In an instant, Nara slipped and would have fallen if Dimas hadn't immediately caught her. She was breathing a little heavily, especially when her eyes locked with his.
“Don't rush,” Dimas whispered right beside Nara's ear. “We have to think everything through carefully so we can get our revenge on Evan!”
Three hours after one of Dimas's housekeepers had massaged her feet, Nara furrowed her brow when she saw several beautiful dresses suddenly laid out in front of her. She looked left and right until she heard someone's footsteps entering her room.
“Are you awake?” Dimas asked as he sat down on the edge of the bed. “Feeling any better?”
Dimas glanced at Nara's feet, which were still covered by the blanket. His gaze was always so sharp that Nara shifted slightly in bed and nodded without daring to say a word.
“Good. Then choose one of the dresses here. In about an hour, we'll be leaving for a party.”
Nara's eyes went wide at once. Her mind hadn't even fully cleared, and Dimas was already asking her to go to a party. She wanted to refuse, but unfortunately, Nara was bound by their agreement. So, whether she liked it or not, she immediately began getting ready and followed everything the man had instructed.
“Beautiful,” Dimas murmured unconsciously, one corner of his lips lifting.
Her long lashes, rosy red lips, and surprisingly smooth skin completely distracted Dimas. He even set aside his tablet and immediately moved closer to the woman who had captured his attention.
Nara looked absolutely perfect in the maroon cocktail dress she was wearing. Her hair had been styled impeccably by one of Dimas's trusted makeup artists, and the delicate jewelry she wore made her shine even brighter.
The woman now looked incredibly classy! Dimas had nearly failed to recognize her when he first glanced in her direction.
“All right, then. Let's go!”
Nara froze when she felt an arm wrap tightly around her waist. Her heart instantly began beating faster, and her head reflexively turned toward Dimas beside her.
“Lift your gaze a little higher, Nara. Make everyone stare at you!” Dimas whispered right beside her ear, the corner of his lips almost brushing the woman's tiny ear.
Once again, Nara's heart pounded. Finally, she raised her gaze and looked past several people who now seemed transfixed by her arrival with Dimas. They had reached their destination: a fairly famous bar in the heart of the city.
“Dimas Aditya! How have you been?” greeted a bald man who immediately shook hands with the young businessman.
“I'm good, sir! What a coincidence running into you here.”
Dimas drew Nara even closer to his side, his hand never leaving the curve of her waist. He treated Nara with such tenderness that he inevitably attracted the attention of the people around them.
“Ugh! Who's that woman? How did she get so close to a man as handsome and wealthy as Dimas? What does she do? Is she a model? Or an actress? I don't think I've ever seen her before,” someone standing not far in front of Nara whispered.
Nara could clearly hear the remark, but she tried to ignore it by pretending to listen to the serious conversation Dimas was having with one of his business associates.
“I've never seen her either! Could she be the daughter of one of the wealthy businessmen?”
“Ah, I don't think that's possible! I know all the children of the wealthy businessmen in this city!”
“Oh, I know! Could she be a paid woman Dimas hired? A handsome, virile man like Dimas must still need a woman to satisfy his desires, right? Especially since Dimas has never been caught dating a single woman,” another person chimed in, casting Nara a scornful look.
Unable to bear the hurtful comments from the people around her, Nara finally asked Dimas for permission to go to the restroom. He had intended to escort her there, but Nara quickly refused and went by herself, following the directional signs in the corner of the bar.
“Oops! Sorry!” Bella said, suddenly appearing in front of Nara.
The scantily dressed woman flashed a broad smile after managing to trip Nara. A few seconds later, a man appeared and immediately wrapped his arms around Bella from behind.
“Why is this country bumpkin woman here, sweetheart?” Evan asked as he gave his new wife a quick kiss on the cheek.
“I don't know, sweetheart. Looks like she managed to sell herself to some rich man so she could come to a place like this. Look at her clothes—she's not a country bumpkin anymore!” Bella replied, casually taunting her husband's ex-wife.
“Ugh! So she's a paid woman now?” Evan chimed in, turning his nose up at Nara in disgust.
Nara's blood was boiling. Summoning all her strength, she tried to stand on her own and pointed an index finger at Evan and Bella. Her eyes met their sharp gazes as she gathered the courage to take a step forward.
“I'm not that kind of woman!” Nara snapped, fury etched across her face.
“Oh, really? If that's not what you are, then how can you afford to wear all these designer clothes? Or did you just scam someone?” Bella shot back, refusing to be outdone as she tried to push Nara again.
Fortunately, Nara managed to dodge and immediately caught the hand reaching for her shoulder. A second later, she forcefully flung Bella's hand away, drawing a small groan of pain from the woman in front of her.
“I'm not a scammer or a scheming person like the two of you!” Nara emphasized, dead serious.
“Damn you, Nara!”
Evan quickly seized both of Nara's arms. He rendered his ex-wife helpless, allowing Bella to easily reach out and touch Nara's face.
“Let go of me! Neither of you has any right to touch me! Let go!” Nara shouted as she struggled.
“I'll let you go after you retract everything you said to the media this afternoon, Nara! I want my name cleared, or—”
“Or what, Bella?” someone interrupted, instantly making every eye turn toward them in shock.