    　　The strength of her body suddenly left her and Joanna slowly slid towards the bottom of the pool.

    　　Despair fell from the corner of her eyes as her tears slowly became part of the pool water and disappeared. She closed her eyes and her heart was ashamed. At this moment, she finally understood that the three-year marriage they had, except on paper, was nothing but a farce.

    　　If she hadn’t seen him in Xenon’s house back then, that would’ve been great. If she hadn’t fallen in love with him, she wouldn’t have been hurt. Unfortunately, there are so many what ifs in the world. All she had now was her consciousness getting weaker and the feeling of death slowly approaching...

    　　Suddenly someone wrapped their hands around her waist and pulled her into their arms. Then, her lips felt something soft and air filled her lungs as a slight whiff faint tobacco swept by her nose. Jo

    　　Richie was startled and his heart aches densely. Joanna's desperate eyes were carved into his heart like a knife. For a moment, he could not say anything to refute.

    　　"Jensen, did you set this up? The birthday banquet is about to begin. Did you have to make a scene? Even if you have been abroad for so many years, you should have the most basic etiquette."

    　　A female voice interrupted the stalemate here. Joanna raised her eyes and saw a middle-aged woman dressed in bright purple cheongsam and mink fur walking towards here, Joanna knew this woman, she was the daughter of the famous Li heads, Kaylin Li.

    　　There was a lot of concern in her words, but in front of outsiders, this kind of words meant a little bit of difference. Joanna looked at the man subconsciously, his expression remained stern and he seemed not to be moved by Kaylin's deliberate smearing, but instead tu

    　　She laughed, "Didn't you tell me, I'll get used to it sooner or later, it's okay."

    　　When Richie left, her smile narrowed a little, and her eyes went straight across the crowd, focusing on a lonely figure in the distance. She took two glasses of wine, curled her lips, and walked slowly.

    　　While Joanna was still looking at the water in a trance, a pair of red pointed high heels suddenly reflected on the surface of the pool, and above it was a pair of white and slender legs. The breeze swept across the water, causing a ripple and the figure became distorted.

    　　"Does it look good, the shoes Richie picked for me? After so many years, he still remembers my size."

    　　The gentle female voice resounding in her ears at that moment felt like a demon out for blood, suffocating her.

    　　Joanna slowly raised her head and looked at the beautiful woman in front of her. The mood in his eyes finally fluctuated. "You are like a pheasant, showing off everywhere, does he know?"

    　　Yana didn't expect Joanna's mouth to say such ugly words and she was shocked for a while, but soon a trace of sorrow appeared on her face, her eyes sank, and she sneered, "That expression suits your. Richie said he doesn't even want to touch you. Was it uncomfortable to live like a widow for three years?"

    　　Joanna's face turned pale, her fingers clenched into fists by her side, her heart was humiliated, but her face became calmer.

    　　"Is that what you came to tell me?"

    　　"Of course not."

    　　Yana smiled and put a glass of wine in front of her, Joanna glanced at it and didn't answer it.

    　　Yana didn’t care as she put the wine glass aside and put her hands close to her jacket. “Actually, I want to thank you. If you hadn’t provided such great conditions back then, I’m afraid I wouldn’t have the opportunity to stand in front of Richie. I know that he loves me so much."

    　　She curled her lips and smiled arrogantly, "You haven't even conquered that man for three years. Joanna, if I were you, I would have covered my face and rolled home. Apart from your family background, what are you better than me?"

    　　Joanna was not angry. Instead, she laughed lightly, "At first you brazenly fabricated the facts and then you knelt in front of me and begged me for forgiveness. Do you still remember?  I really thought you were confused at that time, and I felt guilty about you going abroad.  Now it seems that they are all natural, so many women come and go around Richie, only you, I never fight, do you know why?"

    　　Yana frowned and said nothing.

    　　Joanna curled his lips, his tone contemptuous, "Because those women had dignity, and you didn't have any at all!"

    　　A slap resounded, Yana immediately sank, her chest was violently heaving up and down and it took a long time for her to reduce her anger. She lowered her head to Joanna's ear and said in a low voice, "Do you know where I work now. At Richie’s company! When Jalen picked up your call today, I was in Richie’s office. You don’t know how enthusiastic he was, which made my legs feel weak. He promised to take me to the family banquet early in the morning. Now I’m here, you don’t know your place. You have to ask, don’t you think it’s clear that you are insulting yourself. How about it, how does it feel to be ridiculed by everyone?"

    　　The blood on Joanna's face faded a bit more and her mind was blank. It was really... it was him. All the embarrassing humiliation she was put in. Until now, she finally understood how Richie sees her and it came from her mouth. How real the hatred is.

    　　She took a step back in despair and the crowd around her seemed to have turned to her just to ridicule and laugh at her, overpowering, laughing at her self-consciousness.

    　　Yana looked at the opportunity and pretended to gently pull her once, Joanna opened her hand like it had went through an electric shock. Yana originally used this force to land on the ground. However, the two were too close to the pool, and that was where she was heading. Everyone around them noticed that they were about to fall into the swimming pool. Yana didn't want to try to experience falling into the water in winter. She reached out and grabbed Joanna's clothes in a panic. And Joanna was completely unprepared and was taken into the water by her.

    　　SPLASH—

    　　With two loud splashes, the people on the ground screamed. Richie looked sideways and caught a glimpse of the people in the pool. His eyes changed, he removed his jacket and jumped in...

    　　Yana was wearing a mink coat. Her clothes became heavy when soaked in water, and she was quite having trouble swimming. So when she fell into the water, she grabbed Joanna, slapped the water, and yelled intermittently, "Help ,Help……"

    　　Joanna was so pressured by her and that the water was too cold. The moment she entered, her calf cramped and her entire leg she couldn't move. Yana's pressure on her body at this moment was tantamount to murder.

    　　SPLASH—

    　　She heard someone jump into the water and a figure slowly swimming in the water, she recognized that figure was Richie. With her vague consciousness pining for survival, she reach out to the figure, expecting help at the same time longing for him. But that hand was ignored as he passed through her head and took another person's hand.


　　The strength of her body suddenly left her and Joanna slowly slid towards the bottom of the pool.

    　　Despair fell from the corner of her eyes as her tears slowly became part of the pool water and disappeared. She closed her eyes and her heart was ashamed. At this moment, she finally understood that the three-year marriage they had, except on paper, was nothing but a farce.

    　　If she hadn’t seen him in Xenon’s house back then, that would’ve been great. If she hadn’t fallen in love with him, she wouldn’t have been hurt. Unfortunately, there are so many what ifs in the world. All she had now was her consciousness getting weaker and the feeling of death slowly approaching...

    　　Suddenly someone wrapped their hands around her waist and pulled her into their arms. Then, her lips felt something soft and air filled her lungs as a slight whiff faint tobacco swept by her nose. Joanna instinctively hugged his shoulders. Sucking the air from that mouth.

    　　The man's eyes 

Chapter 21