Chapter 73
The night wore on. Somewhere in the middle of it, someone suggested a game of truth or dare.
“Truth,” Jessica said without hesitation.
The dares in their game were way over the top, and most of them just ended with more
drinking anyway.
Since Lilian was far too drunk to keep playing, Jessica had been dragged in to take her place, and somehow the bottle kept spinning back to her.
“Ms. Lockman, was the last time you were with someone a guy, or was it…”
Laughter exploded around the table.
Jessica hadn’t expected the questions to be any less awkward than the dares, but this was something else.
More than a dozen colleagues sat in a circle, snickering and joking, but everyone was curious too. A woman like Jessica couldn’t possibly be without admirers. The real question was
whether she had someone who truly cared for her.
In other words, they weren’t just asking about her past. They were really asking if she was worth pursuing.
It was a make–or–break question. If she answered that it was a man, then the next round of questions would definitely be thrown at him.
Jessica let out a dry laugh. She frowned and downed the three glasses of liquor on the table.
Thankfully, Lilian’s boyfriend showed up soon after. Jessica grabbed her bag, helped Lilian to her feet, and used the chance to slip away.
Just as she opened the private room door, Lilian’s boyfriend arrived. After explaining a few things to him, Jessica finally felt relieved enough to let go of her. She then staggered off to the
restroom.
Though she didn’t throw up, the liquor still hit her harder than regular beer did.
When she first drank it, she didn’t feel much. But after a while, the dizziness hit her hard.
Jessica let out a long breath. The memory of that night she got into the wrong car flashed in her mind, and she quickly ordered a ride for herself. She then stumbled out of the restroom.
“Careful, Ms. Lockman!” Ian said as he rushed over.
Jessica instinctively stepped back. Her head was spinning, but her mind was still clear enough
Chap 75
that she wasn’t about to fall. Even so, his thick, sweaty hand slid onto her waist.
“Ian, I’m not drunk,” Jessica said firmly, pushing him away.
2/3
Ian let go slowly, but he didn’t step back. “I see,” he said with a lazy smile. “Why don’t I take you home? Edelwise Residences is pretty close to my place.”
The shamelessness in his voice made Jessica’s skin crawl. He even knew her old address. A cold
chill ran down her spine.
“That won’t be necessary. My husband is already on his way to pick me up,” she said calmly.
She gripped her bag tightly and carefully made her way toward the exit.
“Ms. Lockman, there’s no need to be so cold. I know you just broke up,” Ian said, trying to reach for her again.
“Let go,” Jessica said, standing her ground and staring at his fat hand holding hers.
When Ian saw she didn’t resist, he looked around and slurred through the alcohol on his breath, “I’ll give you 20 thousand dollars every month,” he said.
Jessica let out a scornful laugh and drove her knee into his stomach.
Ian groaned, clutching his belly as he dropped to his knees.
Julia happened to see the scene and froze. “Ms. Lockman, I didn’t see anything,” she whispered.
“It doesn’t matter,” Jessica said with a flick of her eyes toward her arm, then turned back into
the restroom to wash her hands with soap.
Julia didn’t leave. Ian had already pulled himself up, glaring at Jessica with fury.
Seeing his expression in the mirror, Jessica immediately understood what he was thinking. She handed her bag to Julia. “Hold this for me. Don’t let it get dirty,” she instructed.
“Okay,” the 20–year–old Julia said, trembling as she took the bag.
Jessica turned back, clenched her fists, and readied herself as if she were about to fight.
Since Julia was standing nearby, Ian felt too embarrassed to get any closer. Just as he was about to leave, the voices of Lucas and Evelyn came from the hallway by the restroom.
Jessica wiped her mouth with her finger, smearing her lipstick onto her neck. As she walked out, she tugged down the neckline of her off–shoulder dress, flipped her hair, and deliberately let one of her high heels slip off.
She stumbled slightly, using her fake drunkenness to bump into Evelyn, who was walking
beside Lucas.
Chapte
Both Evelyn and Lucas froze. Jessica’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears, and her face was
filled with hurt.
No one said a word.
As they saw Jessica looking so vulnerable, Evelyn and Lucas instinctively turned their attention to lan, who stood in the hallway outside the restroom.
