SWNOVELS Chapter 20 Danger
Chapter 20 Danger
Diane narrowly kept her balance as the applause turned into cries of surprise with occasional chuckles here and there. The lights were already on in the room at this moment, and all eyes were on her as everyone waited for her to choose her dancing partner.
Diane's palms were already covered in a cold sweat. Now that things had come to this point, she could only brazen it out, but who could she turn to? She didn't know how to dance at all; when she looked around, she found that nearly all the branch office's male colleagues around her already had female companions. Besides, she didn't know any of the other colleagues from the headquarters, so what should she do?
She could sense the gloating looks directed at her, and Stella's smug and cocky face was right before her eyes. When she was suddenly faced with such a predicament, she felt like an ant that had fallen into a pot of scalding hot oil.
Just as she felt her scalp tingling and was at a loss for what to do, the crowd suddenly parted to make way for someone; that person walked up to her in the hall dimly lit with warm yellow lights. For a moment, she thought she was seeing things. After closing her eyes and opening them once more, she could clearly make out Christopher's figure.
She had asked him to attend the banquet with her, and he had agreed to it. However, she thought that he wouldn't be present since he did not show up even after the banquet had started.
As she stood among the crowd in a daze, the simmering crowd slowly quieted down as well. They all stared at Christopher, wondering who this extraordinarily handsome man was.
"What are you standing in a trance for? Raise your hand," Christopher urged in a low voice, his thin lips parting slightly as he wrapped his arm around Diane's waist. His fingertips pressed gently on her waist, instantly triggering an electric current.
Diane finally came to her senses and timidly replied, "I... I don't know how to dance."
A line appeared between Christopher's long, slanted eyebrows. "You really are stupid," he remarked in disdain before holding her tighter. "Follow me."
"Okay." Diane had no time to fuss about his contempt for her either, for all she wanted was to muddle through the present moment before anything else.
Soon enough, the music slowly began to play. Christopher made the first move before he whispered to Diane and reminded her which foot to lift, to which she responded by doing as he told her to. At first, she was a little clumsy and would slip up at times, but he was good at guiding her. Even when she made a mistake, he would correct it in time.
It was quiet around them, for only music could be heard flowing slowly throughout the entire banquet hall. Christopher's scent filled Diane's nose and mouth as he held her close in his arms. When she looked up, the tip of her nose brushed against his chin, and the feeling of his warm breath against her skin made her feel slightly itchy.
At last, the music stopped playing after Diane had her heart in her mouth for several minutes. As thunderous applause broke out around them, Diane heaved a long sigh. "It's over at last."
Suddenly, Norman's angry voice rang out next to them. "Who are you? What right do you have to attend NG Enterprise's cocktail party? Where are the security guards? How could they let anybody in?" Diane was startled by this and looked back to see Norman's malicious face. Obviously, he was still holding a grudge against Christopher for breaking his wrist last time.
"Diane, you didn't bring a man from some random clubhouse with you to attend the banquet today, did you?" Just then, Stella's raised voice joined the conversation; ridicule was written all over her face. Upon hearing her words, the crowd that had just quieted down burst into an uproar again. Everyone whispered among themselves while staring at them.
"He is " Diane wanted to speak, but Christopher held her arm before she could finish her sentence. "We meet again, Mr. Adler." While smiling at Norman, he raised his arm and wrapped it around Diane's shoulder in a protective gesture.
Diane was petite and charming, whereas Christopher was dashingly handsome. Suddenly, those around them found that Christopher and Diane looked like a perfect and attractive couple.
The sight of this picturesque scene made Norman clench his teeth hard in secret. "You" He had barely begun his speech when a cry of surprise was suddenly heard from the crowd.
"Oh, my!" Right after that, Xavier Waddington, the president of NG Enterprise, was seen thrusting his way through the crowd. As he extended his hands, he greeted Christopher and said, "What brings you here, Mr. Wayne? We're really honored to have you gracing this event of mine with your presence."
