James glances at the hand that holds Hazel's arm. He lifted his gaze and looked at Jake, who stared at him with intent. He said, "Sir, I don't know what your problem is. But you can't treat a woman this way."

  Jake contracted his eyes, and he didn't like how nosy this guy was.

  Meanwhile, Hazel was in a trance, staring at James. She doesn't understand, but her heart flutters inside her chest after the guy addresses her as a "woman" and not just a girl.

  Jake frowned upon seeing Hazel looking dreamily at the other guy. This guy is one of Hailee's executives, and he doesn't like the way Hazel looks at him.

  'Is she liking this man? That is why she is avoiding me?' he muttered to himself; displeasure appeared on his handsome face.

  "Hazel and I are dating, and I just wanted to clarify some things with her," said Jake. His gaze never left James.

  She was seeing the two men wrestle gazes. Hazel began having a bad feeling.

  "Sir, I could see that Hazel is not willing to talk to you. Then, you can't force her to stay, and I won't leave her alone with you."

  Jake sneered inside his heart. 'Who does he think he is? This guy is such a nosy!'

  "I know who you are. I have respected Hailee. But you have no right to meddle in other people's business!" Jake snorted.

  James replied, "You are wrong, sir……"

  It was surprising that until now, he remained calm. But he knew he was not in his place, and he was in someone's territory. That is why he keeps a cool head while arguing with Jake.

  Then he added, "Miss Hazel is the princess's very close friend. And so, it is my responsibility to protect her on my watch."

  "And why do you need to protect her?" Jake roared at James. He went on, "Do I look like a man who can hurt a girl?"

  James curled his lips and said, "Who knows? I can't let my guard down. My priority is to keep Hazel's safety."

  Jake gritted his teeth. This guy is such an annoyance! However, he could not create a scene. 'If it isn't Aunt Hilda's birthday, this guy will know his place!'

  He didn't accept he lost in this encounter, but Jake let Hazel's arm go.

  On the other hand, Hazel sighed with relief when Jake didn't argue anymore and withdrew his hand that held her.

  Jake clenched his palm into a fist. He gritted his teeth with displeasure. If this isn't an important celebration, he already punched this guy. He would never go back down, but he could not disappoint Vincent nor Hailee, and so, he had to give up quarreling against the guy who took Hazel away.

  He didn't like how Hazel was staring at the other guy. He could tell that she admired that guy, and tonight, he lost his face in front of Hazel, and he felt a total rejection.

  Meanwhile, James and Hazel are heading back to their table. James lowered his gaze to the woman, who was tightly clutching at his arm.

  He pursed his lips into a smile and asked, "Is he your boyfriend?"

  Hazel did not expect he would question her all of a sudden. She looked up but didn't reply. She remained in a daze while staring at James' face.

  Until now, she felt like floating in the air. In her eyes, James is so cool! She doesn't understand, but her chest is filled with joy just to think he will protect her.

  Although it's her privilege to be Hailee's friend, still, her heart is acting strange and is assuming……

  Honestly, her first impression of James is not that great. But after tonight, and James is a hero.

  "Thank you." She muttered with genuine gratitude. She knew James heard her conversation with Jake. But the guy pretended so that she would not be embarrassed.

  James smiled. "You're welcome. You can tell me if that guy bothers you. I meant it."

  Hazel nodded. She immediately lowered her head as she knew she was blushing now and could feel her cheeks burning.

  When they arrived at their table, both Nadia and Liza were dumbfounded to see her intimately holding James' arm.

  The two girls eyed her meaningfully, but Hazel only rolled her eyes and said, "Stop looking at me like that."

  "There is a story behind that," said Liza excitedly. She could not wait to hear the gossip.

  Jeez! She should have known these girls! "It's not what you guys are thinking," she denied.

  "Hmm……" Nadia and Liza hummed in unison, entirely not believing her. "Spill it out, girl!"

  Hazel rolled her eyes. She sipped on her juice, contemplating whether to share what happened outside the restroom.

  Looking at her friends giving her that kind of look, Hazel sighed. "Fine!"

  Nadia and Liza move to her side and keenly listen to her story.

  "I saw Jake outside the restroom, and I think he was waiting for me. He confronted me about why I was avoiding him. However, I refused, and he grabbed my arm, forcing me to talk to him. Then…"

  Hazel paused, biting her lower lip as she recalled what happened just a while ago. She then shared what James did and how he argued with Jake.

  "Oh, my gosh! Your knight in shining armor!" Both Nadia and Liza squealed. But they lowered their voices not to attract the other guests' attention.

  "Then, he is such a gentleman!"

  Hazel replied dreamily. "I think so… His character is not what you see on the surface. But deep down inside, he is a completely mature man."

  "Hmm… You really like mature guys." Nadia commented.

  "And what do you think of Mr. Pitterson Cha?" Liza teases Nadia.

  She rolled her eyes and muttered, "That's the point here! He is way older than me!"

  The girls continued teasing each other.

  Meanwhile, the world was in the feast after Metro City Group of Companies posted Hailee and Vincent's red carpet photo with a caption,

  "FAMILY of FIVE!"

  The netizens stormed the post with a million comments, congratulating the happy soon-parents.

  "OMG! Five? Then, our queen is preggy of triplets!"

  "Congratulations, queen!"

  "So excited to meet the three princes or three princesses!"

  "Congratulations to the happy mom and dad!"

  Just posted a few minutes ago, Hailee's pregnancy of triplets is the most trending topic on social media.

  Finally, it's time for Hilda to appear in the hall. The host for the celebration was thrilled to announce the arrival of the birthday celebrant.

  "Madam Hilda Lopez Shen!"

  The crowd applauded…… Hilda is wearing a beautiful yellow gold evening dress and the jewelry she is wearing tonight is the one Hailee designed herself.