Chapter 7 Actions Speak Louder Than Words
What else was there to say between them?
Candice gazed at him with calm eyes, her voice detached. "I don't believe there's anything to discuss with Mr. Obelon beyond this matter. Or perhaps Mr. Obelon wishes to reminisce about old times?"
She let out a dry laugh. "That would be rather absurd, considering we've been divorced for six years. I have nothing to reminisce about with an ex-husband."
Brandon's blood boiled hearing her repeatedly address him as "Mr. Obelon."
"Nothing to say? You might not, but I certainly do. Candice, have you forgotten what you did? You filed for divorce without a word, then pulled that stunt to get back at me. Abandoning your husband and child—quite the skilled move, wasn't it? And now you stand here with a clear conscience claiming there's nothing to discuss with me?"
Candice froze, stunned by the magnitude of his accusations.
She stared at him in disbelief. "I abandoned my husband and child?"
What nonsense was this jerk spouting?
If Candice remembered correctly, Brandon was the one who'd said he could marry anyone and it wouldn't matter to him.
Later, he even had Brielle deliver the divorce papers.
And abandoning their child? That was even more ridiculous.
Of the two children she'd given birth to, one had died in infancy, and the other had always remained by her side.
When had she ever abandoned either of them?
Besides, Brandon hadn't even known about her pregnancy back then, had he?
After a moment's thought, Candice couldn't help but scoff. "Are you okay, Brandon? Wasn't the divorce exactly what you wanted? How dare you turn around and question me about it?"
"Even if I had initiated the divorce—which I didn't—so what? As a married woman, I was having sex once every few months, spending years alone in an empty house. It was practically like being widowed, only worse!"
"And you said it yourself—it didn't matter to you who your wife was. If that's the case, divorce was our best option. We're both better off."
Candice's words were razor-sharp with conviction.
The old memories stirred up unpleasant emotions, and she pressed her hands against his chest, trying to push him away. "So you can get lost now!"
Brandon didn't budge an inch.
Her words seemed to have provoked him. His eyes darkened dangerously as he let out a cold laugh. "Practically widowed? I had no idea you were so lonely back then. Though if I remember correctly, you were quite satisfied with me. After each time we had sex, you'd always beg for more."
His tone was venomous, yet unmistakably intimate.
Candice hadn't expected Brandon to bring that up. Embarrassed and angry, she snapped, "Shut up! I was not satisfied! You were just average at best!"
Hearing this, Brandon's expression turned thunderous. "What did you say? Say it again."
His eyes were dangerous as they fixed on her.
Seemingly oblivious to the danger, Candice continued mockingly, "I said, you were just average. Nothing special."
To any man, her words were equivalent to a blunt "your sexual prowess was lacking"—a direct attack on his masculinity.
For a proud man like Brandon, it felt like a deliberate humiliation.
His face instantly froze, his cold eyes blazing with fury. He looked like he wanted to strangle her.
"'Average,' you say? Apparently, you were quite dissatisfied with my sexual performance back then. In that case, I should prove myself to you."
With that, he grabbed Candice's wrist and pulled her out of the emergency stairwell.
He took her straight to the elevator and pressed the button to go up.
Candice belatedly realized her precarious situation.
She tried to reach for the elevator buttons, but he held her wrist in an iron grip.
Shocked and disbelieving, Candice stared at Brandon, her voice trembling as she asked, "Brandon, what are you doing? Where are you taking me?"
Brandon laughed coldly. "Where? To a room to have sex, of course."
His tone was unnervingly casual, as if he were commenting on the pleasant weather.
Candice was completely stunned.
Hadsex? Was Brandon out of his mind?
She'd merely insulted him once, and now he wanted to drag her off to bed?
He'd lost it!
"I'm not going anywhere!" Candice immediately began struggling. "Let me go, or I'll scream for help!"
Brandon was so image-conscious—he wouldn't risk public embarrassment.
Or so Candice thought. To her surprise, Brandon just sneered and said, "Go ahead and scream. This entire club is owned by the Obelon Group. See if anyone comes to your rescue."
As he spoke, the elevator stopped at a floor.
Brandon ignored her struggles and dragged her out. They wrestled their way into a luxury suite.
Once inside, he pushed her against the door, pinning her there.
Candice finally panicked.
He was serious!
"Brandon, calm down. We can talk about this!"
Brandon held her wrists with one hand while unbuttoning his shirt with the other. He let out a cold laugh. "What is there to talk about with my ex-wife? Instead of wasting breath on words, we might as well just have sex."
As he finished speaking, he leaned in and pressed a hard kiss against her lips.
Candice's mind went blank.
He was actually kissing her!
She struggled furiously. "Let me go!"
How could this jerk Brandon treat her like this?
But her protests were swallowed by his kiss.
His punishing, angry kiss showed no tenderness or mercy.
Candice winced in pain and struggled harder.
But Brandon held her waist firmly, pinning both her hands against the door with his other hand.
She didn't have the strength to fight him off.
His presence overwhelmed her, dominating all her senses.
His thin lips devoured hers hungrily, his tongue taking advantage of her struggle to invade her mouth, twisting and tangling relentlessly.
To her dismay, Candice discovered that her body, after the initial shock, was beginning to weaken under his touch.