"That's very polite of you, Mr. Waddington." Christopher gracefully raised his hand to touch Xavier's before pulling it back. "Diane told me that her company was holding a banquet today. I was afraid lest she might be too clumsy with her hands and feet to take good care of herself, so I came to take a look."
What? Diane was stunned by Christopher's words, and she immediately looked up at him in stupefaction. This guy doesn't turn a hair when he lies. I'm the one who asked him to be here, yet he's pretending to be a caring guy right now.
"Diane..." Xavier ruminated over this name before taking a look at Diane. Perhaps because he had no recollection of her, he didn't say anything to the woman.
Just then, Norman cried out abruptly with a look of shock as he said, "Mr. Wayne? Are you Christopher Wayne of Evergreen Incorporated?"
Diane had a good gloat when she saw how bitter and horror-stricken Norman looked. "You really have terrible eyesight, Mr. Adler. Why can't you even recognize Mr. Wayne after meeting him twice? And you, Mrs. Adler..." Diane suddenly addressed Stella in a different way; she turned to look at Stella, and the latter's face had flushed and paled by turns. Then, she asked her with a smile, "Which clubhouse do you think he's from?"
"Clubhouse? What clubhouse?" Xavier looked at Stella in puzzlement.
Stella-whose face was puce with resentment-awkwardly twitched her taut cheek muscles. "No, It's nothing. It's just a misunderstanding."
"It doesn't matter; it's only normal for you to not know me. After all, I can't remember a pack of riffraff, nor do I have to know them." Christopher's eyes were chilly as he implied that both Stella and Norman were riffraff.
Upon hearing his words, Xavier darted his eyes at Norman and Stella with a slight frown of apparent displeasure. Norman looked embarrassed, yet he had to put on an ingratiating smile that made him look as if he had swallowed a fly.
On the other hand, everyone around them heard Norman's cry just now-they proceeded to cry out in surprise upon learning that the man who had danced with Diane was Christopher Wayne. After all, a big shot like Christopher usually appeared on TV, so this was their first time seeing him in the flesh. For a moment, numerous women looked at Diane with envy, jealousy, and resentment, so much so that Diane could sense without looking around how venomous their gazes were.
Meanwhile, Xavier seized the opportunity and tried to strike up an acquaintance with Christopher. "Let's have a chat, Mr. Wayne. This way, please."
Instead of turning Xavier down, Christopher gave him a slight nod. He held Diane in his arms and was about to leave, but Diane refused to leave with him. "I'm not going with you; I'll stay here and wait for you." She would rather find a corner to enjoy some food and drinks since she didn't feel like being with those big shots.
Since she politely turned Christopher down with a smile, he didn't pressure her. He then replied with a nod, "I'll come to you in a while then."
"Okay." Diane was unusually obedient, and her eyes looked so much like the crescent moon in the sky when she smiled. This unexpectedly distracted Christopher for a moment; after regaining his self-control, he left with Xavier.
After Christopher and Xavier left, Norman took a step forward and suddenly grabbed Diane's wrist. "Since when did you take up with Christopher? I didn't expect you to sink so low as to become his mistress, Diane."
"Let go of me," Diane barked coldly. After throwing Norman and Stella a cold and contemptuous glance, she jutted out her chin. "Do you two want me to show you my marriage certificate? Norman, I've already made it clear that you're a moldy bun in my eyes. You mean nothing to me, so whoever wants to rot with you may do so as they please."
She was in no mood to waste her breath talking to these two people, nor did she want to make a fool of herself by getting into an argument here. After finishing her sentence, she turned around, passed through the crowd, and left.
At that moment, several colleagues with whom she was acquainted came to ask Diane about her relationship with Christopher. Since she was annoyed by their endless questions, she hemmed and hawed for a while before going to the food area and helped herself to a plate of desserts. Then, she found a corner with the least people to eat.
However, she had just taken two mouthfuls of the desserts with her fork when an arm suddenly reached out from behind her and covered her nose and mouth. Then, the person dragged her toward the back door without allowing her to make a sound...