Love’s Cunning Ruse

Chapter 20

In the blink of an eye, while she was spacing out, Elliot had already slipped a massive diamond ring onto her ring finger for all to

see.

Julie came to her senses abruptly, turning to look at Elliot, “You…”

Before she could even get a word out, Elliot had excitedly stood up, joyfully picking her up and spinning her around several times.

Everything happened so fast that Julie could only wear a look of utter bewilderment. It wasn’t until the cheers erupted from the crowd that she finally realized what had just happened. She looked at Elliot in disbelief, while Raymon, standing to the side, wore a somewhat gloomy expression, clearly having misunderstood the situation.

Julie wanted to explain, but how could she do so in front of all these people?

Raymon coughed a couple of times, shifting his gaze away from Julie to look at the host.

The host hurriedly grabbed the microphone, announcing, “Today, Raymon has invited everyone here for another announcement. Raymon of Ray Group has decided to form a strategic partnership with Mr. Hernandez, the CEO of Simpo Co. Their respective brands, SparkEra and Supernova, will be collaborating. Please join me in welcoming Mr. Hernandez to the stage.”

As the host’s enthusiastic voice echoed around the room, followed by applause, Julie felt like she had been struck by lightning.

A spotlight shone on Kieran, making him stand out even more in the crowd.This belongs © NôvelDra/ma.Org.

Dressed in a tailored suit, he casually placed his wine glass on a tray nearby before strolling onto the stage to stand between her and Raymon.

As the host handed the microphone to Kieran, he made small talk with Raymon, occasionally throwing in some business jargon as he interacted with the audience, captivating them with his charm. That was the Kieran she knew, always standing in the spotlight, thoughtful and confident.

At some point, Julie had become afraid that this light and heat would burn her, so she instinctively wanted to run. However, she was tightly held in place by Elliot’s hand around her waist.

She glanced at Elliot, but he seemed oblivious to her warning. He even brought her over to Kieran, who had just finished his speech, and said with a smile, “Mr. Hernandez, long time no see.”

Kieran looked at Elliot’s outstretched hand for a moment before shaking it, greeting him with a smile, “Long time no see.”

Seeing this, Raymon couldn’t help but come over and ask with a laugh, “You two know each other?”

“We were classmates.” Elliot replied.

Julie scoffed.

Right! The world’s most awkward classmates indeed!

With her back facing the media, Julie gave Elliot’s arm a pinch, signaling him to let go..

But the man acted as if he were possessed, holding her even tighter instead of letting go, and introduced her to Kieran with a smile, “Julie, this is Mr. Hernandez, the founder of Simpo Co. Mr. Hernandez, this is my future wife, Julie.”

After saying that, he added, “I just successfully proposed. It was really tough.”

Julie pursed her lips, wanting to smack him as she looked at Elliot.

Did he still expect her to smile at Kieran and say, “Hi, ex–husband, long time no see“?

Julie looked coldly at Kieran standing in front of her, showing no intention of making conversation.

She didn’t expect Kieran to extend his hand toward her, his deep eyes fixed on her, before saying, “What a coincidence, my ex–wife’s name is also Julie, nicknamed Joyce.”