After the divorce, he begged

“Did you guys see the way Mr. Hanson was looking at Rebecca just now? That was definitely something

different,” someone whispered.

“Shere,” someone else agreed immediately.

Another said, “Honestly, | bet Mr. Hanson showed up just for Rebecca. | mean, someone like him-whose every

minute is worth a fortune-wouldn’t waste his ton the rest of us.”

Lisa, ever the gossip, leaned in eagerly. She asked, “Rebecca, you really didn’t know Mr. Hanson before all this?

Rebecca stayed poker-faced as she replied, “Nope.”

Lisa and the others shot each other skeptical looks-they definitely didn’t believe her. But since Rebecca

obviously didn’t want to talk about it, they let the topic drop.

Jane glanced at her phone and then said, “Alright, after dinner, everyone's on their own. If you want to rest, go

ahead. If you want to hang out, head to the entertainment area.”

“Got it, Jane,” the group responded in unison, then settled back into their meals.

About five minutes later, Derek cback. He couldn't stop smiling ever since Jeffrey arrived, and now he made

no effort to hide his curiosity as he looked right at Rebecca.

He asked, “Rebecca, is there something between you and Mr. Hanson that we don’t know about?”

Everyone at the table paused and turned their attention to Rebecca, their actions slowing down.

Rebecca sighed inwardly, clearly annoyed, and repeated once more, “No.”

Derek grinned and teased, “Well, maybe you two will have something going on after today. The way Mr. Hanson

was eyeing you just now-con, he was totally into you.”

Lisa nodded like crazy. She said, “Seriously, shere.”

Someone else chimed in, “You know, maybe Mr. Hanson only cto PrimePlay Technologies because of

Rebecca. She just started, and suddenly he shows up.”

With that said, everyone was openly staring at Rebecca, making their curiosity obvious.

Rebecca was a total knockout-creamy skin, stunning features, and a natural grace that made her stand out

effortlessly. Anyone meeting her for the first tjust had to sneak a second look.

Derek said, “Go for it, Rebecca-see if you can land Mr. Hanson. Bag a guy like him and you're set for life. No

need to stress or hustle ever again.”

Rebecca froze, her fork halfway to her mouth, that last remark really getting under her skin. She looked up,

about to retort, but Jane jumped in first.

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Jane said, “Derek, you really haven't changed-you still love projecting your own ideas onto everyone.”

Derek said, “Hey, | was just thinking about Rebecca's future.”

Jane fired back without missing a beat. She said, “Seriously, do you even know Mr. Hanson? Besides being the

CEO of the Hanson Group and that good-looking face we all see, like, does anyone know what he’s actually like?

What are his hobbies?”

Derek cleared his throat, trying to play it cool. He said, “Okay, it was just a joke.”

Jane didn’t let up. She snapped, “It’s only a joke if the person you're teasing finds it funny. Otherwise, you're just

causing unnecessary and making things weird for everyone.”

“Jane!” Derek huffed, looking kind of flustered. Getting put on the spot like that in front of everyone- especially

as a guy-was seriously bruising his pride.

Jane just stared him down, cool and composed as ever.

The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife.

Rebecca felt her heart glow with warmth-she was just about to jump in and lighten the mood, when Jane gently

tapped her arm, giving her a look that said, “Don’t say anything.”

Jane pressed, “Derek, that joke was seriously out of line. Are you saying Rebecca would just latch onto any guy

with a fat wallet?”

From Rebecca's other side, Ella Barton chimed in, “Derek, your mindset is way too small. Why chase after rich

guys when we can be the rich ones ourselves? And let's be real, those younger guys in their twenties are a total

treat.”

The rest of the girls chimed in immediately, laughing and agreeing, “Exactly!”

Derek threw his hands up, clearly cornered. He said, “Alright, | know | put my foot in my mouth. I'll apologize to

Rebecca right here, okay? No hard feelings.” He finished speaking and knocked back his drink in one swift gulp.

Ella exclaimed, “Damn, Derek-impressive. You've got sserious drinking skills.”

