In no time, the chit-chat outside came to a halt, leaving Rosemary puzzled. She stepped out only to
find Maxwell puffing away at a cigarette by the sink, and she froze, taking a moment before asking,
"What are you doing here?"
With his stern face, he looked at her, a sly smirk ying on his lips, oozing with sarcasm,
"Disappointed to see me? Who were you hoping for then?"
Têxt ? N?velDrama.Org.
Rolling her eyes, Rosemary shot back, "This is thedies'' room. Who the heck do you think I''d be
expecting? Have you lost your marbles?"
She moved to wash her hands, her mood easing a bit, but she was still pale as a ghost. Suddenly,
Maxwell grabbed her chin, forcibly turning her face toward him, "It''s just a watch. You''re gonna lose
it over that?"
His words said it all - it was all his doing.
Rosemary red at him, "You did that on purpose?"
His half-smile was mocking, "It''s just a watch. If you hadn''t attached some sort of sentimental value
to it, it''d be nothing but a trinket. Instead of grilling me about whether I did it deliberately, why don''t
you ask yourself if you''re still hung up on him?"
It was like a reminder when he slowly enunciated the name, "Mrs. Templeton."
Frowning, Rosemary was sick of hearing those words; they felt like shackles that sometimes made
it hard for her to breathe.
She tried to push his hand away, but his dominance was inescapable.
"Rosemary, are you regretting that you ever got into bed with me?"
She retorted, "If it wasn''t for that watch, I would''ve never slept with you."
And he knew it better than anyone! Maxwell sneered, and the next second, he pulled her into his
embrace, his masculine scent enveloping her.
"Seems about right. You were so resistant after seeing my face that time. If the guy in bed with you
had been Martin, your first time would''ve been pleasurable instead of painful, right?"
"Maxwell, do you really want me to loathe you this much?"
Loathe?
Maxwell''sugh was cold and thin, "After all thepromises, he''s back and you can''t wait to
divorce me and run into his arms. Do you really think he''d want a woman who''s been married
before?"
Rosemary thought she was immune to his emotional maniption by now, but she had
underestimated how vile Maxwell could be!
Right now, her heart felt like it was tangled in a tight knot, barely able to catch her breath! She
blinked, trying to mask the bitterness welling up inside her, "Think whatever you want, but I''ll be
waiting for you at City Hall tomorrow. We must get a d…"
She never got to finish thest word as Maxwell''s sudden kiss devoured it.
Rosemary nearly suffocated in his fierce kiss, tasting the familiar mint of his cigarettes, her mind
foggy until she realized she was struggling toote - he had lifted her onto the washing station
behind them.
Her skirt blocked her legs, which were now wrapped around his waist, creating an erotic tableau.
Footsteps approached, someone hurriedly pushed open the restroom door.
The disturbance brought out a dangerous edge in Maxwell''s already stern features. His shirt buttons
hade undone, revealing the sharp contours of his muscles.
He looked at the two women at the door, his voice dark and threatening, "Get out!"
They hadn''t expected such a scene and certainly didn''t dare to use the toilet now. They scurried out
with a quick "sorry," sneaking a nce at Rosemary, who waspletely shielded by Maxwell, only
her ck evening dress visible.
This buzzkill interruption put an end to Maxwell''s assault. Looking down at her from his height, he
saw her reddened eyes - whether from feeling wronged or from his bullying, he couldn''t tell.
He let go of Rosemary, "How pathetic can you be to pine after a man who rejected you when you
were desperate for help three years ago?"
The disdain in his eyes was almost palpable.
Rosemary, chin lifted defiantly, shot back, "It''s because I''m pathetic that I''ve stuck with a painful
marriage for three years!"
Silence instantly fell in the restroom. After a while, Maxwell''s lips curved in a faint, mocking smile, "A
painful marriage? That''s too bad because I''m quite satisfied with it, and I have no intention of
getting a divorce."
Rosemary looked up sharply, her face so pale now that not even blush could cover it, "Maxwell, just
to make my life miserable, would you really let the woman you love carry the dirtybel of a
homewrecker?"
Maxwell didn''t respond, as if it was of no consequence. He straightened out the creases in his
clothes and left the restroom.
When Rosemary came out afterposing herself, Maxwell was nowhere in sight. She lingered in
a corner, trying to make herself as unnoticeable as possible.
No one at the party bothered to talk to her; their avoidance suggested contact with her might taint
them. Rosemary just sneered in response - fine by her, she didn''t want to deal with them anyway.
Though they ignored her, they didn''t stop gossiping about her.
Rosemary had just sat down with some dessert when she overheard a whispered conversation from
behind a partition, "People born nouveau riche really have no manners. To do that kind of thing in a
toilet. You wouldn''t believe it, but when I opened the door, that woman''s clothes were half off."
"No wonder she moved on to Maxwell right after being rejected by Martin. Men really do like those
who are shy and easy!"
"Please, Mr. Templeton is just ying around. Everyone in our circle knows he prefers the pure and
innocent type like Victoria. Rosemary just happened to be in the right ce at the right time,
delivering herself to his door during Victoria''s absence!"
Hearing this, Rosemary couldn''t help butugh. She leaned over and said with a chuckle, "If you
want to know what Mr. Templeton really thinks, you''d have to ask him. Maybe he''s just naturally
drawn to the shy and easy types, you know?"
The gossipers looked up and saw that it was Rosemary speaking, and their faces turned colors!
One even frowned in disgust, "What''s it to you what we''re chatting about? Talk aboutcking
manners!"
"Oh, so talking smack about people behind their backs is what passes for ssy in your book? My
bad, I''m not part of your clique; didn''t get the memo. Maybe I should go ask Maxwell about itter,
huh?"
The moment thosedies heard Maxwell''s name, they chickened out and ended up slinking away,
cursing under their breath.
Every social circle has its pecking order, and clearly, they weren''t ying in the same league as
Maxwell.
Rosemary watched their flustered retreat, snorted, and thought to herself, “Looks like the best way
to deal with jerks is to unleash the hounds!”
After that fiasco, she lost her appetite and got up to head out to the small terrace outside. Later on,
Rosemary figured she must''ve walked out without paying her respects to Lady Luck tonight - bad
vibes all around.
She just wanted some peace and quiet, but of course, she ran into Martin,ing out to sober up.
Compared to this, she''d rather go back and eavesdrop on the gossip. Rosemary was about to spin
on her heel and head back to the party when Martin called out, "Rosemary."