Denise's head buzzed, and after the shock, she was filled with grievance and unwillingness to accept the truth.
She quickly exited the photo album and locked the screen, lowering her head and staying silent for a moment. She tried to use reason to suppress her emotions, determined to keep being the well-behaved, lovely sister of a comrade.
But she couldn't bear it, not at all.
She had clearly asked Averi, hearing her deny any relationship herself, which was why she felt reassured and bold enough to continue liking him, even going so far as to drag her out as a shield today...
Was Averi playing her?
She could see that Dallas treated her differently. How could Averi not understand?
After several rounds of emotional struggle, her feelings did not calm down but rather escalated. Denise held her breath, her eyes reddening as she looked at Dallas: "Dallas, Averi... she isn't as good as she appears."
Dallas frowned at her, his gaze puzzled and cold. He didn't want to engage, but considering she was Ralph's sister and didn't want her to go astray in the future, he said earnestly, "Denise, talking behind someone's back isn't a good habit."
Hearing criticism from someone you care about can feel devastating, even if the words are mild.
Denise's nose stung, and she blinked hard to hold back the tears, stiffening her neck as she said, "When I asked her at my place before, she said she didn't like anyone. She said it herself."
Dallas did not answer.
To Denise, his expression seemed overly cold, as if he didn't want to speak to her.
"Dallas, believe me, what I said is true."
Dallas silently stood up, walked over to her, and in her hopeful gaze, delivered the words that shattered her hopes.
"I'll take you home."
Denise was stunned.
Was this what he had to say?
He didn't believe her?
She looked at the man she adored in disbelief. In that moment, the anger of being mistrusted outweighed even the pain of heartbreak.
Just as this bizarre atmosphere lingered, Averi pushed the door open and entered.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, I—" She quickly realized something was off and stopped, looking at the two of them. Her eyes settled on Dallas's face, silently questioning.
Dallas said, "Denise isn't feeling well. I'll take her back to the hotel first."
She is not unwell at all!
The liar is clearly her, why won't Dallas listen!
Her emotions reached their peak instantly. Denise shot up from her seat and confronted Averi, asking, "Averi, tell Dallas, did I ask you if there was someone you liked when we were at my place?"
Her voice trembled with sobs, sounding both accusatory and seeking help.
Averi had no idea what had happened. Glancing at Dallas's cold expression, she calmly admitted, "Yes."
"Then did you answer me that there wasn't anyone?"
"Yes."
Receiving an affirmative response, Denise felt as if she had discovered a treasure. She turned around and looked at Dallas with earnest eyes.
However, Dallas only pursed his lips, his voice devoid of any fluctuation, "I'll take you back first. We can talk about it after we get there."
He still doesn't believe me!
The tears that had been building up behind her eyelids for a long time finally overflowed. Denise, disregarding everything, blurted out her inner thoughts, "Dallas, you don't know, she even encouraged me! I told her I would tell you once I got into J University, and she cheered me on, saying she would welcome me with a feast once I got in. Dallas, she's not a good person, she knew… yet she still said such things, treating other people's feelings as a joke!"
Her eyes fell on the pink wallet on the table. The more she had adored it before, the more she despised it now. Denise picked up the wallet and threw it at Averi, shouting, "I don't want your stuff!"
With a 'slap,' the wallet hit Averi's abdomen firmly. It didn't hurt much, but the shock made Averi instinctively step back half a pace, her brows furrowing.
"Denise!" Dallas sternly reprimanded, pressing down on her shoulder with one hand, his eyes cold as ice, devoid of affection or the gentleness he usually showed his sister.
Denise's heart ached even more. She viciously wiped away her tears, her movements rough and brutal, as if they weren't even her own face.
"I hate you!" She shook off Dallas's hand and fled through the door.
The wooden door creaked, sending a chill breeze toward Averi's neck.
The air suddenly grew uncomfortably quiet. Averi didn't look at Dallas. She returned to her seat and softly said, "Go catch her quickly, she's easy prey for bad people right now."
A young girl, alone and in tears, was like a live target.
Dallas frowned deeply, took a step forward, then paused, turning his head to say, "I'll bring her back to the hotel and return."
Averi replied, "No need, I can call Jordan to pick me up or take a taxi myself."
Dallas wasn't moved by her words, repeating firmly, "Wait for me here."
After saying this, he left without room for argument.
Averi pressed her lips together.
In fact, she had noticed his underlying dominance long ago, but this was the first time she had directly experienced it.
Outside the private room, a young server holding a plate of sautéed vegetable medley found herself in an awkward situation. Just as she was about to enter and serve the dish, a young woman dashed out like a gust of wind, the door swinging back toward her face and nearly causing her to drop the plate. And then, the tall, handsome man walked out as well.
The room was eerily quiet. For a moment, she wasn't sure whether she should go in or not.
After hesitating for a while, she decided to enter.
In the spacious room, only the gentle woman remained. Seeing the waitress, she smiled slightly, showing no sign of disarray.
The waitress asked hesitantly, "Miss, would you like me to pack these up?"
With three of them, and two already gone, it was clear that the meal wouldn't continue.
But the woman said, "No need, I'll eat here."
The waitress was surprised but didn't say more. She quietly set the dish down and said, "Enjoy your meal."
