CEO Ex-Husband, Don't Bother Me-Chapter 39: On Par with My Idol

’Yes, the committee had awarded her Best Actress because of Wendy Lowe, but did that mean everyone would just ignore all the hard work and effort she’d poured into this role? Who had seen her jump into freezing water when it was over ten degrees below zero? Who had seen her body covered in bruises from dance practice?’

’And it wasn’t as if she’d wanted to succeed by relying on Wendy Lowe. Everyone in the industry knew of his vile reputation. If an actress caught his eye and refused to submit, he’d make sure she could never find a foothold in the business again. She wouldn’t be able to land even a minor supporting role. When he’d set his sights on her, she hadn’t wanted to give up her dream of acting, so she’d given in to him. And in doing so, she’d given up the man who loved her, and whom she loved in return.’

Thinking of all the hardships she had endured, Juliet Jennings fought back the bitterness in her heart, held her head high, and continued walking with pride. Not far away, a director she had long admired was drinking alone. She put on a bewitching smile, picked up a glass of wine, and sashayed over. Before she could even open her mouth, a drink was unceremoniously splashed in her face. Humiliated, she looked up to see the director’s wife glaring at her with utter disdain.

"Juliet Jennings, cut the vixen act. Don’t let me see you anywhere near him again. I can’t promise I’ll be so restrained next time!"

Wine trickled down Juliet Jennings’s beautiful face. The venue was crawling with reporters, and at the first sign of a commotion, they all swarmed over. The CLICK-CLICK-CLICK of camera flashes and the cold snickers from the crowd left Juliet feeling both furious and mortified. A profound sense of despair washed over her. ’If this humiliating image of me gets out,’ she thought, ’everything I’ve worked for will go up in smoke.’

Just as her despair became overwhelming, a man with a piercing aura cut through the crowd. He strode forward, yanked her pathetic figure into his arms, and marched toward the exit. Everyone was stunned. When Juliet Jennings got a clear look at his face, she was too shocked to react, simply allowing him to sweep her out of the room.

After their initial shock, the reporters behind them surged forward, trying to follow and take pictures, but the man stopped them with a single, vicious glare.

"Go ahead and shoot," he warned, "if you don’t want to see the sun tomorrow."

The man’s aura was chilling and his words utterly malicious. Not a single reporter dared to follow them.

Juliet Jennings didn’t come to her senses until she was sitting in the car. She stared blankly at the man before her—dressed in black, his expression stern, his entire being exuding arrogance. In a low, disbelieving murmur, she asked,

"What about Wendy Lowe?"

Julian Donovan tossed her a towel and lit a cigarette, watching the pathetic woman before him through the swirling smoke.

"Him?"

Juliet Jennings managed a bitter smile as she wiped the liquid from her face.

"That animal!"

Julian Donovan cursed through gritted teeth. With a hollow, bitter laugh, Juliet Jennings reached over, took the cigarette from his fingers, and took a drag.

"Why get so angry? He’s always been like this. He’ll build an actress up to a certain point, then get tired of her and start looking for his next prize. Who knows how many starlets he’s ruined over the years!"

Juliet Jennings’s jaded, smoking figure infuriated Julian Donovan. He snatched the cigarette from her hand and roared at her, his anger uncontrollable,

"If you knew this business was so dark, why didn’t you just get out sooner? If you had come to Meridia with me back then, neither of us would have ended up like this!"

’If he had just forced her to quit back then... he would now be a brilliant doctor, saving lives, and she would be his stunningly beautiful wife. They might have stayed in Meridia, or perhaps returned to their home country, living a quiet life where she happily supported him.’

’Instead of this... both of them miserable, both in pain, and both with other people in their lives now.’

Julian Donovan’s words made Juliet Jennings’s face turn pale. Finally, she met his furious gaze and unleashed the words she’d been holding back.

"Quit? Julian Donovan, you talk about loving me, but you don’t understand me at all! You don’t get why I enrolled in the acting program, do you? You don’t get what I was working toward for four long years! You don’t get why I started by taking one tiny role after another! It’s because I love this profession! I thrive on the satisfaction I get from performing—the same way you thrive on medicine!"

"But you? You always try to decide what’s best for me with your overbearing, chauvinistic attitude. Even if I had quit and gone to Meridia with you, do you think I’d be happy with no dreams, no ambitions, just spending my days revolving around you?"

Julian Donovan was stunned. He’d never imagined she thought of him that way.

The sight of Juliet Jennings, furious and defiant, made Julian Donovan think of that other woman by his side—the one who was as gentle as water, who always revolved around him and had almost never defied him. An intense wave of irritation washed over him. To suppress this strange emotion, he looked at Juliet Jennings and said in a cold voice,

"Juliet Jennings. Please me. Please me, and I’ll make this whole thing go away."

Juliet Jennings was obviously stunned by his words. She then raised an eyebrow in disbelief and asked,

"Make it go away? You can do that?"

He replied impassively, "You can choose not to believe me."

Of course, Juliet Jennings chose to believe him. ’Seeing his intimidating presence now, hearing the conviction in his voice... he’s become someone beyond compare.’ Even though he didn’t understand her, she was still captivated by him. She loved the way he used to care for her, the way he doted on her. She loved his handsome, charming face.

But she glanced at the driver up front and asked hesitantly,

"So... you want me to do it now?"

Julian Donovan simply stared at her, his thin lips pressed into a firm line. His silence was his answer. Juliet understood. She leaned in, her gorgeous face drawing close, and gently kissed him. Then, with practiced skill, she traced the shape of his lips with the tip of her tongue. Her seductive body pressed against his as her long fingers slipped under his shirt, gliding across his toned chest.

But for some reason, the moment Juliet’s lips touched his, a delicate, pretty face flashed in Julian Donovan’s mind. ’Every time I kiss her,’ he thought, ’she nervously shuts her eyes, her small hands clutching my shirt. Her lips are always bare, no lipstick or anything. They’re so clean and soft, they always make me want to just devour them.’

The thought made him abruptly shove Juliet Jennings away.

"What’s wrong, Julian?"

The car had stopped outside the hotel where Julian Donovan was staying; Juliet Jennings was staying there as well. Julian irritably yanked at his tie. Ignoring Juliet’s bewitching air, he opened the car door and got out without a word. Hurt, Juliet got out and followed him.

"Julian, let me come to your room tonight!"

’If he didn’t have the means, he wouldn’t have offered to make this go away. Since he’s this powerful and influential now, she certainly can’t let him go. Besides, he still has feelings for her, doesn’t he? Otherwise, he wouldn’t have shown up and stood up for her at the event. Being with a man who loves her has to be better than being with someone like Wendy Lowe.’

Julian Donovan pushed her away without a change in his expression.

"Go back and get some rest. I’ll take care of today’s incident."

’He needed to calm down. Hadn’t he sworn that once he was powerful enough, he would take Juliet Jennings back? Now she’s right here, within his grasp, so why has his old determination vanished? And why the hell does he keep thinking of Naomi Shaw when he’s kissing Juliet?’

’To him, Naomi Shaw was just a well-behaved, sensible pet he’d kept by his side for two years. How could she possibly compare to the woman he loved?’

’Juliet, come back to me. I’m powerful enough now. Let me protect you!’

But those words, which had swirled in his heart for so long, just wouldn’t come out.

He got up, intending to take a shower, and glanced at his phone out of habit. There were no calls from her. She usually called in the evening to ask if he’d be home for dinner, but she hadn’t called today? With that thought, he sullenly walked into the bathroom.