Loving A STRANGER

Ethan pushed her hair behind her ears. The soft, casual movement quickened her heart; she felt a spark when his fingertips touched her face.

He moved closer to her and whispered: "Kylie, I wonder if someone ever told you that your hands shake when you"re nervous?"

Kylie gaped at him unbelievably. How could she never have known this about herself?

Taylor Parker felt that the situation was uncomfortable, so she stepped out among them. "Aiden, Nicole—Ethan is your uncle. What are you guys waiting for?"

Listening to his mother, Aiden could do nothing but apologize. "I"m sorry, uncle. It"s my fault that I didn"t recognize you immediately."

It was hard to tell if Ethan simply did not hear or chose not to acknowledge his nephew, but he remained silent and gently looked at Kylie—which made her feel ill at ease.

Nicole was so young and felt the need to ask questions when she was uncomfortable. "Uncle, you"ve been abroad for a long time. Is that when you met Kylie?"

His beautiful eyes moved about the room, but his face stayed still. He replied coldly: "It"s none of your business."

Nicole felt too awkward to say anything more. But she stared at Kylie, with hatred in her eyes.

Kylie wrapped her arm around Ethan"s waist, teasing him. Good job, she thought, anger them! Kylie felt so good.

After these brief introductions, Khloe gently pulled at Aiden"s sleeve.

Even though she didn"t yet wear a wedding ring, their engagement was still a public truth. It was a rare chance to meet Aiden"s uncle since he returned home so seldom.

Aiden pulled her in front of him and addressed Ethan with a foxy smile: "This is my fiancee, Khloe."

Ethan looked into Khloe"s eyes when they were introduced. Before this, he hadn"t even acknowledged Aiden"s presence.

"So, you"re Khloe?"

Khloe"s face turned red, and she couldn"t prevent her heart from beating quickly. She could never have hoped that he had already heard of her.

She stared at him as seductively as possible, and said: "Uncle, you"ve heard of me before?"

"Well..." he answered softly and nodded.

The women around him looked envious. How could Lord Ethan know her name, and not theirs?

Khloe couldn"t help feeling proud. After all, the Finch family was also famous. And since becoming attached to the entertainment industry, she has done some good work.

But this man was so perfect, and there"s no way she could have forgotten him if they had met before. She had attended so many dinners full of bald men with beer bellies.

Before she could say anything more, Ethan stopped her. "My girl mentioned you before."

Then, he held Kylie closer and lifted her little chin towards him. The man"s eyes rested on Kylie"s bewildered face. Without averting his gaze, he continued to talk to Khloe: "My girl said that you"re willing to rob someone else"s boyfriend."

Kylie wished she could throttle this man. Didn"t he notice all the people envying her? Plus, she had never told him that Khloe was such a b.i.t.c.h. Now, she was going to be a scapegoat.

But, on second thought, all Ethan did was embarra.s.s Khloe.

Kylie suddenly smiled, and, as a gift, blew Ethan a kiss. Then she turned to Khloe, and said: "It"s true."

The crowd became quiet.

Khloe"s face contorted. She clenched her lips, and tears welled up in her eyes. She looked just like a poor, ugly duckling.

Aiden felt bad for Khloe and held her in his arms. He stared at Kylie and looked like he was about to say something, but Taylor stopped him before he could.

The moment Aiden had realized who Ethan was, he"d known his accusations had been false. Yet Ethan hadn"t punished him with respect for his brother, Matthew. So, Aiden decided to let his treatment of Khloe go unpunished.

Ethan was the proud Lord Parker, the only man who could terrify Matthew Parker. It was not wise to offend him.

When the people around them kept silent, Ethan said: "Show your respect."

Kylie looked at Ethan in confusion. Then she turned around and addressed the man who was coming closer: "Uncle Parker."

But Ethan spoke, rather unhappily: "Wrong."

What did he mean? She always called Matthew "Uncle Parker."

Taylor Parker guessed what Ethan meant. She softly said: "It"s okay. Kylie is part of our family."

"True," Ethan replied. "She"s my wife." He puffed at a cigar and slowly blew out the smoke.

Everyone was shocked!

But what he did was provide Kylie with a reason for being there. n.o.body would question her about it anymore.

Instantly, all the women in the room began to reconsider Kylie. Some were admiring, some envious. Of course, most of them hated her.

Kylie"s heart stopped beating the moment Ethan spoke the words: "She"s my wife."

This was the man she had just met. He confused her by keeping her secret. Is it possible that he simply wanted to help her attend Aiden"s engagement party? But why would he do that?

Before she could figure it out, Nicole stepped up. Though she still felt displeased, she managed to say: "Aunt Kylie."

Before, when Ethan had said: "Show your respect," he had not meant for Kylie to greet Matthew, but for the younger Parkers to show their respect to his new bride.

Aiden"s face contorted, and he said in a low voice: "Aunt Kylie."

Matthew Parker realized that Ethan was protecting Kylie. So, he immediately changed his att.i.tude. He said to Kylie: "Why don"t we have a drink together?"

Taylor forced a smile. "Sister, have a seat."

Kylie was not so stupid as to sit down with them, so she excused herself and went to the washroom.

***

"Kylie, how could you be such a b.i.t.c.h? How could you turn to Ethan just because Aiden dumped you?" Khloe stopped Kylie in the washroom. Her eyes were red from crying.

Khloe was so envious, and she could go insane.

Alice Davis stood by her daughter and kept offering her tissues. She stared at Kylie and said: "Don"t let it go to your head! Lord Ethan doesn"t love you—you"re just a toy for him."

Kylie washed her hands and looked at the sink. The smile on her face seemed to overflow. "Well, it"s a good thing Lord Ethan is willing to be with me, even if I"m just his toy. What about you? Did he even bother to look at you?"

Alice Davis was so angry she wanted to strike Kylie across the face. But the moment she raised her hand, someone else opened the door to the washroom.