The Plane Tickets He Hoarded The Wife He Hid novel Chapter 241

241 Chapter 241 You Stole My Happiness

241 Chapter 241 You Stole My Happiness

Zain’s POV

I knew exactly what Demetrius was planning to say, but when Blanche shut him down like that, a strange rush of satisfaction bubbled up inside me.

‘Why does this make me happy?‘ I wondered.

Somehow, deep down, I couldn’t shake the feeling that maybe Blanche only had eyes for me.

After everyone chatted for a while, Aiden finally spoke up. “Alright everyone, let’s dig in.”

The room went quiet.

Demetrius noticed Blanche really enjoying the lamb chops, so he gently turned the lazy Amiya and placed another piece on her plate.

As he set it down, he leaned closer and whispered, “Don’t let what people say get to you. Just be yourself, and try to be a little braver, okay?”

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Blanche nodded with a gentle smile. “Sure.”

Demetrius smiled back, but just as he started to sit up, Blanche called out softly, “Demetrius, thank you.”

Demetrius knew exactly what she meant, but disappointment still washed over his face. “Honestly, I’d rather you just said it out loud.”

Blanche hesitated, her expression conflicted as she looked at him, unsure how to respond.

Seeing her uncertainty, Demetrius just smiled gently and said, “Let’s eat.”

Meanwhile, Joanna kept her head down, absently poking at her food, but her attention was locked on Demetrius.

She’d always thought he was gorgeous, talented, and destined for greatness.

But watching him look out for Blanche just now made Joanna feel a sharp pang of jealousy.

‘If only he cared about me like that,‘ she thought wistfully.

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Back when Blanche wasn’t always hanging around Demetrius, he treated Joanna like she actually

mattered.

But ever since Blanche started showing up, Demetrius wasn’t the same with her anymore.

‘I can’t help but hate Blanche even more, Joanna thought bitterly, jealousy eating away at her.

I noticed Joanna’s distraction and, picking up my chopsticks, gently placed a lamb chop on her plate.

Joanna saw the lamb chop, but suddenly lost her appetite.

Still, she forced a small smile and said to me, “Thanks.”

Nibbling on her lamb chop, Joanna couldn’t stop staring at Demetrius. The entire time, he only had eyes for Blanche–nobody else seemed to exist to him, not even Aiden, who he barely glanced at.

The people nearby couldn’t help but notice how attentive Demetrius was being to Blanche.

A couple of guys sitting close by–friends of Demetrius’s–started teasing him. “Hey, Demetrius,

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you really spoil Blanche, don’t you?”

Demetrius smiled faintly, almost proudly, and said, “Yeah, because she deserves it. She’s honestly a truly amazing person.”

You could tell from his serious tone that he meant

every word.

Just then, one of Demetrius’s buddies teased, “I gotta say, other than Joanna, we’ve never seen you go out of your way for anyone else like this.”

Demetrius replied openly, “That’s different. I only see Ms. Vins as a classmate.”

“And what about this junior of yours?” the friend pressed.

Demetrius glanced at Blanche, caught her almost

pleading look, and with a gentle smile replied, “That’s a

secret.”

Even as he smiled, something in Demetrius’s chest seemed to tighten.

Joanna caught every detail, her chest burning with a twisted mix of jealousy and bitterness.

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In her mind, she told herself, ‘Demetrius must have

feelings for me too. If it weren’t for how close I am with Zain, he would’ve chosen me instead of Blanche.‘

As the meal wound down, Aiden looked over at Blanche and Demetrius. “You two, stay behind with me for a bit. Let’s have some tea together—I’ve got something to discuss with you.”

At that, Blanche and Demetrius replied in perfect unison, “Okay.”

Seeing that, Joanna felt her heart twist with even more jealousy.

She even started thinking, ‘If only I hadn’t gotten close to Zain before… If Demetrius was backing me in the medical world, I’d be shining bright too.’

The dinner continued, but for Joanna, everything just tasted bland now.

Outside the private room, Vincent sat in the

restaurant’s lounge area, buried in his phone, trying to catch up on work.

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He’d been so focused on spending time with Blanche these past few days that he’d let a mountain of work pile up. Now that he had a moment, he figured he’d

tackle as much as he could.

Just as he was typing out a reply, Vincent heard a man’s voice coming from the front desk area of the restaurant. “Do you have any private rooms available?”

He couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d heard that

voice somewhere before.

Looking up, Vincent’s eyebrows shot up–it was Kaden.

In an instant, Vincent’s face darkened completely.

But with other people around, he swallowed his anger and managed to keep his expression neutral.

Kaden got himself a private room and followed the

waiter inside.

After some time had passed, Kaden stepped out of the private room.

Vincent kept tabs on him, watching as Kaden made his way into the public restroom in the restaurant’s main hall.

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Once Kaden was inside, Vincent strolled in after him, taking his time.

Standing in front of the mirror, Vincent calmly lit a cigarette.

By the time the first cigarette burned down to the filter, Kaden still hadn’t come out.

It wasn’t until Vincent was well into his second

cigarette that Kaden finally stepped out of the bathroom.

