Seeing him like this, Julian felt a pang of sympathy. In the end, Sebastian was a lonely man.


    Joanna''spanionship had been nothing more than a means to ess the Griffith family''s resources.


    But Nathan was an idiot who ran his business into the ground.


    Julian looked at Sebastian and asked a soul-searching question. "Sebastian, since you came to me, let''s talk. What is it that you like about Joanna?"


    Sebastian was taken aback. What did he like about Joanna?


    He shook his head. "Being with Joanna wasplicated. Something was always happening with her, and she was constantly calling me away. But before Natalie revealed the truth, I liked her for her purity."


    "But even her purity was just an act. And the person ying along with her was Natalie. One was vicious, the other pure. Natalie''s role was simply to make her look good," Julian interrupted with a smile.


    Sebastian''s face was devoid of expression. He had spent countless nights


    pondering this, but he could never make sense of it.


    Perhaps he had once had feelings for Joanna, which was why he always answered her call.


    Thinking back now, what did Joanna really want?


    It hit him then. The emotional dam he had been holding back for so long finally broke, and his eyes filled with sorrow.


    The Joanna he thought had been genuine with him was, in fact, scheming all along. And the Natalie who had treated him with true sincerity, he hadpletely ignored. Sebastian finally understood. He thanked Julian and left.


    Julian shook his head. Matters of the heart were always unpredictable.


    After all the twists and turns, all the stumbling and falling, there was no guarantee they would end up together.


    Jared didn''t go home. He sat in his car, lost in thought, before finally deciding to call Susan.


    Susan had been exhausted from leading her team in apetition for the past few days. When the phone rang in the middle of the night, she thought it was one of her team members with a problem.


    When she saw it was Jared''s number waking her up, she nearly exploded with anger.


    The wind was strong on the ind, making sleep difficult.


    She answered the phone and yelled, "Jared, are you insane? Calling me in the middle of the night? Do you have any idea how hard it is it is to sleep here?"


    Jared was stunned. Susan rarely spoke to him like that.


    His expression turned cold. "Susan, didn''t want to wake you. I''m getting


    I''m asking you, are


    youing or not?"


    are


    "No, I''m noting! You expect me to attend the wedding of a woman on her third marriage? In your


    Who are you trying to disgust? Waking me up in the middle of the night. I was having a great dream about kissing a handsome guy, and you ruined it. Screw you!"


    Susan hung up before he could respond.


    Jared was speechless.


    Now wide awake, Susany in bed, staring at the ceiling.


    She seethed with hatred for the person who had woken her.


    Thinking about all the years she''d wasted chasing after Jared, she wanted to p herself silly.


    They had been deskmates since first grade, through middle school and high school, and even attended the same university.


    It was such a coincidence that she had started to believe in destiny.


    But two years ago, a woman named Monica had suddenly appeared by his side.


    Monica knew she had feelings for Jared and constantly schemed against her.


    Yet Jared always took Monica''s side, forcing her to apologize to Monica over the smallest things.


    He always said Monica had a difficult life and that since her family was well-off, she should be the one to give in.


    She had been utterly shocked when she heard that.


    Just because her family was well-off, she had to yield to a woman who constantly bullied her?


    Thinking about it now, Susan''s chest tightened with anger. She screamed into the night sky.


    "To hell with love! I''m better off on my own!"