Better Late, But Never His Again novel Chapter 16

Hazel's face burned. She desperately wanted to fire back, but the words died in her throat.

Her taste in men really was atrocious. Otherwise, she wouldn't be in this miserable situation.

But hearing him say it out loud felt like a slap to the face.

Her mind went blank, and she blurted out the first thing she thought of.

"You can't just judge everyone with a broad brush! My taste in men isn't completely hopeless, otherwise I wouldn't have set my sights on you..."

She froze mid-sentence, the realization of what she just said crashing over her. Her face instantly ignited into a blazing red.

Marcus was stunned for a second before a low, deep chuckle rumbled from his chest, echoing through the room. There was an undeniable, heavy sexual tension in the air, radiating entirely from his sheer magnetism.

Hazel blamed the suffocating atmosphere on him, wishing she could melt into the floor and disappear.

Marcus finally stopped laughing. When he looked at her again, the amusement had cooled into sharp business acumen.

"Fine. You have three months."

Hazel stood frozen, before a massive wave of euphoria hit her.

Marcus's voice dropped into a serious, commanding tone. "Ms. Garrison, do not disappoint me."

Hazel snapped out of it, hurriedly pulling the prepared contract from her bag and handing it to him with both hands.

"Thank you, Mr. Thornton! I promise I won't let you down!"

Marcus took the document. Without even glancing at the terms, he flipped to the final page and scrawled his signature.

Hazel stared at his bold, aggressive handwriting, completely submerged in overwhelming joy.

She had actually done it.

Stepping out of the VIP lounge, Hazel's legs still felt a little weak.

The hallway was bathed in dim light. She leaned against the wall, taking several deep breaths to steady her racing heart.

She only had three months.

It wasn't a long time, but she had fought tooth and nail for this chance.

Straightening her posture, she prepared to leave.

But after just a few steps, she spotted a familiar figure standing at the end of the corridor.

Julian.

He looked like he was searching for something. When he saw her, his eyes lit up and he marched over quickly.

"Hazel!"

"Hazel, give me a straight answer!"

He slammed her against the wall, his voice trembling with suppressed rage. "Why did you go see Marcus? What exactly were the two of you doing in there?"

Hazel leaned against the cold wall, staring blankly at him.

This man used to be the love of her life. Now, he felt like a total stranger.

Julian felt a chill crawl up his spine under her dead-eyed stare. Realizing he had lost control, he released her and took a step back, his tone softening.

"I was just too worried..."

Hazel looked at him, her voice entirely flat.

"Julian, are you terrified of being cuckolded?"

Julian's expression shifted drastically. He opened his mouth to deny it.

But Hazel cut him off. "Don't worry. I have actual self-respect."

Her words hit like stones, echoing perfectly down the hall, landing straight in the ears of Evelyn Vance, who had just turned the corner. Evelyn's eyes instantly welled up with tears.

Seeing Evelyn's stricken face, Julian lost his temper and roared at Hazel, "Hazel, who exactly are you taking shots at?!"