Dear sweetheart novel (Rayna and Julian)

Dear Sweetheart Chapter 36 You Have Not Left
Looking intently into the man’s obsidian eyes, she froze and stammered, “J-Jefferson Hamilton?”
Is he wearing brown contact lenses?
“Ah! It seems that my disguise is a failure. Belle, I’m impressed. You still managed to recognize me.” After a spin, Jefferson leaned closer to her and chuckled beside her ear. “It’s been a while since I last danced with you.”
The moment Rayna recognized him, her whole body stiffened as she froze on the spot. However, Jefferson was still able to effortlessly guide her to keep up with his pace.
When the waltz music was gradually replaced by sentimental music, the other couples embraced each other and swayed lightly.
Jefferson took off the mask to reveal his stunning face. Leaning his head against Rayna’s neck, he could smell her faint fragrance. It turned him on instantly, and he could barely refrain from wrapping his arms around her.
Unable to retract her hand from his grasp, Rayna snarled, “Jefferson Hamilton, why on earth did you come to Hawen?”
She had had enough of the man tailing her throughout the years.
Turning a deaf ear to her question, Jefferson stated solemnly, “Belle, Curtis Faymon is not a man of virtue. He’s taking advantage of you.”
“What about you?” Unequivocally, she was fully aware that Curtis helped her numerous times only because he needed her help as well. Moreover, she thought Curtis was a lot more decent than Jefferson.
The trauma that Jefferson elicited from her would continue to haunt her for a lifetime.
“You are my Belle, the most precious treasure in my life.” Jefferson kissed her hair and mumbled, “I’ll never lie to you even if I lied to the whole world.”
It was nothing more than a light kiss, but it rendered Rayna’s entire body stiff.
“Belle, Curtis Faymon is aiming to gain a great benefit by providing you a small favor. Don’t you know you’ll only place yourself in a precarious position by assisting him with the collaboration? You should stay by my side instead. I’ll never let anyone hurt you.”
The collaboration again! I had no choice but to help Curtis with the collaboration after he set me up. And now, Jefferson comes to me for the same purpose!

“Jefferson, you’re no different from him.” Rayna snickered as she looked into his eyes. “If I had a choice, I would rather help him.”
Jefferson’s lips formed a smile. “Belle, don’t be silly. You know my temper, don’t you?”
No doubt, Rayna knew it too well. Otherwise, she would not have nightmares after sending him to jail years ago. She even fled to her hometown, changed her name, and got married. Nonetheless, it never occurred to her that he would still be able to track her down.
“Belle, don’t collaborate with a despicable man like him. You’ll be at a disadvantage. I’m the only one who can protect you.” Jefferson stretched out his hand to tuck her hair behind her ear affectionately.
Rayna twitched her lips. “How are you going to protect me? By killing me?”
In an instant, complex emotions flitted across Jefferson’s eyes but disappeared almost immediately. He continued to gaze at Rayna with sheer affection amid gentleness in his eyes.
“Belle, you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. Things could be far more complicated than what you think.”
With that, he lowered his head and brushed his lips against Rayna’s cheek. The sensation sent a shiver down her spine, and she struggled frantically to break free from his grasp but to no avail.
In the meantime, Curtis and Kristie were dancing somewhere in the center of the hall as well.
Only a few couples were dancing at the moment. As Curtis looked around, he caught sight of Rayna engaged in a conversation with a man. He didn’t know what they were talking about, but their posture looked quite intimate.
Initially, he merely smiled to himself, thinking some random man was hitting on Rayna after getting attracted to her beauty. However, when the light flashed across her face, he realized something was wrong. Why is she wearing such an odd expression? The man next to her looks familiar too. Wait… it’s Jefferson Hamilton! I reckon he came to Hawen and tried to get close to Rayna for the sake of the collaboration, too.
Within a few seconds, different thoughts flashed past Curtis’ mind. He gestured for one of the waiters to come over before leaning over to whisper into the waiter’s ear.
The latter nodded before disappearing into the crowd.
Soon, the sentimental music was replaced by a lively one. All the other couples in the dance hall changed their tempo accordingly at once and did swift spins with their partners. Meanwhile, Curtis grabbed the opportunity to lead Kristie toward Jefferson and Rayna.
Seizing the moment of another spin, Curtis pushed the back of Kristie’s waist lightly with his palm, sending her into Jefferson’s arms while pulling Rayna over to him.
Everything happened in less than three seconds. When Jefferson came to his senses, Kristie was already in his arms. He turned to stare at Curtis grimly while Kristie almost blew a blood vessel.
How could Curt swap me for Rayna Garland? That’s too much!
“M-Mr. Faymon?” Rayna stared at Curtis in shock.
What just happened?
Curtis hummed a reply and discreetly led her away from the center of the hall. “Don’t worry. I’ll protect you within this one month. After all, you’re my employee.”
“Thank you,” Rayna thanked him softly.
Curtis still had some matters to tend to, so he let go of Rayna’s hand as soon as they left the hall. He didn’t expect that Kristie, who was following right behind them, to shove Rayna from the back out of fury.
Rayna stumbled and crashed into the table next to her. Consequently, the stack of wine glasses on the table tumbled, and the champagne spilled all over Rayna’s dress.
Curtis had barely walked away before he was alerted by the noise and immediately turned around to hold Rayna’s arm, supporting her.
After getting drenched in champagne, Rayna’s body-hugging gown became transparent, revealing her fair skin beneath it. Curtis’ expression darkened as he swiftly took off his suit jacket to cover her with it.
“Kristie.” The moment he spotted Kristie in the crowd, he turned crimson with fury.
Kristie shrank away from him and pursed her rosy lips. “I couldn’t see clearly as it was too dark. I didn’t do it on purpose. Anyway, that’s not a big deal. I can make it up to her by buying her a new gown.”