Chapter 326

Chapter 326
Diana POV

His brow furrowed deeply, as if he was struggling to recall the scene.

Seeing him unable to remember only fueled my irritation. "Scumbag. You don't even remember what you said. Need me to remind you? You were with some beautiful woman at the time."

"Beautiful woman?"

He was still trying to remember.

I didn't want to deal with him. I turned and headed for the bedroom.

He seemed to finally have a vague recollection. He followed me in quickly and started describing the woman's appearance. "Was it her?"

"After all these years you still remember what she looks like... And you say you don't remember. Men's mouths—nothing but lies."

I muttered under my breath, toweling my hair more roughly than necessary.

He laughed in exasperation. Without another word, he pulled out his phone and dialed.

I had no idea who he was calling.

I just heard him say into the phone, "Send me a photo of Frederick and his wife."

The person on the other end was Philip Howard, the fourth son of the Howard family.

Philip asked, confused, "Why do you want their photo?"

James: "Cut the crap. You've got three minutes. Send it now."

He hung up and tossed the phone aside.

I was completely baffled by this whole performance, but I didn't ask. I kept drying my hair, yanking at it so hard I might've pulled some out.

He went into the bathroom, came back with a hair dryer, and plugged it in.

Then he sat down beside me and pulled the towel from my hands.

"Give it back."

I reached for it.

He sighed. "Enough. Keep this up and you'll rip all your hair out."

I stopped trying to grab it but turned my face away, refusing to speak to him.

He pulled me into his arms and started blow-drying my hair himself.

I didn't resist.

When he finished, he turned off the dryer and set it on the nightstand.

He looked down at me, his fingers threading gently through my soft hair. His voice was low and tender. "There. Stop being mad."

I didn't answer.

Honestly, I wasn't really angry.

Everyone has a past.

I'd been with Robert. It was only natural he'd had women too.

It was just that these long-buried memories had suddenly been unearthed—and now he knew about them...

I couldn't quite sort out how I felt.

Just then, his phone chimed.

He picked it up and opened WhatsApp.

Philip had sent a photo.

He opened it and held it in front of me. "Look. Was this the woman you saw?"

I nodded. "Yes."

I remembered clearly.

But why would this woman be with Frederick?

From the photo, they looked pretty close.

What was their relationship?

He caught the confusion in my eyes and explained unprompted. "Her name is Sherry. She's from Marigoldia. She's Frederick's wife now."

"What?"

I was shocked. "How?"

Before he could explain further, the phone rang again.

It was Philip calling back.

He answered and put it on speaker.

Philip's chattering voice immediately filled the room. "Why do you want their photo? Look, Frederick was wrong to send Sherry to spy on you back then, but that was years ago. Sherry apologized to you. Are you really still holding a grudge?"

"Enough."

James didn't elaborate. He just hung up.

He looked at me. "Now do you believe me? Sherry and I had nothing going on. She was my classmate. At the time, she was Frederick's girlfriend. Frederick was competing with me for the family inheritance, so he sent Sherry to dig for information. Was I supposed to tell her I liked you? If Frederick found out, who knows what he would've done to you? I wasn't in the country. I was afraid I couldn't protect you. So I told her Jane was the suitable match for an arranged marriage. I hoped they'd spread that back home and get all those New Valley rich boys to focus on Jane instead."

It took me a while to process all this information.

I did remember clearly—that period was when Frederick and James were fighting most fiercely over the inheritance.

So he hadn't lied to me.

But wait...

I looked at him. "Then why did you mention Jane? Weren't you afraid they'd cause trouble for her?"

James: "Jane was personally chosen and trained by your grandfather as his heir. No one dared touch her. Besides, with her abilities and methods, most people can't bully her."

I lowered my head and said quietly, "She is smarter than me."

I wasn't jealous of Jane. I just felt a little... deflated.

Jane's excellence was something I could never match.

He said dryly, "Yeah, she's too smart. Everyone's terrified of her."

He pulled me onto his lap and coaxed me patiently. "But being smart doesn't help her. Ask Tristan and Jake—who isn't scared of her? Frank marrying her really was a public service."

That didn't sit well with me. I turned and glared at him. "Don't talk about Jane like that. She's the best. She's the most amazing."

His tone shifted, tinged with jealousy. "She's the best? She's the most amazing? Then what am I?"

"You're second."

In my heart, Jane was the best, the most amazing, number one.

He took a deep breath, clearly trying to rein in his temper.

He probably was reminding himself: I chose this wife. Can't get mad.

He leaned down and kissed me hard, almost punishingly.

I could barely breathe.

But after hearing his explanation, I was happy.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back eagerly.

This time, there were no more misunderstandings or barriers between us.

We made love wildly.

Every time I felt my body filled by him, felt him moving inside me with abandon, we climbed to the peak of passion over and over...

It was like a warm current silently flooding into my body—a passion I hadn't felt in so long.

The seventeen-year-old me seemed to come alive again.

The emptiness in my heart gradually filled.

That night, we were tireless.

I lost track of how many times we went.

I only remember that by the end my voice was hoarse, my whole body exhausted, melting into his arms.

So tired. So sleepy.

He, on the other hand, acted like nothing had happened. He was still talking in my ear. "Diana, your stamina needs work. Tomorrow you're coming with me on my morning run."

"Not going."

I mumbled drowsily.

All I wanted was sleep.

He added, "From your diary, it didn't seem like you ever really liked Robert."

"Mm... didn't like him..."

I murmured vaguely, going along with him.

Actually, I had liked Robert—just not that much.

Hearing that answer, he smiled with satisfaction.

After a moment, he asked, "Then why did you name your company 'Apex Global Enterprises'? Doesn't that hint at Robert's name?"