Chapter 53
Dinner was set for 8:00 pm at a private room in a rooftop restaurant downtown. By the time the group arrived, Evelyn was already there.
She had already ordered, but the dishes weren’t served until everyone was seated. Jessica could tell right away that they were all Zachary’s favorite foods, which all consisted of some kind of
spice.
His taste was usually light, but he had a thing for just a little heat. At home, the housekeeper always made sure to prepare one mildly spicy option just for him. Everything else was kept plain.
When they sat down, Zachary added a plate of sautéed greens, as well as a cold salad topped
with cilantro.
Now, he was just being petty. Honestly, when a man decided to act petty, women didn’t stand a chance.
Evelyn was seated beside him. For that reason, Jessica didn’t want to be anywhere near him.
However, Joshua subtly nudged her into the seat right next to Zachary.
“I thought you wouldn’t come,” Evelyn said softly, turning to Zachary. “You could’ve told me in advance that you would.”
“Had to. These rascals are always one step away from causing a scene,” he replied, sweeping his gaze across the room and landing it on Jessica, who was looking at Evelyn.
Jessica quickly looked away, just wanting to eat and leave as soon as possible.
With those two going head–to–head, she, a side character, was definitely at risk of getting caught in the crossfire. She really shouldn’t have messed with him earlier. Now, he was clearly pissed.
Evelyn smiled, glancing at the table now full of food, and raised her wine glass. “Dig in, everyone! And quick intro–Zachary and I are classmates turned best friends. I’m Evelyn, but
you can call me Eve.”
“What a pretty name!”
Eric was the first to raise his glass. Susan and Joshua followed, clinking glasses and tossing out a few polite compliments.
Zachary, calm and unfazed, reached over and poured Jessica’s wine into his own glass. Then, he rinsed her glass with water, emptied it, and finally poured her a cup of warm water.
She almost died from the shock. She parted her lips as if to say something, but only forced a
Chapter 53
stiff smile.
Joshua chimed in, smoothing things over. “Ms. Sutton here is a rising star in the fashion world. We all have a lot to learn from her. Truly, it’s our pleasure to meet you tonight.”
2/3
It bought Zachary just enough time. Once he lifted his wine glass, now half–full, Jessica finally picked up her clear glass, trembling slightly. “A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Sutton.”
“You really do take care of your employees, huh, Mr. Jones?” Evelyn commented with a smile.
She turned to Zachary, then shifted her heavy gaze to Jessica, taking a slow sip of wine.
Everyone else quietly took a sip too, and dinner slowly got underway.
“I don’t need to worry about them, except for this one,” Zachary explained, glancing at the shamefaced Jessica. “She gets tipsy easily and has a habit of getting into the wrong car. Plus, she can’t hold her liquor at all.”
He continued, “We don’t have that many designers in our team. Mr. Jakerman’s an all- rounder, and I don’t have to worry about him. But this young woman? Her family gave me very strict instructions that I had to look after her here.”
He tilted his head slightly toward Jessica. “Right, Ms. Lockman?”
“Indeed. I have really strict parents. I shouldn’t drink,” she echoed, nodding slowly to ease the
tension.
Joshua, chatting with Eric at the side, couldn’t help but laugh between bites. This dinner was turning out to be more entertaining than expected.
Evelyn glanced at Zachary again and seemingly understood what he meant. “No worries. This is just a simple dinner, not some official business meeting. You don’t have to drink if you don’t feel like it.”
Jessica took a polite sip of her water. “Well said, Eve.”
“So, Zachary, you and Ms. Lockman are…” Evelyn started, casually trying to dig for information.
“Our mothers are good friends,” Jessica quickly explained.
Zachary didn’t say a word. He calmly took a sip of red wine, then picked up his fork and started eating the cilantro salad on the table.
Eric glanced up at them. “It’s no wonder that I always feel like Mr. Jones treats her differently. That’s why!”
Susan and Joshua both nodded and kept eating like nothing happened.
After dinner, Evelyn insisted on everyone’s phone number, including Jessica’s.
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3/3
On the way back, Susan handled the rides. Everyone else headed back to the hotel, except Zachary and Evelyn.
As they got out of the car, Susan and Eric headed inside first.
Joshua, on the other hand, turned to Jessica with a frown. “Why did you do that, Queen Bee? That’s Mr. Jones‘ ex! And you just let him leave with her?”
He sounded much more anxious than the married couple involved.
The wind hit Jessica’s cheeks, leaving a pink flush behind.
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