Chapter 9
During lunch, Lilian plopped into the seat across from Jessica after setting her plate down.
“Hey, have you checked the group chat?” she asked.
“Nope,” Jessica replied. “I couldn’t care less.”
“If only I could be as calm as you if I were in trouble,” Lilian said, marveling at the way Jessica was completely unbothered.
As she stuffed her face, she continued, “I heard Julia accidentally misplaced the drafts on your desk. She was on leave that day. She’s still an intern, so she probably made that mistake because she was clueless.”
“Yeah.”
Jessica could tell that people had stopped staring at her, but they still didn’t dare get close to her. They were afraid of her sharp tongue.
“By the way, did Mr. Jones scold you today? You looked distracted when you came out of his office,” Lilian said.
“Isn’t that normal?” Jessica muttered. “I mean, he looks like he doesn’t give a damn about
who made the mistake.”
“But he never scolds anyone,” Lilian whispered.
“Really? I bet you’re just captivated by his looks. Stop being so shallow, will you?” Jessica said, snorting.
Just as she set her spoon down, she spotted Zachary approaching from a distance. He was carrying a plate, clearly there for lunch.
She quickly kicked Lilian, motioning for her to shut up.
“Hi, Mr. Jones.” Jessica plastered a smile on her face, as if nothing had happened this morning.
Startled, Lilian quickly looked down and devoured her food.
Zachary merely hummed in acknowledgement. Without even glancing at her, he walked up to a window seat and began talking to Joshua about work.
“He wouldn’t have heard us, would he?” Lilian was concerned.
“I don’t think so. Complaining about the boss behind his back won’t get us into any trouble,” Jessica said cheerily.
At last, the day was over. She changed into a striking red dress, applied flawless makeup, and
then drove straight to Derrick’s office. She parked in the most conspicuous spot she could find.
People filed out of the building after work, staring at her as they passed.
She smirked. This was exactly the effect she wanted.
Derrick came out a moment later, cheerful and oblivious, as if nothing in the world could touch him. He had no idea that he was about to walk into a trap.
The moment he spotted her, he couldn’t look away. He had never imagined the usually plain Jessica could look so gorgeous. She looked like she had stepped out of a movie scene.
“Derrick,” she greeted him with unusual warmth, looping her arm around his waist in public.
He was stunned, wondering if he was seeing things.
She normally kept their physical contact discreet and minimal-at most, allowing hand- holding or a kiss on the forehead. This, however, was something else entirely.
Even as she clung to him, she couldn’t help thinking about how gross it was. But if she were going to deal with a man with no limits, she had to beat him at his own game.
Affection flowed from Derrick’s eyes as he gazed at her, even as she felt the eyes of his coworkers boring into them.
“Let’s go eat dinner.”
“Sure.” Jessica plastered a smile on her face and took his hand.
Like a doting lover, he opened the car door for her, buckled her in, and then returned to the driver’s seat. She discreetly dusted her clothes, wiping her hands with a tissue as if to remove
his scent.
“I booked The Mansion. Sounds good?”
After all, Derrick came from money. Dinners there ran into the thousands, but he frequented
The Mansion all the time.
Jessica used to protest such extravagance, but that night she saw no reason to hold back.
“Perfect.” She smiled sweetly.
…
At The Mansion, Jessica ordered everything she usually wouldn’t dare-filet mignon, escargots, and even a bottle of ’82 Lafite. She picked almost anything expensive, determined to stuff her face that night.
Derrick didn’t mind. As long as she was happy, he was fine with it. Perhaps he truly loved her, but his disloyalty deeply disgusted her. The nicer he was, the more ridiculous he seemed.
Before the food even arrived, his phone rang-as she had expected. It was a call from his
father.
“Jess, I need to take this.” Feeling diffident, he turned his screen away from her to hide the
call.
“Sure.” She flashed him a flirtatious smile, which made him blush.
As soon as he hurried off, she dropped the fake smile-only to meet a familiar pair of eyes
across the room.
It was Zachary.
She couldn’t believe her eyes. She quickly looked away and took a sip of water, her heart racing. Why did she feel guilty when she had done nothing wrong?
She sneaked another glance at him and realized that he had been watching her. To her surprise, a striking beauty was sitting across from him.
It was rare to see him on a dinner date with a woman.
Noticing that Zachary kept glancing her way, the woman turned toward her direction as well. Jessica lowered her head, wishing the ground would swallow her up at that moment.
“I didn’t do anything though…” she muttered inwardly.
“Zachary, what are you looking at?” the woman asked, her voice soft yet teasing.
Even from a table away, Jessica could tell that the woman was definitely into Zachary.
“It’s nothing,” he said, lifting his glass and clinking it with that woman’s.
That call Derrick just took was probably from his father. Most people would have seen the
scene at the office entrance earlier.
Thus, Jessica figured that the Leroy family must have made a move.
Resting her chin on her hand, Jessica gazed out at the breathtaking night view.
The soft chime of her phone snapped her back to the present.
Celine had just sent her a message with a photo of an ultrasound, accompanied by the text, ” I’m pregnant!”
Jessica’s hand trembled, her eyes turning bloodshot. She hadn’t expected this to happen so soon. This meant that the two families were already moving ahead with the marriage.
It was no wonder Derrick hadn’t dared take the call in front of her-that must have been
Celine on the line.
Jessica sprang to her feet and marched to the restroom. She had rehearsed facing this reality a thousand times, but for a split second, she wanted to tear that false, hypocritical mask of
Derrick’s apart.
Bile rose in her throat, and it seemed to spread all over her body, numbing it at once. Her nails dug into her palms, the pain anchoring her on the edge of breaking down.
She scoffed. She couldn’t believe what a shameless pair the two were.
Regaining her composure, she walked out of the restroom.
“Hey.”
Zachary was leaning against the wall in the corner, his eyes hooded. He pressed his lips together as soon as she came into view.
She jumped-his looming figure was enough to make anyone’s heart jolt.
“It looks like he’s still breathing. Are you sure you don’t need help?” he asked, his breath reeking of alcohol.
“No. I’ll make sure to end him myself,” she said.
“Alright,” Zachary slurred as he pushed himself off the wall, staggering away.
A breath of relief escaped Jessica. Joshua had admitted that he and Zachary had witnessed everything, and they had gossiped about it. She had never imagined her meticulous boss would gossip about his staff.
She felt like a walking joke, being watched live by two men she couldn’t afford to offend. Sometimes, she really wanted to rip Joshua’s tongue off so he’d stop running his mouth.
