<b>hapter </b><b>512 </b>


    33)


    ”


    Jared smirked, ncing at Nathan, who was looking a bit off. “Guess all that overtime is catching up to you, Nathan. You look a little pale.”


    Nathan shot him a cold look, but Jared just smiled and turned to chat with someone else.


    The vibe suddenly got a little awkward, and just then, I spotted a familiar face in the crowd–perfect excuse to slip away and say hello.


    Nathan’s voice was low and husky as he asked, “Do you think you’ll ever marry him?”


    “I don’t know. Probably not,” I answered. Honestly, I haven’t even considered getting married again. Now that I have both money and freedom, I have no interest in dealing with the hardships of marriage


    anymore.


    “Good,” Nathan replied, a faint smile finally returning to his face, though co


    really meant by it.


    quite tell what he


    ‘My heart was pounding,‘ Victoria thought, as she quickly turned and slipped away, feeling a bit


    rattled.


    1 was swapping work stories with someone when my phone started ringing in my purse.


    I nced at the screen–it was Ryan calling.


    Remembering how he was in a meeting when I messaged him this afternoon, I figured he must be free


    now.


    I nced at the lively reception hall, then slipped outside to answer the call.


    To my surprise, it was a <i>video </i>call. I settled into a chair and answered.


    “Why are you all dressed up?” Ryan asked, immediately noticing my outfit. He was in a suit and white


    shirt too.


    I didn’t bother hiding it. I just smiled and said, “I’m at apany event Hayes Corp is throwing.”


    Ryan was momentarily taken aback, then just looked at me with those sad puppy eyes, not saying a


    word.


    I quickly raised my phone a bit higher so he could see the scene in the reception hall.


    After a few seconds of silence, Ryan let out a sigh. “You’re so far away, I can’t even do anything about


    it–even if I wanted to.”


    <b>11:34 </b><b>Thu</b><b>, </b><b>4 </b>Sept 1 u


    <b>66</b>%


    “You want to keep me on a leash?” I arched an eyebrow with a mischievous smirk. “It’s just a regr


    business event.”


    +331


    Seeing how serious I looked, Ryan gave a helpless sigh. “I wouldn’t dare try to rein you in. The <i>second </i>I do, you’d be gone.”


    “If someone’s going to run, no amount of rules will keep them. If they’re not<i>, </i><i>you </i>don’t need to bother,” I shed him a dazzling smile, pouring all my charm into the camera.


    My smile could melt hearts. When I kept a straight face, I looked ssy and refined, but the moment I shed a grin, I was pure temptation. My teeth were wless, and I could turn the charm on and off like a switch–no guy could ever resist that.


    I never realized what a weapon this was in my previous life, but now, I was determined <i>to </i>y it to the


    max.


    Sure enough, Ryan just stared, totally mesmerized. The next second, he grinned at me, lovestruck. “I just took a screenshot of that smile. I’m setting it as my lock screen.”


    I paused, a little thrown. “Aren’t you worried your grandpa will see your lock screen?”


    Ryan lowered his voice. “Sorry, Vic. When youe to Braylin, I’ll find a time to introduce you to my grandpa.”


    “Let’s just go with the flow. I’m not in a hurry,” I replied, but my heart sank. Meeting Ryan’s grandpa was like facing the emperor himself–who wouldn’t be intimidated?


    Just as I was chatting with Ryan, I heard Nathan call out from behind me, “Victoria,e take a


    picture.”


    Ryan caught Nathan’s voice too, and his face instantly fell.


    “Alright, I’m hanging up. See you tomorrow,” I said, ending the call without hesitation and heading back to the lounge.


    Turns out, some of the shareholders wanted to take a group photo for the record.


    Jared left the spot next to him open, and ncing around, I realized that was the most natural ce for me to stand.


    Then Nathan suddenly walked over, shot a look at the man on my other side–silently telling him to move–and imed the center position.


    Someone with a professional camera captured the moment for us.


    <b>11:34 </b>Thu, 4 Sept


    <b>66</b>%


    I smiled with ease, hands resting at my sides, the hem of my dress just barely brushing against the suits of the men standing on either side of me.


    We kept the party going until about 9:30, when Yvonne called to say she was spending the night at my


    ce.


    I asked Jared to have someone drop her off, and decided to call it a night myself.


    Since I’d had a few drinks, I couldn’t drive myself. Nathan came out and said, “Victoria, I’ll have my driver take your car home for you.”


    “Thank you, I really enjoyed tonight,” I said, turning back to look at him, my voice full of genuine gratitude.


    Nathan’s eyes softened with a trace of contentment. “Same here. Let’s do this again sometime.”


    “Yeah,” I replied. Nathan opened the car door for me, and after I slid inside, he bent down to quietly tell the driver to drive safe and take his time.


    I lowered the window and gave him a little wave as we pulled away.


    Nathan stood at the edge of the lights, his silhouette slowly fading into the night.


    Tomorrow’s the day I leave for Braylin.


    AD