Whispers of Destiny: His Belated Love

Stacey still wanted to put up a fight. The thought of having to eat humble pie in front of Rosemary just didn't sit right with her. But the woman next to her jumped in first - she was the waitress from the teahouse.

"Alright, alright! Ms. Chambers,” she got up, aiming to approach Rosemary but was promptly shoved back into her seat by a bodyguard.

"Back in the day, I foolishly shared the audio with a friend, and then.” She glared daggers at Stacey, “This one cornered me, wouldn't take no for an answer, and insisted I sell her the private room's surveillance footage. She claimed she was your sister and that the video did a number on your rep. She seemed legit, so I sold it to her. But little did I know she'd be so venomous as to leak it to the media!"

Her story was a mix of truth and lies, but Stacey didn't bother to argue. She looked up at Rosemary with her nose in the air, "I gave it to the media, so what? Rosemary, were those things not true? I exposed more than just the audio. If it weren't for me blasting those photos of you and Mr. Templeton out there, how could someone like you even dream of marrying Mr. Templeton?"

Right after she leaked the audio, the photos of Rosemary and Maxwell leaving the hotel hit the trending topic in a hot second.

Stacey scoffed with disdain, "You're playing the field with Mr. Gellar while hopping into bed with Mr. Templeton - playing the saint but acting the sinner."

Rosemary stepped up to her, "You leaked the audio to the media?"

"Yes."

"And you took the photos of me and Maxwell leaving the hotel?"

Rosemary remembered that night at the hotel. Larry had already whisked Stacey and her mom out of the country. How could Stacey have taken the photos?

Stacey admitted without batting an eyelash, "Yes."

Rosemary nodded slightly and, in the next second, delivered a slap to Stacey's face! The slap was so fierce that Stacey was left dazed, her ears ringing and stars dancing before her eyes. It took her a good ten seconds to come back to reality, and she lunged at Rosemary like a fishwife.

"Rosemary, how dare you hit me!"

But before she could reach Rosemary, she was restrained by the bodyguard. Stacey glared at her, wishing she could tear her apart limb by limb!

Rosemary sneered, "Did you think you didn't deserve it?"

She looked at her own reddened palm with disgust and rubbed it against Maxwell's clothes, "You got my hand dirty."

Killing two birds with one stone, Rosemary finally felt a bit better after stewing all night. She huffed at Maxwell and stormed off.

Once in the car, Maxwell asked her nonchalantly, "Just gonna let it go?"

"What else can I do, murder her?"

She surely wouldn’t let go, but considering Stacey's thick skin, trying to blow off steam by hitting her would just be shooting herself in the foot.

Maxwell's gaze fell on her reddened palm, "Does it hurt?"

Rosemary quickly hid her hand behind her back as if jolted by electricity. This guy must be up to no good, suddenly asking about her hand. It couldn't possibly be a sudden bout of conscience, could it?

"What are you up to?"

Maxwell gave her a contemptuous look, "Just fear you may extort something from me." NôvelDrama.Org: owner of this content.

The nerve of this guy, it was maddening - if he wasn't dumb, then the universe had no justice!

Maxwell dropped Rosemary off at her apartment, and she was still figuring out how to stop him from following her up when he impatiently said, "Aren't you getting out? Or do you expect me to escort you to your room? Rosemary, you're obviously playing hard to get."

Rosemary unbuckled her seat belt in a huff, grabbed the lumbar pillow, and threw it at his face, "Playing hard to get? My ass; not even the most delusional guy imagines stuff like you!"

Maxwell, caught off guard, took a pillow to the face. He gritted his teeth, “Rosemary!” But before he could finish, the car door slammed shut.

Rosemary walked away without a backward glance, her steps so brisk it was as if she was being chased by ghosts!

The next day, news about Maxwell protecting Victoria the night before spread like wildfire. Everyone in the VIP room knew Ms. Temple was untouchable and a darling to Mr. Templeton. And soon enough, Pearl got wind of it.

That afternoon, Rosemary got a call from Pearl, summoning her and Maxwell back to the house for dinner.

Rosemary wanted to refuse, but before she could come up with a good excuse, Pearl set it in stone, "It's decided. I've had the servants prepare your favorite dishes. Maxwell will pick you up later."

"Pearl, there's no need." she could go back on her own.

Before she could utter her refusal, the call was cut. Seeing no way out, Rosemary decided to drive herself. She had gotten her car back a few days ago.

Just as she picked up her keys to leave, Maxwell called, "Come downstairs."

Rosemary found it so annoying! As soon as she stepped out of the building, she saw the black Bentley parked curbside. The window was halfway down, revealing Maxwell's chiseled profile, "Get in."

"No thanks, I'll drive myself to the house."

"Mom asked me to pick you up." Maxwell's gaze landed on the car keys in her hand, implying something deeper, "You got money to buy a car?"

Rosemary frowned - what was it to him? But Maxwell had lost his patience to chat and simply got out, grabbed her hand, and forced her into the car.

The car started up, leaving the neighborhood and heading towards the Templeton villa.

Maxwell looked straight ahead, speaking indifferently, "Pearl's probably upset about last night. If she asks, you know what to say."

Rosemary snorted sarcastically. No wonder he was so eager to pick her up - he needed her to cover for him. She glanced at Maxwell. His jawline was sharp, his Adam's apple prominent, and below that, the open collar of his shirt, chaste yet sensual.

Rosemary had always known Maxwell was a looker, the kind that would stand out even in a crowd of pretty boys in showbiz. Not just handsome, but also a hopeless romantic - a real bonus. It was a real shame that such a great guy had fallen for someone other than her.

Rosemary said nonchalantly, "Don't sweat it. I won't say a bad word about Victoria to her."

She'd got her heart set on getting a divorce now, and if she broke up him and Victoria, knowing Maxwell's vengeful streak, he'd definitely not give her what she wanted.

Instead of dealing with that mess, it was better to let those two losers stay together and stop bugging her!

The man turned his head to look at her, his gaze a bit frosty, as if he was shooting daggers that could freeze someone to death.

Feeling Maxwell's icy stare, Rosemary thought he didn't believe her and raised her hand to swear, "I promise, I'll sing Ms. Temple's praises to the skies in front of Pearl, make her root for you lovebirds, and help you two tie the knot."

Once Maxwell and Victoria were a done deal, getting that divorce would be a piece of cake. The more she thought about it, the more feasible it seemed, so Rosemary got really curious, "By the way, why doesn't Pearl approve of you and Victoria being together?"