Joanna looked resentfully at Marshall.


    Marshall folded his arms, a roguish grin on his face as he eyed Sebastian''s inscrutable expression. "What? Is Mr. Griffith going to stand up for his mistress?"


    Sebastian frowned and turned to Joanna. "What did you do to provoke him? From what I know of Marshall, he wouldn''t bother you unless you started it." In a city like this, reputations were well-known, and Marshall''s was no exception. Sebastian''s gaze was cold, devoid of its former warmth.


    Joanna immediately deflected, ming Natalie. "It''s all because of her. You know what happened at Mrs. Spencer Sr.''s party-"


    "Wow, Joanna," Marshall cut in. "Besides scheming against Natalie, ming Natalie, and crying to Sebastian to punish Natalie, what else can you do? What does Natalie have to do with this? You know damn well why I''m here. Even if you drag Sebastian into this, do you think the Spencer family is afraid of you? A mistress and your gigolo father... the Scott family really is something else."


    "Marshall, don''t go too far," Joanna hissed, a flicker of murder in her eyes.


    Marshall''sugh was arrogant. "Too far? This is too far? You want to trend on social media? How about I make you famous as the other woman?"


    "You !" Joanna was speechless.


    Marshall shot Sebastian a look of utter disdain. "You scumbag. Trying to have it both ways. Hurry up and divorce Natalie so I can finally ask her out."


    Sebastian''s eyes shed with a dangerous light.


    Joanna was seething. "So, Mr. Spencer, you''re just here to stick up for Natalie. Haven''t you ever heard the saying? The one who isn''t loved is the real third wheel."


    "Maybe so," Marshall said with a smug, condescending smile, "but you, my dear, are the textbook definition of a mistress."


    Joanna''s face turned green with rage.


    He shoved past Sebastian. "Get out of my way, you cheat."


    As Marshall left, Joanna stamped her foot in frustration. "Sebastian, why didn''t you help me? Did you see how arrogant he was? What kind of spell has Natalie put on him that he''de after me for her sake?"


    Sebastian''s dark eyes were cold. "Are you really so clueless as to why he''s after you? Have you forgotten about Mrs. Spencer Sr.? Why is it that whenever something happens, it''s always Natalie''s fault?"


    Joanna froze. Was he defending Natalie? Her voice became softer, more gentle. "Sebastian, no, that''s not it. You heard what Marshall said. He''s here because of Natalie." She put on her most pitiful,


    on-the-verge-of-tears expression.


    Sebastian walked past her into the restaurant, his handsome face set in a hard line.


    Joanna watched his impatient back and sneered. "Sebastian, so this is all your love for me amounts to." Men, she thought, were utterly unreliable.


    At the hospital.


    Jerome had sent someone to QHA Hospital to find out about the other patient te learned that Natalie''s surgery had been aplete


    sess. An inexplicable excitet


    surged through him. Natalie''s


    medical skills were truly exceptional.


    He had finally epted the truth: Joanna, Yvonne, and his own father had conspired against him. He wouldn''t go abroad. Who knew what they had nned for him there? He realized now that his father wanted to send him overseas, where he didn''t know thenguage simply to make his life more miserable.


    A deep-seated hatred burned in Jerome''s eyes. He would have his revenge.


    Suddenly, the door to his room opened.