Can't Win Me Back

ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

Alyssa wasn't the first to gaze at Justin with that look. He had long learned to categorize those stares as expressions of reverence. Yet, for reasons he couldn't quite explain, he disliked seeing it in her eyes.

"Justin, what brings you here?' Alyssa calmed herself down and avoided that deep gaze of his.

"I heard from Grandpa that you would be coming over tonight, so I was waiting for you here," Justin answered with a gentle smile. His eyes were filled with tender affection.

Everyone in the crowd was shocked.

What did that mean? Was that an implicit confession of love?

Did Justin have feelings for Alyssa too?

But she used to be his younger brother's partner. Did he truly not care about it, mind it, or be irked by it?

At that moment, the reporters who caught a whiff of the amorous tension became excited again. They flooded toward the pair.

The look in Justin's eyes deepened as he raised his arm and put it around Alyssa's shoulders in one swift and natural move. Then, he tugged her toward him.

Although he looked like a gentle person, his current posture was absolutely assertive. It even gave off a hint of his dominance in disallowing anyone else to get involved.

Alyssa trembled slightly. Being in Justin's arms made her feel uncomfortable in every way.

She wanted to free herself from his arms, but the crowd that was surrounding them kept her bound. She had no choice but to continue walking with Justin's arm around her.

Out of the blue, her chest tightened. She lifted her eyes, only to see Jasper's grim and lonely figure standing a few steps away. He was staring in her direction expressionlessly.

As their eyes met, she couldn't help but tear up as a ball of emotions rose within her.

Despite being only a few steps away, it felt like they were miles and miles apart.

Jasper!

Alyssa parted her quivering lips, almost yelling his name.

If he walked toward her, even if all he took was one step, she would disregard everything and run to him. Nevertheless, in the next moment...

She couldn't believe Jasper turned away coldly and left decisively as if he hadn't seen anything.

Alyssa felt so disappointed that she felt chills in her body, and tears filled her reddened eyes.

"You saw him?" Justin turned to her and asked right by her ear, his low and soft voice could only be heard by the two of them.

"What are you trying to say?" Alyssa questioned in a trembling voice.

"Ms. Alyssa, I have told myself time and time again that if Jasper regretted it and wanted you to return to his side, I would step back without a second thought. I would let the both of you be together and give both of you my blessings."

Justin looked down at the woman in his arms. As the look in his eyes deepened, he added, "But by the looks of the current situation, it looks like I worried about it too much."

Alyssa gritted her teeth together to withstand the pain. She closed her eyes tightly.

Meanwhile, Jasper walked in a hallway alone, holding onto the wall for support. His heart felt like a house about to be robbed of everything.

In the name of being righteous, his older brother had been removing all that which was in his heart little by little. By the time he realized it, his heart was in a mess and was almost at the point of emptiness.