"Oh... It''s nothing." I awkwardly turned my head away.


    "Nothing?" Alex didn''t buy it. He reached out, cing his hand gently on my forehead. "You''re not running a fever."


    The simple gesture made my already burning cheeks feel even hotter.


    "M-Maybe it''s the alcohol! Yeah, that''s probably it!" I stammered.


    Alex raised a skeptical brow but didn''t press further. Instead, he took the champagne ss from my hand and reced it with a ss of orange juice. "Your tolerance is terrible. From now on, no drinking at events."


    When the g finally ended, I was relieved to retreat back to myfort zone.


    ...


    On Monday morning, I walked into the office holding the box with the ne, only to run straight into Jolene. Her pale face and exhausted eyes told me she hadn''t had a decent night''s sleep in days.


    "Serena," she hissed, her teeth practically grinding together as she spat out my name. "You did this on purpose, didn''t you?"


    "What are you talking about?" I frowned, confused.


    "The subsidiary reports weren''t urgent at all," Jolene sneered, her eyes brimming with venom. "You seduced Mr. Hastings so he''d take you to the g and leave me here to pull all-nighters, didn''t you?"


    I stared at her, stunned by the absurdity of her usation. "What nonsense are you spouting? Do you honestly think Mr. Hastings is the type of man I could manipte?"


    Unconvinced, Jolene stepped closer, her hostility palpable. "Don''t y dumb. Then why did Mr. Hastings make me do those pointless reports?"


    I arched a brow, meeting her re head-on. "Are you seriously asking me that? Shouldn''t you know better than anyone why Mr. Hastings gave you that task?"


    Her face turned ghostly white as I exposed her doings. Then, it flushed crimson with anger and


    embarrassment. But her antics


    didn''t end there. Jolene took a


    step forward and shoved me."You must have gone crying to Mr.


    Hastings!"


    I wasn''t prepared for her sudden push. Stumbling, I lost my grip on the box, and the ne tumbled to the ground.


    I remembered Alex mentioning that the ne was a high-end piece and likely worth a fortune. Panicking, I rushed to retrieve it, but Jolene beat me to it.


    "You still im you didn''t seduce Mr. Hastings? Then why do you have this?" she shouted, clutching the ne tightly.


    "I needed something appropriate for the g. Mr. Hastings lent it to me. Now, give


    it back I need to return it to him," I exined, trying to stay calm.


    "Liar!" Jolene''s voice rose, her grip tightening around the ne. "This isn''t just any ne. It belonged to Mr. Hastings''te


    mother. Before she passed, she told him it was meant for his future wife!"


    Her words left me frozen in shock. My mind went nk for a moment before a storm of thoughts and realizations hit me all at once.


    No wonder Xena had instantly recognized me as Alex''s date at the g. That ne it carried so much meaning.


    Thinking back, at least ten people hadmented on it during the g, yet I had been too oblivious to connect the dots.


    A wave of regret and confusion washed over me. My legs felt rooted to the ground as I stared at Jolene in disbelief.


    "You''re still iming Mr. Hastings lent this to you?" Jolene stepped closer, her voice a mix of anger and anguish "This ne has been kept under lock and key. Even as the head office assistant, I didn''t know about it until recently. There''s no way he''d just hand it overto


    anyone!"


    Her words swirled in my mind, stirring questions I wasn''t ready to face. I stood


    there, paralyzed, unsure of what to think or say.


    "Say something!" Jolene demanded, giving me another shove.