Chapter 87
While Zachary was going through files in his office, he noticed a message and clicked the video.
Jessica looked so happy after winning the match, full of energy from head to toe. She even high -fived the guy next to her.
He could clearly see the two on the losing side as well. He frowned, recalling the man who had taken her back to the hotel in Sylvaria.
It was him.
“Robert Fulton,” he murmured.
“Mr. Jones, can you check this report? The numbers don’t match,” a senior executive reminded him, snapping him out of his daze.
He came back to himself and placed the phone screen down.
“Let me see.” He soon returned to his work.
“That crusty old geezer saw the message but didn’t even reply,” Mickey muttered, watching Zachary type but never respond.
“Jessica’s pretty impressive, huh?” Next to him, Matthew Wagner had his legs crossed, watching Jessica. Her moves were precise, whether on defense or offense.
It was no wonder Robert had been bragging about her earlier. She was a serious rival. Even he and Mickey together might not stand a chance.
“Zach is unbelievable. I tried to get him to come yesterday, and he blew me off. Now, his wife gets invited out by someone else, and he couldn’t care less.”
“He’d probably have a headache if he showed up with both his ex–girlfriend and current wife here,” Matthew said, lighting a cigarette. “Does she know about Evelyn and Zachary?”
“You’d better not mention it. If I’d known Evelyn would be here today, I wouldn’t have come
either.”
“Mr. Lynch, it’s your turn.” Evelyn, out of breath, walked toward Mickey. Her sultry voice and panting gave off a misleading impression.
“Ms. Sutton, it looks like your stamina and skill still need some work. They’re not quite up to
the level of the rookie.”
Mickey and Matthew grinned wickedly and casually stepped onto the court.
Evelyn thought she must have misheard. She couldn’t believe they would actually tease her like that. Subtly, they implied she wasn’t as good as Jessica, and it carried a little extra edge.
When she had been with Zachary before, they had never been this casual with her. But as soon as they met Jessica today, they started mocking her, making her frown.
“Mr. Lynch’s just like that. Don’t take it seriously,” Lucas said, trying to smooth things over.
Any man could read the undertone in Mickey’s words.
After winning three or four matches in a row, Jessica and Robert stepped aside to rest.
It was halftime now.
“Ms. Lockman, your skills are impressive.” Lucas handed her a bottle of water.
Robert paused mid–handoff, the bottle he was about to offer Jessica suspended in the air.
“Thanks, Mr. Carrington, but it’s really Robert who carried me throughout the match. I’m just here to play along.” Jessica unscrewed the cap and sipped.
“Jess used to be on our badminton team. Of course, her skills are solid.” Robert quietly put the bottle back in place.
“Looks like we’ll have to get some tips from Ms. Lockman,” Evelyn said.
“Ms. Sutton, you can’t even beat us. You should indeed ask for guidance,” Mickey said.
Jessica felt like Mickey was just trying to stir up trouble for her.
They chatted casually for a bit, then agreed to meet for dinner at The Mansion at 8:00 pm.
Jessica couldn’t refuse the invitation, so she agreed. For the second half of the match, she dared not dominate. She switched partners, pairing with Lucas. They went back and forth, winning and losing evenly.
By 6:00 pm, everyone dispersed, heading home to shower and change.
At 7:00 pm at the Jonest building, something was brewing.
“Here comes dessert!” Joshua carried a large bag of desserts into the conference room, placing it carefully on the table.
Everyone who had just finished eating looked at Joshua.
Even Zachary, focused on the files before him, glanced up, recognizing the familiar bag. A thought of a certain someone immediately popped into his head.
“Mrs. Jones sent these. Help yourselves, everyone.”
Joshua opened the bag as he said, “Come on, everyone. What are you waiting for? Do I need to hand them out myself?”
“Thank you, Mr. Jones! Thank you, Mrs. Jones!”
“Thanks, Mr. Jones! Thanks, Mrs. Jones!”
Zachary froze for a moment. He checked his phone, tapping on Jessica’s contact to find that there were no new messages.
Just then, Joshua walked over carrying a labeled package. “Mr. Jones, yours is about 90% sweet.
T#
“Why 90%? Where’s the remaining 10%?” Zachary was rendered speechless.