As soon as Kaden stepped out and caught a whiff of the thick smoke, he snapped, “Seriously, can you cut it out? Are you trying to suffocate me?”

Vincent knew Kaden hadn’t recognized him–he was standing with his back turned.

Seeing Vincent blocking the way, Kaden shot back, “I’m talking to you! Are you deaf or what? Didn’t you hear me? Got a death wish or something?”

As he spoke, Kaden reached out to grab Vincent’s shoulder.

Vincent didn’t dodge. He let Kaden’s hand grab his

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shoulder. At the same time, he turned his head, letting Kaden’s grip guide the motion.

Kaden was about to snap at him again, but the moment he saw Vincent’s face, he went rigid, eyes wide in shock as if he’d seen a ghost. He stumbled backward several steps in pure terror.

He only stopped when his back hit the wall, barely steadying himself.

Kaden stared at Vincent, looking as if he’d just seen a ghost. His voice came out shaky and nervous, “Why… why are you here?”

Vincent didn’t say a word. He dropped his cigarette to the floor and crushed it out, then started closing in on Kaden, step by step, his every move radiating silent

menace.

Kaden backed up until there was nowhere left to go. He yelled, “Vincent, stay back! Don’t come any closer!”

Vincent let out a cold, sarcastic snort, then leaned in and lowered his voice. “So, I heard Ashlee Adams is your woman, huh?”

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At Ashlee’s name, Kaden blurted out instinctively, “Where is she? What did you do to her?”

Vincent let out a cold laugh, still not giving an answer.

Instead, his voice turned mocking as he pressed, “I hear you can’t stand my baby. That right?”

Kaden shrank back into the corner, his whole body shaking with fear. His voice trembled as he asked,

“Who?”

Vincent raised an eyebrow, his tone razor–sharp. “Who do you think I mean?”

Kaden kept his gaze firmly averted, just shaking his head again and again. “I don’t know who you mean.”

Raising his voice, Vincent glared at him. “You let Ashlee walk all over her–you stood by while she bullied her, hit her, and humiliated her. Kaden, you know exactly who I’m talking about, don’t you?”

The moment Vincent said that, Kaden was

overwhelmed by the pressure. Terrified, he tried to make a run for it without even thinking.

But before he could get away, Vincent seized him by

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the collar and hauled him back, slamming Kaden’s whole body into the wall with a heavy thud.

In the bright light, you could even make out each tiny speck of dust hanging in the air.

Vincent’s anger was reaching its peak. He lunged forward and clamped his hand around Kaden’s throat, his eyes bloodshot, the corners an unsettling, furious

red.

His voice was low and shaky, as if he might break down at any moment. “After everything she’s done to me, I can’t even get mad at her, not for a second. Kaden, how could you ever let somebody lay a finger on her?”

Kaden’s throat was squeezed tight, and he could barely breathe.

But Vincent’s eyes looked as if they were drenched in blood–he glared fiercely at Kaden and pressed on, “Is it just because Zain is your brother that you think I wouldn’t dare lay a finger on you?”

Kaden grasped desperately at the hand Vincent had clamped around his throat, trying to pry his fingers

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loose, but it was completely useless.

When he saw it was pointless, Kaden finally gave up struggling. He managed to choke out in a rough,

muffled voice, “If you so much as touch me today, my brother, Drew, and Nicholas–they’ll never let you get away with it.”

Kaden didn’t show a shred of regret–in fact, he only got cockier.

Seeing Kaden act like that, Vincent didn’t bother with any more words. He raised his hand and went straight

for him.

Vincent absolutely couldn’t stand being threatened,

not in this life.

The more Kaden tried to throw warnings at him, the more it fueled Vincent’s resolve to do exactly what he wanted.

Part of Vincent wanted to see for himself—if he really laid hands on Kaden, what could Zain, Drew, or Nicholas actually do about it?

Kaden didn’t even have time to react before Vincent

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swung a punch right into his face.

He was so dazed he completely forgot to fight back.

It was only after Vincent had vented all his rage that he finally stopped.

Kaden was cowering in the corner of the bathroom, his face full of panic and disarray.

Vincent strode to the sink, switched on the faucet, and rinsed his bloody hand beneath the cold stream.

He watched as crimson spread through the basin, swirling before being washed clear—until not a trace of blood remained.

With his hands cleaned but the water still running, Vincent lifted his head and caught Kaden’s terrified gaze in the mirror. “Go ahead. Call them,” he said coolly.

Kaden just stayed frozen, silent and motionless.

Seeing this, Vincent scoffed, the sound sharp and mocking.

Then he shut off the water, grabbed a couple of paper towels, and quickly wiped his hands clean.

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When he was done, he balled up the tissues and tossed them at Kaden with a sneer. “I’ll be right here all night. I want to see what you guys can really do to

me.”

With that, Vincent turned around and left the bathroom without even looking back.

Meanwhile, back in the private room, the dinner was winding down, but no one seemed in a hurry to leave. They were all still chatting away.

After Joanna and I had toasted Aiden, I felt my phone buzzing in my pocket.

