The Betrayed Heiress's Second Comeback-Chapter 27: Ch : Better Behave Right

The moment we stepped inside the venue, the buzzing of cameras and murmuring voices finally faded behind the doors. The bright chandelier lighting reflected against the marble floor, and I released a slow breath, preparing my smile for the crowd inside.

But before I could adjust Karl’s posture again, his hand gently closed around my wrist.

"Rose... you’re doing too much. You need to relax. This is unlike your usual self."

He whispered, leaning close so only I could hear.

Unlike my usual self? What did this man know of my usual self? Just because he thought he knew me did not mean he actually did.

But still, he was someone whom I needed, so I needed to make him feel sorry for me once more.

I turned to him slowly, smile still plastered on my face so anyone watching would only see sweetness — even though my jaw was clenched so tight it hurt.

"Unlike myself? What do you mean by that? H-Have I changed that much-?"

I repeated softly.

His expression faltered, panic flickering in his eyes.

"That’s not what I meant—"

"Oh, I think it is. You mean unlike Jenna, don’t you?"

I cut him off before he could backpedal.

His eyes widened, and for the briefest second, guilt flashed across his face. I didn’t need further confirmation.

"Is that it, Karl? Am I not handling things the way she would? Am I not reacting the way she did? Are you subconsciously comparing us again? Are you looking for her when you look at me?"

I whispered through my teeth. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Karl swallowed, shoulders going rigid as he struggled for words.

"Rose—no. No, that’s not it at all. I don’t— I don’t think about Jenna that way. I’m always on your side. I’m here for you."

Of course he was flustered — I knew exactly which nerve to press. If there was anything he couldn’t bear, it was the accusation that he still cared more for Jenna than for me.

I finally let my smile reappear, though my eyes stayed sharp.

"Then prove it. Help me with the reporters. Help me make this charity party a success. Stand beside me, and make sure I am the one they talk about — not her memory. I am not strong like Jenna, so I need your help."

I murmured.

Karl exhaled shakily, nodding immediately. He was someone who needed ’me’ to be useful, so I knew that he would not abandon me if I asked him like this.

"Of course. Anything you need. I’m here for you."

I gave his arm a gentle pat, my expression one of grateful affection — perfectly staged for anyone watching.

Inside my mind, however, the words were different.

’Pathetic. Still so easy to control.’

Of course, these words did not escape my mouth because I had no wish to kill the goodwill Karl had toward me.

__________Jenna’s Pov

"Are you ready to head out? The charity party will start soon."

Damian asked me as he extended his hand toward me. His eyes looked me up and down, and I swore I could see hunger in them when I looked at him, the kind that made my pulse skip and my breath tighten, the kind that promised trouble if he ever decided to stop holding himself back.

But Damian quickly turned around and pulled out his phone to check the time as if forcing himself to look away before he did something reckless.

It had been a few days since we had come back from that orphanage and been threatened to keep our mouths shut. I had expected Damian to do something by now, but he had told me not to take action and that he would ’handle things’ on his own.

As much as I wanted to not wait, I felt like I had to because he had asked me to. A huge part of me believed that Damian would be able to take care of any problem that was to come because the confidence in his eyes made it impossible to imagine him failing at anything.

His arms wrapped around me made my mind go blank, and he helped me out toward the car, supporting me in case my legs gave out in my heels... not that it was a necessary concern.

I had trained my body to endure the torture that were high heels. That was a small price to pay for the sake of socializing.

Despite Damian’s reassurance that nothing would go wrong, a small part of me still felt worried about the threat from the director of the orphanage.

What if he decided that he did not want to keep our identity a secret? Or what if he was caught? Would we be able to get out of the scandal? Would Damian still choose me if everything went down in flames?

A hand covered my eyes and pulled my body back toward a warm mass. Damian’s smell was all around me as he held me close and rested my head on his shoulder as if claiming me in silence and daring the world to take their problems to him instead of me.

"I can feel the gears in your mind move. Didn’t I tell you already— you need to relax. If you are still worried, then I have no choice but to give you a gift as well."

Damian told me, and he sounded sincere when he told me that he wanted to give me a gift a promise that sent heat crawling up my neck because I didn’t know if he meant something innocent or something that would leave me breathless again.

I found myself relaxing as I leaned against him and waited for the car to stop moving.

Just being with Damian and hearing his voice was enough to give me reassurance that everything would be fine even if a tiny, dangerous part of me wondered when I had become this dependent on him.

I decided to believe him as well as the car finally started to pull into the driveway.

Someone knocked at the door, and Damian unlocked it for him.

I tried to pull myself out of his arms, but Damian kept his grip on me even as he faced the person who opened the door not caring at all how intimate or possessive the scene looked.

"Boss, we are here."

The driver announced, and I felt a flush threatening to overtake my complexion as I realized that the driver could see me in this compromised position. I was all but laying out in Damian’s lap like I belonged there, like I was his to touch and hold.

Damian, the shameless man that he was, only chuckled at the redness filling up my whole face before he chuckled and let me go with the slow, deliberate ease of someone who enjoyed every second of my embarrassment.

I immediately sat back up and checked my makeup and clothes for what needed to be fixed.

I could not even give Damian a glare for what he did because just looking at him caused my face to become red and my breath to stutter as if my body remembered his touch more clearly than I wanted it to.

Damian chuckled at my reaction, and I swore I heard him mutter a barely audible ’cute’ under his breath a word that shouldn’t have made my heart race, but somehow did.

But he decided not to push me anymore as he extended his hand toward me to help me out.

"Now, my dear partner... shall we head out?"

The way he said "partner" sounding less like a title and more like a vow—one the whole world was about to witness.