?Chapter 568:


    Truth was, Sharon had not said a word. But since she had promised William she’d help, she made sure Ste ended up sitting right next to him.


    Ste tried to resist, but Sharon was too quick—and stronger than she looked. She gave Ste a gentle shove and had her seated before she couldin.


    Now stuck beside William, Ste sat stiffly, unsure where to look or what to say. As Sharon and Sandra struck up conversation, William’s presence beside her felt heavier by the second. He wasn’t doing anything, yet somehow it was like he filled up the entire room. She couldn’t rx at all.


    Then Sharon popped open a bottle of wine. Ste saw her chance and sat up, casually saying, “I need to step out for a bit…”


    But before she could finish, William cut in. “Ms. Russell, do you have a problem with me?”


    Ste’s breath hitched. She awkwardly eased back down into her seat.


    “What? No, Mr. Briggs, you’ve got it all wrong.”


    But William wasn’t buying it. He gave a quiet, amusedugh. “Since you saw me, you’ve been on edge. You were just about to leave—barely ten minutes in. Doesn’t that say something?”<fn53fd> Checktest chapters at f?ndnovel</fn53fd>


    Ste felt a wave of embarrassment wash over her. Was she really being that obvious?


    He leaned back, keeping a polite distance, but there was a chill in his tone now. “If you’re ufortable around me, Ms. Russell, you can go. I won’t stop you. I thought maybe we could be friends outside work. Guess I was wrong.”


    The way he said it—calm, restrained, but a little hurt—made Ste feel worse. He hadn’t done anything wrong. She was the one who had pulled away, all on her own. It really wasn’t fair to him.


    After a beat of silence, Ste finally sighed. “Mr. Briggs, really… you misunderstood. I don’t have any issue with you. I just needed to use the restroom, not leave.”


    Without waiting for a reply, she stood and left.


    Inside the restroom, she sshed cold water on her face, trying to collect herself. It was just a casual night out. No need to overthink it. No need to hide from it either.


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    She dried her face, took a deep breath, and headed back to the room. Sharon spotted her right away and jumped into action. She grabbed Ste’s wrist the moment she sat down. “Stel,e on. Let’s y a game!”


    Ste wasn’t used to these kinds of drinking games, but she went along with it. Unfortunately, luck wasn’t on her side. After a few rounds, she was the only one drinking.


    Josie started to worry.


    “This isn’t fun if only two people y. Let’s get everyone in. Whoever loses drinks!”


    She figured with seven people, the odds would spread out and Ste wouldn’t have to down so much.


    But Sharon frowned. She had a n—this wasn’t part of it. Josie was messing things up.


    With an eye-roll, Sharon stood up and tugged Josie by the arm. “Come with me. I need to grab more drinks—I can’t carry them all myself.”


    Josie could tell something was off with Sharon, so she agreed to step out of the private room. She felt curious about what new scheme Sharon might be nning this time.


    Outside, Josie folded her arms and faced Sharon, who wore a troubled look. “So, what’s your angle today? Why are you pushing Stel to drink more than usual? What are you trying to do?”


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