Chapter 161: Chapter 161: Wrong Timing

Brianna Hudson’s wedding to the Jennings family was, naturally, a grand affair.

After breakfast, Jessie Sterling had her scheduled makeup artist come to the house. Once she was ready, she got in a car with Victor Morgan and they set off for the wedding venue.

Brianna Hudson had eight bridesmaids, all prominent young ladies from Port Caldoria. The Jennings family, in turn, had eight groomsmen, who were either wealthy young masters from Port Caldoria or scions from Southaven. The wedding was bustling with energy.

The Jennings family rented an entire island off the coast of Southaven and decorated it with the utmost extravagance, transforming it into an ocean of white roses.

Jessie Sterling, arm in arm with Victor Morgan, walked behind Director Sterling and the others, looking at the decorations on the wedding island with a sense of wonder.

“Do you like it?” Victor Morgan asked.

“It’s beautiful. It looks like a seaside manor made of white roses.”

“These are all fresh-cut flowers flown in by air; they won’t last long. If you like them, I can have the entire island planted with your favorite roses. That way, you can see a view like this anytime you want to vacation here,” Victor Morgan said.

The decorations of fresh-cut flowers were only temporary, but he could let Jessie Sterling see such a magnificent sight forever.

As long as Jessie liked it.

A moment ago, Jessie Sterling had been admiring the island’s decorations. But upon hearing Victor Morgan’s words, she abruptly looked up and stared at him in astonishment.

’I’ve been so wronged,’ she thought. ’My second brother used to call me a money-shredder, but when Victor Morgan decides to spend, he’s clearly much more of a money-shredder than I am.’

The decorations for Brianna Hudson’s wedding were just a one-time expense, but what Victor was talking about would need year-round maintenance.

’Is it really worth it, just so I can visit the island once in a while?’

Although Jessie Sterling didn’t say this out loud, her thoughts were clearly reflected in her eyes.

Victor Morgan saw what she was thinking and said only one thing to Jessie Sterling.

“You don’t need to envy others.”

’I don’t work hard just to have my wife envy other people. Whatever she wants, I’ll give it to her.’

’Isn’t that the whole point of a family man making money?’

At that, Jessie Sterling broke into a smile.

She beckoned to Victor Morgan with a crooked finger, and he quickly lowered his head, leaning in close.

“If the time and place weren’t so wrong… Oh, President Morgan, what am I to do? I found what you just said to be a little bit dashing. It makes me want to kiss you,” Jessie Sterling said with a beam.

When she was happy, when she wanted to be coquettish, her voice was laced with honey, so sweet that it made a man want to give her the world.

Even Victor Morgan, out here in public, almost lost his composure at her words.

He straightened up, looking down at Jessie Sterling, who was beaming up at him. His hand, which had been resting at his side, couldn’t resist rubbing firmly against his trouser leg a couple of times.

’Wrong time, wrong place.’

“Wait until we get back,” Victor Morgan said in a low voice.

If one listened closely, anyone familiar with Victor Morgan would have heard the unusual, husky quality that had entered his voice.

Jessie Sterling lifted her chin. “This offer expires!”

Her proud demeanor made Victor Morgan’s gaze linger on her.

At the same time, another person’s gaze also fell upon Jessie Sterling.

Jessie Sterling didn’t react as quickly, but Victor Morgan, on the other hand, instantly caught the stare from not far away.

He looked up, and his gaze met that of Julian Grant, who was dressed in a groomsman’s suit.

In truth, Julian Grant hadn’t seen Jessie Sterling for a very long time. He had actually returned to the country for the New Year, but he had deliberately made himself scarce when Jessie came to Centennial with Director Sterling.

Knowing that Jessie probably didn’t want to see him, he hadn’t wanted to cause any unpleasantness for her during the New Year holiday.

Besides, Jessie hadn’t stayed in Southaven long during the New Year anyway; he heard Victor Morgan had taken her skiing in The Aridlands. Even later, when he wanted to steal a glance at her, he had no opportunity. He could only catch glimpses of her in the corner of photos on other people’s social media feeds.

He could have used the excuse of being abroad and too busy to return for Jared Jennings’s wedding. But, perhaps because he knew about the relationship between Jessie and Lynn Jennings, he was certain Jessie would be at the wedding today. So, on some strange impulse, he had agreed to come.

Now, at this moment, when Julian Grant truly saw Jessie Sterling—saw her smiling happily on Victor Morgan’s arm—he felt a dull ache in his heart.

’Jessie used to smile at me just like that.’

’But then…’

His gaze fell almost greedily on Jessie Sterling’s face. He had thought that after going abroad and meeting more people, he would gradually be able to forget her.

But at some point, he had started dreaming at night.

He dreamed that Jessie wasn’t with Victor Morgan, and that after he returned from abroad, she married him instead.

They went abroad together, and Jessie was busy every day, looking after his meals and daily needs.

The housekeeper at home wasn’t nearly as thoughtful and considerate as Jessie. No matter when he came home, there was always a hot meal on the table, and someone was always home, waiting for him.

But every time he woke up to a cold, empty room, Julian Grant would realize it had all been a dream.

He had these dreams so often that he was starting to lose his grip on what was real.

The desire to come back and see Jessie Sterling had grown stronger and stronger. If it hadn’t been for Jared Jennings’s wedding, he might have continued to suppress his heart’s desire.

The moment Jessie Sterling appeared, Julian Grant knew he couldn’t tear his eyes away.

The moment his gaze met Victor Morgan’s, Julian Grant felt a flash of guilt.

He wanted to retreat, but Victor Morgan gave him no such chance.

When Victor Morgan noticed that the other gaze on Jessie Sterling was coming from Julian Grant, his expression suddenly darkened.

’The closest he and Julian Grant had ever gotten was probably the night they came to blows.’

It was an unspoken truth that all pretenses between them were long gone. Neither man would back down from the other, and they couldn’t stand the sight of each other.

Victor Morgan’s warning gaze and severe expression made Julian Grant feel a strange mix of emotions.

’If it weren’t for the dreams, he probably should feel guilty. But he’d had them, and they were so vivid—so real he felt that Victor Morgan was the actual interloper.’

Perhaps it was a man’s ridiculous competitive spirit, but Julian Grant did not avoid Victor Morgan’s gaze.

As a result, Victor Morgan’s gaze grew even colder, so much so that Jessie Sterling, who was right beside him, noticed.

“What’s wrong?” Jessie Sterling asked, tilting her head as she sensed the change in Victor Morgan’s aura.

Just as she was about to look in the direction of Victor Morgan’s gaze, a large hand suddenly and possessively covered her eyes.

“Hey, what are you doing?!” Jessie Sterling protested.

’Her eye makeup was light today, almost a no-makeup look, but it had still taken the makeup artist a good deal of effort. If this clueless man smudged it with his hand, wouldn’t it all be for nothing?’

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