Chapter 5 Unexpected Encounter

Hearing movement, Oliver turned languidly from his position leaning against the railing.

His eyes fell upon Astrid in her snow-white gown, her face particularly radiant after touching up her makeup.

Astrid quickly released the door handle, blocking Oliver's view of Silas's tall figure inside.

She asked with surprise, "Oliver, have you been waiting here the whole time?"

In truth, Oliver had walked away earlier, but the thought of endless socializing inside the ballroom compared to imagining the beautiful woman applying her makeup made him turn back.

"I missed you," Oliver said, rubbing the tip of his nose while answering smoothly.

Noticing his shifty eyes and unconscious gesture, Astrid inwardly scoffed.

She used to believe his sweet words came naturally because of his deep feelings for her.

Now she knew better—lying was simply in his nature.

Fortunately, she'd discovered this before it was too late.

Had she only seen his true face after marriage, the heartbreak would have been unbearable.

While silently condemning him, Astrid maintained her smile and calmly walked to his side.

"Let's go. People at the gala must be wondering where you've disappeared to."

They needed to leave quickly before Oliver could encounter Silas emerging from the ladies' room—that would create an awkward situation.

After speaking, Astrid took two steps forward when she felt her wrist caught in Oliver's grip.

Before she could react, she found herself pulled into his embrace. She couldn't help but furrow her brow.

Being close to Oliver now made her feel uncomfortable.

"What's wrong?" Oliver noticed the change in her expression.

"You can speak without grabbing me," Astrid pushed him slightly, standing apart from him and feigning displeasure to mask her disgust.

"You're angry?" Oliver seemed surprised.

"See for yourself," Astrid raised her wrist, revealing her reddened skin.

Oliver's expression shifted slightly.

He had always known she was delicate, but hadn't realized just how fragile she was.

No wonder she often refused his touch—he had thought she was simply playing hard to get due to her status.

This realization made him value his patience.

He couldn't wait to claim her for himself.

"I'm sorry," Oliver apologized effortlessly, holding her wrist much more gently this time.

"Please don't be angry, all right?"

As he spoke, Oliver noticed her bare neck and asked reflexively, "Why aren't you wearing a necklace? Don't you adore pink diamonds?"

Astrid's mind was entirely focused on leaving this troublesome spot—Silas could emerge at any moment, and who knew what might happen then.

Seeing her serious expression, Oliver misinterpreted it as lingering anger. He stepped forward and embraced her again.

"I was just asking. Even without jewelry, you still look heavenly."

As he spoke, Oliver's lips drew steadily closer.

"Astrid, I want to kiss you."

As Oliver's breath approached, Astrid instinctively pulled away. Taking this as shyness, Oliver pursued her again.

He was shameless.

She wished she could expose his true nature right now, but Astrid reminded herself that she didn't yet have enough evidence to ruin him completely. She had to wait a little longer.

"Not here—we're in public," Astrid reminded him in a hushed voice.

"It's fine. This area is quite secluded; nobody comes here," Oliver dismissed her concern.

He had attempted similar advances before, always eager to taste her. Each time, she had managed to evade him.

After boasting to his friends about his conquest, his determination to claim her had only grown stronger.

"Oliver!" Astrid hadn't expected the Montgomery men to be so shameless, attempting intimacy regardless of location.

As she spoke, she struggled to break free from Oliver's hold, but his grip only tightened.

Usually, he would let her have her way, but today something seemed different—he showed no fear of angering her.

"Stop this, or I'll really get angry!"

Astrid felt Oliver's other hand growing increasingly bold, roaming over her body through the fabric of her dress, gradually moving downward with no sign of stopping.

Her underwear had been torn by Silas inside the bathroom; she was completely bare underneath.

The more Astrid struggled, the more excited Oliver became. His breathing grew increasingly rapid as he held her tighter.

Just as Astrid was about to bring her high heel down hard on Oliver's foot, the bathroom door swung open with a loud bang.

Startled, Astrid quickly turned her back to the door, shielding herself from view.

Oliver, caught in the act with his ardor at its peak, was shocked to find himself facing the usually stern Silas.

His fingers froze awkwardly at his sides, unsure whether to straighten or curl.

"Silas," Oliver forced an unnatural smile onto his face.

The heat in his blood instantly vanished as he silently prayed that Silas hadn't seen anything.

Silas's cool gaze swept over Astrid's elegant figure with her back turned to him before settling on Oliver.

Noting Oliver's disheveled appearance, he remarked mockingly.

"No matter how desperate you are, you should consider the appropriate time and place."

Astrid's spine stiffened at his words.

Had he considered the appropriate time and place earlier in the bathroom?

Such hypocrisy, pretending to be noble.

For some reason, she felt his eyes boring into her back like a branding iron, threatening to burn a hole through her.

She remained perfectly still, pretending not to hear.

"Silas," Oliver, intimidated by Silas's commanding presence, spoke with anxiety in his voice, "Criticize me if you must, but please don't embarrass Astrid—she's quite shy."

Seeing Oliver's pathetic attempt at dignity, Silas felt a wave of disgust rising within him. His tone grew sharper.

"Am I wrong?"

"It's my fault, I shouldn't have. You must be busy. Please, go ahead," Oliver knew better than to argue with Silas and didn't overthink the situation.

Despite their relatively small age difference, he had always lived in Silas's shadow and wouldn't dare challenge him now.

Silas strode forward, his footsteps faltering almost imperceptibly as he passed Astrid, but he quickly resumed his pace.

Watching Silas move ahead, Astrid let out a small sigh of relief.

Hearing footsteps approaching from behind, she jumped as if startled and quickly followed after Silas.

Oliver had intended to wait until Silas left before pulling Astrid back for some private moments, but she had already walked away.

Feeling frustrated, he followed behind them, his mind filled with disappointment over his unfulfilled desires.

In his distraction, he completely failed to wonder why Silas had emerged from the ladies' room.