She always believed that he loved her deeply in his heart. And even when other women got their hands on him, she would be his only love.
"Promise? Have we made any promises to each other? I can't remember such a childish behavior. Sorry, Miss. Right now, I am a married man. And the only person I care about is my wife. The relationship and entanglements from my past have become history, so have you. You are no more than a passerby in my life, nothing more, and nothing special to me, "
Said Duke with the slightest hint of smile. He glared at Rachel coldly, which made her feel that her heart was enveloped by ice. Duke sneered inwardly as he thought of their past relationship, 'My promise? Yeah, I promised you, Rachel Qin. I was young and stupid then, also naive and ignorant to believe that you were the love of my life. But I woke up from my everlasting dream, and learned you're nothing but an illusion from my past. My feelings for you are long gone, along with that younger and more vulnerable man.'
Rachel was scared. She yelled, "No! You can't! You didn't mean a word you said! You're lying to me, aren't you? You won't admit the truth because of her here! But deep in your heart, I was, am and will forever be your true and only love! You've always admired me and treated me as a goddess. How can you ignore me, and stop loving me?"
Rachel still remembered every second of their time together. She remembered how his eyes sparkled with love and enthusiasm for her. She remembered their kisses and intimacy. She remembered how he expressed his feelings for her from time to time, saying that he missed her, she was the only love in his life, and his feelings for her would never change, nor could death tear them apart. She also remembered the end of their relationship. The night she told him it was over, he begged her desperately, tears welling in his eyes. That night was as clear in her memory as yesterday. But, since when did he change? When did he stop loving her?
Belinda was amused again. She laughed loudly. "Goddess? Seriously, what kind of woman would call herself that? You're more like a THOT. Anyone who calls herself a goddess is not right in the head. And I think it fits here. How can a sane person shamelessly talk about her former affection with a married man in public?" That said, Belinda flashed a sneer. She would not let Rachel off the hook easily. This woman had the nerve to seduce her man in her presence. She took it as a sign of a death wish, and Belinda would gladly grant her wish. Sneering, she thought to herself, 'I don't care how others will solve the worst problems with a smile or what. I am not going to offer my other cheek to the person who has slapped me. So now that you have stirred up the anger in my heart, my anger will be well borne by you.'
"Duke! She's calling me a nut!" Glaring at Belinda, Rachel was both embarrassed and angry. She turned to Duke, put on her most innocent face and sought his help. She never expected that damned woman to be so sharp-tongued. How dare she humiliate her like this?
"Daisy, over here!" However, Belinda didn't even look at Rachel. She ignored her completely, as she called for Daisy when she saw her come in. She wasn't here to bicker with this Rachel Qin. She was waiting for Daisy. Why should she dignify Rachel's bullshit with a comment? And now that Daisy was here, she had another one on her side. That Rachel could have Duke, however long she wanted, and whatever she wanted him for. Belinda didn't care a bit. After all she had nothing to do with their old old love affairs, nor with their romantic entanglements.
Duke also looked at Daisy as he noticed Belinda waving to her. As no one paying attention to Rachel now, Rachel was enraged. With her pride swelled to the utmost, she also glared at the entryway with anger. However, when she spotted Edward and Daisy together, she was scared, as the sight reminded her of the earlier warning made by the urbane man. But when she laid her eyes on Duke, she calm down a little. He would forever protect her from danger.
How long have you been waiting? Daisy asked as she approached them with a slight hint of smile on her face. However, when she saw Rachel with them, she frown. How could this woman be here too? She then shot a caring glance to Belinda, as she knew about Rachel's relationship with Duke. She wondered how Belinda would react in this situation.