I ignored it at first.

But then it buzzed again.

After a few more times, I realized it might be

something important. I leaned in close to Joanna and whispered, “I need to step out and take this call. I’ll be right back.”

Joanna nodded. “Okay.”

On the other side of the table, Blanche took it all in,

not missing a single detail.

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After years of marriage to him, it had never crossed Blanche’s mind that he could be so thoughtful, caring even about the tiniest things—just not when it came to her.

She used to tell herself that he only kept his distance because of his status, that it was just who he was.

But now, watching him, she finally got it—it was never about any of that. He simply never loved her, that was all.

As I stepped out of the private room, Vincent had just come back to the lounge and was only sitting there for

a moment.

Our eyes met, but neither of us spoke.

Vincent sprawled on the sofa, picked up his coffee, and took a leisurely sip.

Standing not far away, I pulled out my phone and glanced at the missed call. Seeing it was from Kaden, I immediately hit redial.

The moment the call went through, Kaden picked up.

On the other end, Kaden’s voice was rough and shaky.

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“Zain… I got hit.”

My brows knitted together in shock. “Where are you? Who did this?”

Before Kaden could get a word out, Vincent casually set his coffee cup down on the table, not even

bothering to hide his smugness.

Then, he glanced sideways at me and said in a breezy, almost indifferent voice, “Oh, he’s in the bathroom. I’m the one who hit him.”

Vincent said it so offhandedly, like he was just mentioning what he had for lunch or complaining about the weather.

My brows furrowed even deeper. I didn’t say a word, just spun around and strode off toward the bathroom.

Vincent stood up too, unhurriedly trailing after me.

As soon as we got to the bathroom, I heard Kaden half sobbing, half yelling, “Zain, it was Vincent! That son of a bitch beat me up! Please–you’ve got to help me ruin him!”

Kaden’s face was smeared with blood, looking

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downright gruesome. But he hadn’t bothered to wash any of it off, just letting it stay, not caring at all.

Seeing Kaden like that left me a bit dumbfounded, not knowing how to react for a moment.

Before I could even say a word, Vincent, who was leaning against the bathroom door, let out a cold, mocking laugh. “Zain, I’m the one who hit your brother. I’m right here–so why don’t you show me what you’re gonna do about it?”

I whipped around, furiously glaring at Vincent. “Why would you do something like that?”

Vincent’s face went ice cold, his voice raised. “Kaden just stood there and let Ashlee attack my girl. So tell me—didn’t he have it coming?”

I narrowed my eyes and shot back, “All this–just for Blanche? You’re really willing to risk everything for her?”

Vincent picked up on my tone–like I thought Blanche wasn’t even worth it.

In that instant, Vincent’s anger boiled over, surging

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straight to his head.

He couldn’t hold it in any longer. Dropping his arms, he yelled at me, voice trembling with rage, “Do you even know why we’ve been rivals all these years? You think I never wanted us to work together, to both come out on top? But Zain, you stole the happiness that should’ve been mine—and you didn’t even care for her! Every second, I hate you. I wish you were dead! She was everything to me, my most precious treasure, but in your hands, you just tossed her aside like garbage…”

Vincent stopped, locking eyes with me, his gaze bloodshot, his jaw clenched so tight it looked painful, and his voice actually shook. “Zain, how could you do

that to her?”

I was taken aback by just how intense Vincent’s reaction was, a flicker of confusion flashing through

my eyes.

‘Everyone always pegged him as a playboy… but is he actually the kind to love so deeply?‘ I couldn’t help but wonder.

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But I didn’t linger on the thought–I just looked at Vincent and said, “Nothing’s sadder than being

unloved.”

Vincent let out a cold laugh, his expression twisted with self–mockery. “So what? If that’s what it takes, I’ll be Blanche’s damn lapdog. I don’t give a shit.”

I was caught off guard by Vincent’s words—then I snorted, pure contempt in my voice. “What a joke.”

Vincent barely batted an eye. He shot back quietly, “And you think Joanna’s some prize? You really believe the woman you’re obsessed with is any better?”

I stayed silent, so Vincent pressed on, voice biting. “One day, you’re gonna regret tossing aside the one who would’ve done anything for you—just to settle for someone who only puts on a show.”

I didn’t care about Vincent’s words at all.

I just shrugged and said, “Love isn’t the whole story for

me.”

Vincent smirked. “Zain, I’ll be here waiting to watch

you regret it.”

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Lost in our heated exchange, Vincent and I were so caught up trading barbs, we didn’t spare a single glance at the other person in the room.

Kaden, desperate and frantic, couldn’t hold back any longer. He yelled at my retreating figure, “Zain! Stop wasting time! Just do it–get someone to finish him off already!”

Vincent heard Kaden’s outburst and sneered, the look on his face pure mockery. “Come on, if he really wanted to do something, he wouldn’t have waited till

now.”

Then Vincent gave another scornful laugh. “You actually believe he’d ever dare do anything to me?”

After that, Vincent burst out laughing and swaggered right out of the bathroom, acting like he owned the place.

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