A Night of Desire-Chapter 70: Is This the Rhythm of Love?

"PFFT!" River Sterling, who was just enjoying the show, sprayed out the mouthful of wine he had just taken.

’Holy crap,’ he thought. ’Is this really Seth—the same Seth who’s always been as cold as iron toward women—saying something so nauseatingly sweet and showing off his affection so blatantly?’

Beside him, Linden Jennings’s jaw nearly hit the floor, his heart filled with profound disbelief and confusion.

’Is this what it looks like when Seth is in love?’

At the very least, Seth had taken a serious interest in that woman, Clara Grant.

Knowing Seth’s personality, when had he ever given a woman such special treatment? He’d gotten into a fight for her last time, and now he was personally arranging a role for her, not to mention saying such suggestive things in public without a care in the world!

As Linden Jennings thought this, he glanced at River Sterling, who was looking back at him. They both shared the same unspoken thought: Seth was a goner.

Everyone else present was stunned into silence by Seth Quinn’s words. They rarely even saw their president smile, let alone witness such a gentle side to him.

Instantly, everyone was filled with questions about the girl named Clara Grant. Who on earth was she? And what was her relationship with the president?

After their initial surprise, the other actresses were filled with deep envy and jealousy toward Clara Grant. Their president, so high and mighty in their eyes, their ultimate dreamboat—could he already be taken?

Seth Quinn, however, paid no mind to their reactions. He patted Director Keane’s shoulder reassuringly, leaned close to his ear, and guaranteed in a low voice, "Don’t worry. I promise you, she will be your Tina."

With that, he walked straight out without a single glance at anyone else.

The moment he left, the actresses sitting together began whispering amongst themselves. In an instant, the private room was filled with the low, chattering buzz of their discussions.

"Is that girl the president’s girlfriend?"

"No way. I’ve never heard anything about the president having a girlfriend."

"Listen to yourself. It’s not like we’d just hear about the president’s private affairs, would we? Besides, he’s always been so low-key. Would it really be that strange if he got a girlfriend and we didn’t know about it?"

"Exactly. And did you see how that girl just turned and stormed off in a huff when she saw the president? Then look at the doting smile and tenderness on his face. If she wasn’t his girlfriend, could she act so brazenly in front of him? Would he be so indulgent with her?"

"So, does that mean we’re about to have a First Lady?"

"Looks like it."

"..."

Among the actresses, only Faye Jennings didn’t join the discussion. She gripped her wine glass tightly, her face turning pale as she bit her lower lip, sitting there completely still.

The more she listened to their gossip, the more suffocated she felt.

’Clara Grant... the First Lady...’

’So, does this mean that after all these years of desperate hard work, after finally becoming Aegis’s top actress and a domestic A-lister, I still can’t stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him? That I still can’t be the one to stand openly by his side?’

Suddenly, Faye Jennings shot to her feet, startling the actress playing the second female lead beside her. "Faye, what’s wrong?"

"Oh," Faye Jennings said, snapping out of it. "I—didn’t I say I was going to the restroom?"

The other actress nodded in understanding.

Faye Jennings offered everyone an extremely unnatural smile before heading out the door as well.

At that moment, everyone’s attention was focused on the president and Clara Grant, so no one noticed the strange expression on her face.

...

At the main entrance of The Elysian Restaurant, Sarah Shelby finally caught up with Clara Grant.

"Clara, what’s with you? Why did you just turn around and leave like that? This was such a great opportunity! Didn’t you see how excited Director Keane was when he saw you? That means you had a real shot at a role in *A Lifetime of Splendor*. But now that you’ve just stormed off so willfully, your chances are probably shot!"

Clara Grant puffed out her cheeks and muttered irritably, "If it’s shot, it’s shot. I don’t want to be in *his* movie anyway."

Although she spoke quietly, Sarah Shelby still heard her. ’Him? She can’t mean Director Keane, so...’

"Clara, do you really know Seth Quinn?"

’But even if she knows him, that’s no reason to turn and bolt at the sight of him,’ Sarah thought. ’And judging by how she looks right now, she seems really angry.’

’Unless... she doesn’t just know Seth Quinn, she has a grudge against him.’

’I know everyone Clara knew before, so meeting Seth Quinn must have been a recent thing. And as for people she’s met recently and has a grudge against... besides Cherie’s father, there’s only the fat bastard who drugged her and the man who slept with her that night!’

"Ah! Clara, don’t tell me... Seth Quinn is the man who slept with you that night?"

Sarah Shelby’s voice was a little too loud. Clara Grant glanced around nervously, and only after confirming that no one was paying attention to them did she turn to her friend in disbelief.

"How did you guess?"

’With deduction skills like that, she could be a detective!’

Sarah Shelby explained her reasoning. "Seth Quinn obviously isn’t the fat bastard who drugged you, and he can’t be Cherie’s father, so that only leaves the man who slept with you."

Hearing this, Clara Grant shot a contemptuous look, not at Sarah, but at the thought of Seth Quinn.

"How can you be so sure Seth Quinn isn’t the scumbag who abandoned Cherie and me? Do you know him? Do you know him that well?"

"I..." Sarah Shelby started to say, then paused, a flicker of unease on her face. "Of course I don’t know him, not personally. But the Shelby Family is a prominent family in Novaria, and we inevitably have dealings with the Quinn Family. So I’ve heard about Seth Quinn from my father."

"As for Seth Quinn as a person, I can’t say much about other things, but when it comes to relationships, anyone who knows him even a little knows that he keeps to himself. Forget about sleeping with a woman and having a child; it’s impossible for a woman to even get close to him. Even with the girlfriend he used to have, he was incredibly cold. Forget sleeping together—he probably even refused to kiss her!"

"How do you know so much? Your dad tells you this stuff?" Clara Grant couldn’t help but ask, her suspicion piqued.

"Oh, you know, I just heard it from other people. You know how it is when the wives and daughters of high-society families get together. What else do they talk about besides gossip like this?"

It wasn’t that she intentionally wanted to hide things from Clara, but some things she truly couldn’t tell her.

Clara Grant bought her explanation but scoffed silently in her heart. ’Cold and passionless? Doesn’t sleep with women, doesn’t even kiss them? Then who was it that slept with me and forced a kiss on me?’

’Was it a ghost?’

As she thought this, a disdainful "Tch" escaped her lips. "Seth Quinn keeps to himself? You’d have a better chance of convincing me if you told me he was gay and didn’t like women at all, or that he’s just impotent!"

Seth Quinn, who had just caught up to them, happened to overhear every last word of her final sentence. His face instantly darkened.

Then, with a stride of his long legs, he closed the distance and stood before the two women in a matter of steps.