<h4>Chapter 327: Burning with Jealousy</h4>


    She watched Julia’s still graceful figure, her expression growing colder by the second. She could never forget that it was because of this woman that Grandma Carter had such a difficult life!


    Julia was a cunning white lotus who had never met her match in the past few decades.


    But now, she was standing in front of Julia, ready to strike hard tonight!


    ...


    Inside the private room.


    Mason loungedzily in his chair, casually ordering a few dishes. Although Sean was supposed to host tonight, he didn’t show up. Instead, Julia and Leah arrived together.


    Julia, however, knew how to work the room. She deliberately left Mason and Be alone, clearly trying to curry favor with the mayor’s daughter of Y City.


    "The Nelson Group probably won’t recover from this one, right? Hmph, with problems in their project materials, no one dares to trust them anymore," Be said smugly.


    Mason shot her a sarcastic nce. "Weren’t you into him before? And now you can’t wait for Carter Group to crush him?"


    Be was momentarily speechless. Mason’s words brought it all back—she had liked Eric, not Mason!


    But after being with Mason, she had grown more and more content, gradually epting him.


    Eric was no longer in her heart.


    Women really are fickle.


    "I’m with you now. How could I still like Eric?" Be’s face flushed slightly. Was that a confession?


    A man she fancied should consider himself lucky. If Mason weren’t the heir to a powerful family abroad, she wouldn’t be so willing to be with him.


    Mason chuckled coldly. "Be, you need to understand—being with you is just a temporary arrangement."


    The smile on Be’s face froze instantly. She looked at Mason in disbelief. Last night, they had shared such intimate moments, and now he was saying that their rtionship was only temporary?


    Be’s face darkened. "Mason, what are you saying? Are you saying you don’t want to marry me?"


    Mason raised an eyebrowzily. "Why would I marry you?"


    Be shot to her feet, her face pale with anger. Just then, a waiter arrived with wine, and she had to swallow her fury to avoid a scene.


    She sat back down, silently poured herself a ss, and drank most of it. Once the food had been served and the waiter had left, Be coldly set down her ss.


    "Mason! If you don’t want to marry me, why did you talk to my father that way?"


    Be stared at Mason with a mix of love and hate.


    Mason shot her an irritated look. "Be, don’t you get it? We were both set up. If we didn’t pretend to be a couple, the scandal of you being drugged would’ve made you theughingstock of Y City. As for me, I’m a man—at worst, I’d do a few months, maybe years, in prison. But with my power, I wouldn’t even have to do that. I’de outpletely unscathed!"


    "I only let you be my girlfriend for a while because I didn’t want you to suffer for nothing."


    Mason’s righteous tone enraged Be, and she mmed her wine ss down. "What did you say, Mason? You think being with you is a loss for me, that after you’ve used me, you can just toss me aside like trash? Is that what you think of me?"


    Mason sneered. In his eyes, Be was trash.


    How could trash everpare to E?


    "When did you suffer? I made sure you were veryfortable in bed!" Mason’s shamelessness was enough to make anyone want to spit blood.


    Be was on the verge of tears, her chest heaving with rage. "Mason! You bastard! How dare you betray me?"


    "I’m not the first to betray you, am I? With skills like yours, you really thought you could fool me? Do you take me for a child?" Mason’s eyes were full of disdain.


    Just moments ago, things had been fine between them, but now they were at each other’s throats. Mason had gone so far as to expose Be’s secrets, leaving her face alternating between red and white.


    In truth, Mason didn’t care whether Be had been with other men. What bothered him was that Becked the ss and intelligence he required. Marrying a woman like her, one prone to jealousy andcking in grace, would only lead to chaos at home.


    "You... Mason!" Be was at a loss for words. At that moment, she realized just how pathetic she was. Mason, this emotionally unavable man, had nothing going for him besides his handsome face and great physique.


    Yet, she was too weak to break up, too weak to walk away!


    Be took a deep breath, wiping away her tears and forcing herself to calm down.


    If she continued arguing, it might lead to a breakup, which would be exactly what Mason wanted.


    Mason, on the other hand, waspletely unaffected. This heartless man, with his ruthless methods, saw their argument as nothing more than child’s y.


    The two of them ate their meal in silence, the tension between them at an all-time high.


    Halfway through, Mason went to use the restroom. The private room had its own facilities.


    Be’s eyes immediately fell on Mason’s phone, which he had left on the table.


    She vividly remembered how Mason had stopped her earlier, and it was most likely because of E.


    Be stood up carefully, reached for Mason’s phone, and pressed the standby button. The screen lit up!


    At a nce, Be saw his wallpaper—it was a photo of E!


    Damn it!


    Just as she had suspected, Mason liked E. That’s why he had partnered with the Carter Group against Nelson Group.


    If Nelson Group copsed, the dynamic between E and Eric might change, giving Mason a chance, right?


    Dream on!


    Be quickly turned off the screen and quietly sat back down, but her eyes betrayed a chilling fury.


    E! Again!


    Eric, whom she had once secretly loved, became E’s man! Now the man she was in love with had be E’s admirer!


    E was her curse!


    But now that E had Eric, getting to her wouldn’t be easy.


    As Be simmered with hatred, Mason returned to his seat.


    The two remained silent, the air between themcking any trace of the sweetness or connection typical of lovers.


    ...


    After having dinner with her ssmates, E headed to the balcony on the eighteenth floor with her two bodyguards.


    The balcony on the eighteenth floor wasrge and uniquely designed, allowing diners inside to get a view of the outside scenery.


    E sat down at a white round table, patiently waiting for Julia to arrive.


    Fifteen minutester, Julia finally arrived, arm in arm with Leah.


    Julia was wearing a deep red cheongsam today, her every move exuding elegance. She embodied the poise and dignity of a wealthy matron, putting her aristocratic grace on full disy.


    "My apologies for keeping Miss Davis waiting."


    E raised her eyebrows slightly. "Please, Mrs. Carter, take a seat. Let’s get straight to the point."


    "Could you ask your bodyguards to step aside? I’d rather not have outsiders listening in on our private conversation," Julia said softly, casting a nce at the two bodyguards standing behind E.