Chapter 10

The silence in the car was broken by my best friend’s exclamation, “Oh my God!” Clearly, she’d recognized the familiar figure under the billboard too. I pushed open the car door, hurried over, and grabbed the woman by the arm—it was indeed Lily Bennett.

That night, I got home very late, my face betraying my mood. When Justin Cole saw me, he rushed over to ask, “What’s wrong? Did something happen?” I shook my head, massaging my throbbing temples, and replied wearily, “I just want to sleep. I’m exhausted.” After a shower, I collapsed into bed, as if trying to pour all my fatigue into sleep. In a haze, I felt Justin gently smooth the furrow between my brows; his touch was so tender it put my mind at ease.

The next morning, I woke unusually early. I went out to take care of some errands and didn’t return until noon. During lunch, Justin pulled up a chair beside me, brushed his fingers over my earlobe, and asked softly with concern, “Babe, what happened yesterday? You seemed distracted. Want to talk about it?”

I stayed silent, not answering. Justin raised an eyebrow and smiled, “Not ready to share?”

I poked at the food in my bowl and whispered, “Yeah… it’s my little secret.”

Justin didn’t press further. He turned to pour me a glass of juice, set it beside me, and said, “Alright, I’ll wait until you’re ready. I just want you to know—I care about you, and you can trust me.”

His words warmed my heart. I closed my eyes and leaned gently against him, “Then rub my head for me. It hurts a bit.”

Just as Justin’s hand settled on my temples, my phone rang. The screen showed an unknown number, but the voice on the other end instantly told me who it was—Joanne Morgan.

“Ms. Jade, long time no see,” Joanne Morgan drawled, her tone deliberately bright, oozing with pride.

“Cut to the chase,” I replied coldly, keeping my eyes closed as I enjoyed Justin’s massage.

Joanne Morgan giggled, “Brian Locke is throwing me a big birthday party in two days. Ms. Jade, you must come—I’ll send you an invitation.”

I replied lazily, “Why would I go? Who do you think you are?”

There was a obvious pause on the other end; Joanne Morgan clearly hadn’t expected my bluntness. After a few seconds, she reined in her emotions and still managed to sound cheerful, “Brian Locke wants you to come too.”

“Who does he think he is?” I retorted without holding back.

Before I could finish, Justin took the phone from me. I heard him say to the other end, “I remember your father’s been having trouble getting that plot of land lately, right?”

I opened my eyes abruptly, my expression flickering only for a moment. After Justin hung up, I met his gaze, took a deep breath, and said aloud as if addressing the air, “Fine, Brian Locke. I’ll go to your mistress’s birthday party—and I’ve got a big ‘gift’ for both of you.”

On the day of the party, Justin couldn’t make it on time due to work. He called specifically to apologize, “I need a bit more time to finish up here. I’ll probably only be able to come pick you up when you’re ready to leave.”

I laughed into the phone, “Let’s each have our own fun. You’re not tied to me—you don’t have to accompany me.”

Justin chuckled on the other end, “Haven’t gotten to ‘taste’ you yet, so I gotta keep buttering you up, right?” He blew a playful kiss into the phone before hanging up.

Putting away my phone, I turned around and came face-to-face with Joanne Morgan. She froze for a second when she saw me, then covered her mouth and laughed, “I’ve heard all about you and that Mr. I lately—you two are all anyone talks about. I thought he was some decent guy, but turns out even someone as high-and-mighty as Ms. Jade needs to ‘keep’ a man to kill her loneliness.”

I laughed too, my eyes sweeping over her forced attempt at elegance, “Your eyes are so sharp, yet you still try so hard to look refined while covering your mouth—you still reek of that cheap massage parlor vibe. It’s almost comforting.” With that, I ignored her ashen face and strolled slowly into the banquet hall.

Brian was talking to a few business associates. When he caught a glimpse of me from the corner of his eye, his gaze instinctively flicked behind me, as if searching for someone. Realizing I was alone, he walked over holding a wine glass, grabbed another glass from a server’s tray, and handed it to me. His tone held a subtle hint of probing, “Everyone’s brought a date. Why isn’t your man with you? I thought he’d treat you better.”

This tone, this remark—so unlike Brian. He’d always been too arrogant to bother with my trivial matters, yet now he was actively asking about Justin. He didn’t even notice his own odd behavior.

I wasn’t interested in his question, but the red wine in the glass looked excellent. I took a sip; its rich flavor spread across my tongue, surprising me. “What kind of wine is this?” I asked, taking the initiative to speak.

Brian swirled his wine glass and followed my lead, “I’ll ask later. It’s different from what you usually drink—do you like it?”

I nodded, sipping it carefully as we chatted openly about the wine’s taste and origin. We got so absorbed that we completely ignored Joanne Morgan standing nearby. She held an empty wine glass, lingering for ages, but couldn’t get a word in—she knew nothing about wine, not even able to stand the taste of this kind.

Thankfully, soon all the guests arrived, and everyone’s attention finally shifted to Joanne Morgan. Brian stood beside her, handed her a car key in front of everyone, and smiled, “Happy birthday.” It was clearly the gift he’d prepared for her.

Before Joanne Morgan could even give her thank-you speech, whispers broke out around us: “That sports car—it’s Ms. Jade’s favorite, right? I saw her poster something about it just a while ago.” “Mr. Lu gave his wife’s favorite car to another woman? Is he deliberately humiliating her?” “Wait… I heard Ms. Joanne doesn’t even know how to drive. Think about that. Besides, Mr. Lu and Ms. Jade are already divorced—I bet Mr. Lu just spaced out and only remembered his ex-wife’s preferences.”

Every word reached Joanne Morgan’s ears. She bit her lip tightly and shot Brian a resentful look. But even though Brian stood beside her, his gaze drifted over the crowd and landed on me. I knew instantly—his attention had never left me all night.