I turned away from the piercing stare of Ryan and caught sight of Nathan, his face frozen in shock. He quickly threw on his shirt, buttoning it up as he walked over. Nathan asked, “You


    have more guests today?”


    Ryan’s face darkened as he asked, “And who is he?”


    I never imagined I’d end up in a situation like that, not even in my wildest dreams. Yet here


    it was, ying out like some soap opera. Both of my backup guys showed up at my ce at


    the same time.


    Both men turned to look at me at the exact same time, their gazes locking onto me. I regained myposure and offered a steady smile. “He’s my subordinate, Ryan.”


    Ryan’s face went pale, and a wave of grievance washed over his expression. I turned and


    gestured toward Nathan. “And this is my friend, Nathan.” Nathan’s brow furrowed slightly.


    The tension in the room was thick, but I tried to lighten the mood. I reached out, took the


    bag from Ryan, and asked, “Did you bring any dishes?”


    Ryan’s face eased up a little, and he nodded. “Yeah, I brought some. I came over to have


    lunch with you.”


    I nodded, then turned to Nathan. “Do you have any ns for lunch? If not, maybe you


    could…”


    “Nope, nothing else going on. Mind if I just eat here?” Nathan cut me off, picking up on my


    not–so–subtle hint.


    J gave a couple of awkwardughs. “Lunch is fine, but just so you know, my ex–husband is


    bringing my daughter over soon.”


    Nathan jumped in quickly. “Perfect timing. I actually have some business matters I need to discuss with Mr. Hob,”


    Just then, Yvonne called out from the elevator. “Dad, hurry up.”


    In the tense silence, Jared appeared, holding Yvonne’s hand. They seemed to be chatting but stopped dead in their tracks when they saw the scene at the door.


    <b>1/3 </b>


    ? ???? 68%


    +23)


    Yvonne’s eyes widened as she blinked a few times, then she dashed over to me. “Mom, you’re home. Awesome! And look, Ryan’s here, too. Oh, and who’s this guy? Is he your new boyfriend?”


    Yvonne’s words made the whole room freeze in awkward silence. I looked over at Nathan, and he was looking right back at me.


    Jared’s face was stormy as he walked right up to us, demanding, “Victoria, what’s going on here?”


    I replied truthfully, “I had a tennis match with Mr. Hallman, and Ryan brought some food over because he wanted to have lunch here. Do you want to stay for lunch?”


    Yvonne grabbed Jared’s finger and shook it. “Dad, didn’t you say you had lunch ns with someone else? Why don’t you head out instead?”


    Jared’s voice went cold. “No, I didn’t. I’ll eat here.”


    Nathan looked Yvonne up and down, then introduced himself, “Hey there, kiddo. I’m not your mom’s boyfriend, just a friend. You can call me Nathan.”


    “Oh, okay.” Yvonne nodded.


    Yvonne didn’t seem bothered at all about the whole new boyfriend thing.


    Maybe it was because she was used to seeing Sally always trying to set Jared up with new girlfriends back at home. Yvonne’s way of thinking was way more flexible than most kids,


    and she seemed pretty chill about us splitting up.


    I’d heard that people who were indifferent and distant didn’t get hung up on rtionships. They were quick to ept when things got distant or fell apart.


    I was hoping to send at least one of them away, but it looked like all three guys were determined to stick around and see what I could do in the kitchen. Whatever, I would just let them all stay for lunch.


    “Come on in and grab a seat, I’ll get started on the food,” I said, carrying the ingredients into


    the kitchen.


    I checked the supplies and, sure enough, everything was fresh. There was even a good amount of seafood.


    08:37 Fri, 22 Aug


    68%


    Ryan came in, shot me aplicated look, and said, “My housekeeper put all this together. Think this’ll be enough for everyone?”


    I nodded. “Yeah, this is more than enough.”


    “Is there anything I can help with?” Ryan asked.


    “Just wash these fruits and take them out. I don’t need you to do anything else,” I told him. Ryan went to wash the fruit right away.


    I looked through the ss and saw Jared and Nathan out on the balcony. They looked like they were smoking and talking about something, but I had no idea what.


    Before Ryan could finish washing the fruit, Yvonne came running in and tugged on his finger. “Ryan, I brought my Legos! You promised you’d help me build something. Can you help me make a little car?”


    Ryan, a bit helpless, leaned down and said, “Just wait a few more minutes, let me finish washing the fruit for you first.”


    “Okay, but hurry up,” Yvonne replied, and then dashed over to me. “Mom, I’m so d I can eat here with you.” I was peeling vegetables when her words caught me off guard.


    After Yvonne left, Ryan nced over and saw me spacing out. He tried tofort me, saying, “Your daughter told me about you two. She said she wouldn’t upset you anymore.”


    I turned to look at him, a touch of bitterness in my voice. “What did she say to you?”


    AD