NovelEnglishI looked at him with a teasing smile. “If you feel shortchanged, why not try to beatat my own game? With
your eye for picking top-tier female execs, | bet every woman you choose would be a total knockout.”
Jared's expression soured, his voice going cold. “Victoria, there's no need to jab athere. If | really wanted to,
1 would've
found someone already.”
“Oh? Don't tell me... you're still saving yourself for me?” | grinned, closing the distance between us step by step.
Jared sucked in a breath and took half a step back, his handsface flushing for no reason. His breathing grew
heavier as he stared at me, eyes burning. “If | said yes, would you cback?”
| was just messing with him, but he actually took it seriously.
My teasing smile vanished and | replied flatly, “No.”
Jared's chest rose and fell, the embarrassment fading from his face, replaced by a cold look. “How long are you
going to
keep this up?”
| stared at him in surprise. Seriously? Jared’s asking something this childish?
“I plan to keep playing this gforever,” | said, arching an eyebrow with a grin. “So you'd better hurry up and
find
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt
someone to marry.”
“Yvonne said she doesn’t want a stepmom,” Jared said, his expression turning cold as ice. “She says you're the
only mom
she'll ever have.”
At the mention of our daughter, my icy defenses cracked for a moment. | let out a soft sigh. “I'll always be her
mom.”
Jared looked momentarily taken aback, then said quietly, “Alright. Got it.”
Jared and | made our way back to the dining room, where the party was already in full swing. Our seats were at
Nathan's table, and by the t| got there, Nathan had already had a few rounds-his cheeks were tinged pink
and he looked a little tipsy.
As soon as Jared and | sat down, a couple of investors started urgingto drink. Maybe it was because I looked
good, but it felt like | was always in the spotlight. There were a few other gorgeous women at the table too, all
arm candy brought by the investors. They were total pros at these events-sweet, savvy, and could charm
anyone in the room.
Compared to them, | was honestly way out of my league when it cto these kinds of parties. The guys at the
table were smooth operators, knew all the tricks when it cto drinking, and their banter was practically an art
form. If you didn’t join in, you'd just seem uptight.
| picked up my glass and knocked back two drinks in a row, listening to all their smooth talk. After a few more
rounds, I'd already passed out a bunch of my business cards. These were all future prospects-who knows, maybe
we'd strike a deal someday.
Just as | was about to go for another drink, two big hands reached out and snatched my glass away-Nathan and
Jared. Jared was faster, though. He stood up and, playing the boss card, covered forand took the drink
himself.
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10:32 sat, 30 Aug
Chapter 468
Nathan added, “Victoria can’t really hold her liquor, so let's not make things hard for her, guys.”
Everyone shot us those looks, like they totally got what was going on.
000.59%-
| wasn’t about to lose my nerve here. I'd already texted Melissa to cpickup when things were winding
down.
So even if | ended up wasted, | knew I'd have a ride home.
“Nathan, you've been working yourself to the bone lately. You're still young, but you're already going gray.
Today's launch was a huge hit-you should be the one knocking back drinks tonight,” someone joked.
Nathan grinned and said, “I won't let anyone down. I'll make sure this product is the best it can be.”
With that, he downed his drink in one go. His pale cheeks flushed, even his eyes seemed tinged with red. He
really looked like he’d had too much, leaning on the table and sneaking glances at me. The emotions in his eyes
felt heavy, almost suffocating, and | had to look away.
A few people from the company cover to Nathan, saying they had something important to discuss.
Jared turned toand said, “You've been driving for hours. If you're tired, you should head back.”
| was actually planning on leaving anyway, so | nodded. “Let Nathan know I'm heading out, alright?”
“I'll bring Yvonne over later,” Jared said.
| nodded, said goodbye to everyone, and left the lounge. As | walked out, | pulled out my phone to text Melissa.
She was on her way, but it would still be ten minutes before she arrived.
As | headed for the lobby downstairs, the buzz suddenly kicked in and my steps got a little unsteady.
When i reached the first floor, | saw Nathan at the entrance, sending off a couple of VIPS. He turned and caught
sight of me.
We made eye contact from across the room, and suddenly, Nathan started walking over,
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