Everyone relaxed, and the tension finally lifted from the room. The little clash between Derek and Jane

disappeared without a trace.

Derek grinned and teased, “Con, just one drink and you call that drinking skills?”

Ella clinked her glass against his, grinning widely, She said, “I'm not just talking about your drinking; what |

respect is your courage to take responsibility and fix a problem when it crops up. That deserves a toast.”

Just like that, the mood warmed up again, and everyone started chatting happily.

Watching everyone speak up on her behalf, Rebecca felt a wave of warmth and gratitude settle in her heart,

mingling with a tangle of emotions she couldn't quite name.

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It dawned on Rebecca then-having been cherished and sheltered all her life, first by Amelia and later by Jeffrey,

she was worlds apart from girls like Ella when it cto navigating real-world relationships and social situations.

She realized she had so much to learn.

Ella leaned in and whispered, “Don’t dwell on Derek's words. He's just the type who can’t help running his

mouth.”

“Thanks,” Rebecca replied, genuinely.

Ella laughed, tapping her glass to Rebecca's juice. Her eyes shone with good-natured cheer as she replied, “No

need for that. When we're out in the world, girls looking out for each other-it’s just how things should be, right?”

Rebecca understood that nothing in this world should ever be taken for granted.

Ella had stood up for her, not out of obligation, but simply because that was the kind of person she was: gentle,

kind, and always ready to stand up for what was right.

Dinner dragged on for more than an hour before it finally ended. Rebecca and the other girls had ducked out

early, leaving Derek and a few guys lingering at the table with their drinks.

At first, they discussed the project's progress, but before long, they were back to gossiping about Rebecca again.

Derek said, “I'm telling you, Mr. Hanson totally chere just for Rebecca. Bet he saw how gorgeous she is and

couldn’t help himself-probably hoping to hook up with her.”

One of the guys at the table agreed. “Yeah, Rebecca’s seriously stunning.”

Derek rambled on, getting looser with each drink. He said, “Rebecca acts like she hates it when | talk about this

stuff, but who knows what's actually going on in her head?

“Maybe she’s already working out a plan to land a guy like Mr. Hanson and secure herself for life.”

“But isn’t Mr. Hanson married?” someone asked.

Derek said, “So what if he is? A guy with his money and status? It’s totally normal to have a couple of side

pieces. If you were loaded like him, do you honestly think you'd stick to just one woman forever?”

One dude snorted, “No way, man. If | had his kind of cash, I'd be partying harder than anyone.”

Someone else insisted, dead serious, “I'd stay loyal.”

Derek cracked up at that. He said, “Please, only chickens say that. If you got crazy rich, bro, let's see if you could

actually keep that promise.”

Rebecca heard every word, not

missing a beat as she quietly caught

the whole conversery Te Kméw

Pepe Wee® differs , sure—but

atching these guys play perfect

gentlemen in public and run their

mouths the second the door shut left

her stomach in knots. The content is

on novelenglish.net! Read the latest

chapter there!

Growing up, Rebecca had seen every brand of trust-fund train-wreck-at least those guys never hid it.

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Everyone knew they were just playing, no fake strings, no hearts on the line. But these office types? Perfect

smiles up top, ankle-deep thoughts underneath.

“Forget about them,” Jane said as

she cover for water and spotted

Rebecca listening Sf said) m

"Reqpldikexhat just pass through

your life—you don't need to let a

bunch of nobodies mess with your

mood.” The content is on

novelenglish.net! Read the latest

chapter there!

Rebecca nodded and said, “Thanks for sticking up fortoday.”

If Jane hadn't stood up for her,

Rebecca knew she would've gone off

on those guys and en¢eyl up Siartihg

spe mMajér ’ She knew

sometimes she had to bite her

tongue, but stuff like that—she just

couldn't let it slide. The content is on

novelenglish.net! Read the latest

chapter there!

Jane just flashed her a small smile, choosing to keep quiet about the message she'd gotten from Jeffrey. All she

said was, “I'm your team lead-of course I'm gonna look out for you.”

|