Chapter 7

Jared froze. Not only had Yvonne blocked him, but she didn't seem to care about his health either. It was the first time Yvonne had ever said that she wanted to break up with him. He had to admit that she was doing a pretty good job pretending like she was serious about it.

He was certain she'd fled as soon as she could because she feared she would slip up and reveal her act to him. There was no way she genuinely wanted to leave him!

The whole time, they'd never even gotten into a proper argument. She'd never thrown a tearful tantrum either. This wasn't the way people behaved when they wanted to break up.

To Jared, this was nothing more than the two of them giving each other the silent treatment, and the first person to back down would be the loser.

He didn't believe that Yvonne truly didn't care about him.

The VIP elevator came to a stop on the 17th floor. Wayne was startled when Jared showed up at the projects department in person a second time. He wondered if he should inform Jared about Yvonne's situation.

Meanwhile, Jared glanced at Yvonne's desk, only to find it empty. There was no sign of her.

"Mr. Ford?" Wayne called out.

"I pressed for the wrong floor," Jared said before going back inside the elevator with a sullen expression.

Surely Yvonne was hiding somewhere and worrying about him!

…

That evening, Jared and his friends gathered at Thompson Lounge. Even as the guys indulged in wine, they could tell that Jared was in a bad mood.

When Jared noticed he'd become the topic of discussion, he downed his wine before saying dismissively, "The food tastes bad."

"You can't make such comments lightly!" Shane exclaimed as he shot to his feet. "My family's restaurant is famous for its seafood. I specifically asked the chef to prepare his best. If the food isn't up to your standards, that means I'll have to fire the chef."

"Jared here doesn't like eating seafood that needs to be shelled. He'll only eat it if someone else deshells the meat and feeds it to him," Anthony chimed in playfully.

Jared's eyes darkened slightly. He'd never had to peel any sort of seafood for himself before. With Yvonne at his side, he'd always had an endless supply of peeled and deshelled seafood served to him.

Noticing the distracted look in Jared's eyes, Anthony rolled his sleeves up and jumped into action.

"Over here, Jared. I'll feed you," he said as he held a crab claw out to Jared.

Everyone chuckled in jest, but Jared looked over sourly and muttered, "Cut it out. Don't make me lose my appetite for the wine too."

"When did you become such a spoilsport, Jared?" Anthony complained as he withdrew his hand. It seemed like Yvonne's absence was affecting Jared quite badly.

"Haven't you and Yvonne made up yet?"

Anthony grabbed Jared's phone and tapped away while saying, "I told Yvonne we're having dinner here, but she didn't respond to me. I bet she wants you to reach out to her yourself."

"Hang on!"

Unfortunately for Jared, he failed to stop Anthony in time.

Looking utterly perplexed, Anthony glanced over at Jared and asked, "Did Yvonne block you?"

Jared didn't know what to say, and everyone else was so startled that they kept quiet too.

"It seems like Yvonne is genuinely mad this time, Jared. You should try to placate her. Stop giving her the silent treatment. Don't wait until you're forced to live with regrets," Anthony persuaded softly.

"I'm not doing it!" Jared snapped back in frustration.

He refused to be the first to give in.

…

Meanwhile, one of the guys who'd gone off to bring his lady companion in came rushing back. He cried out, "I ran into Yvonne downstairs. Who said she's fighting Jared? She's here, isn't she? He's always been her top priority!"

Hearing that, Jared smiled, and his sullen expression cleared up.

Yet, even after 15 minutes, there was still no sign of Yvonne.

Clearing his throat, Shane suggested, "Perhaps she doesn't know where we are."

He went off to check the surveillance footage, but when he came back, he hesitantly reported, "I don't think it's that Yvonne couldn't find us. She went to a private room on the fourth floor. According to our records, the booking was made by the Feland family."

"Could it be that Yvonne isn't here to look for Jared but to have a date with another guy instead?" Anthony blurted out.

Immediately, everyone fell silent, and Jared's expression turned stormy.

…

Over at the private room on the fourth floor, Yvonne was presenting the theme of the jewelry exhibition on her tablet.

Luther Feland, the president of Feland Group, sat across from her. He was dressed in a bespoke suit. Everything from the silver tie pin gleaming against his blue tie to the expensive watch on his wrist was a nod to his social standing.

"If you have no objections to the terms, Mr. Feland, we can finalize the contract right now."

The Felands and the Fords were both business partners and rivals at the same time. The Felands also operated over a dozen five-star hotels in Jeriton City.

"Considering how you sacrifice your dinner for work too, Ms. Jamison, I have full confidence in an exhibition helmed by you. Let's sign the contract after we've finished our meal," Luther said.

When booking the private room, he'd taken the liberty of ordering a wide selection of the restaurant's seafood offerings, and the table was filled to the brim.

"Alright."

Having been in the industry for several years now, Yvonne was familiar with the way such business discussions worked. She also needed to ensure that they could set up the venue for the exhibition in advance.

Paying no attention to the seafood laid out on the dining table, Yvonne merely picked at the salad.

"Do you not like seafood, Ms. Jamison?" Luther asked as he looked at her probingly. "During my last dinner meeting with Mr. Ford, I noticed that you kept deshelling the seafood, so I assumed you liked it. Shall I get them to serve something else instead?"

Yvonne didn't like eating seafood—and she detested peeling them.

"That won't be necessary. I should head back to the office soon," she said.

Dropping the identity of Jared's secretary had been rather freeing for her. She no longer had to wear heels, and she could even get her nails done just the way she liked them. She didn't have to abide by Jared's preferences anymore.

Picking up on the connotation of her words, Luther got straight to the point.

"I heard you gave up on your role as a secretary and transferred to the projects department. You're a very capable person, Ms. Jamison. Have you ever considered joining Feland Group? Feel free to name your terms."

Was this a blatant attempt to steal her from Ford Corporation, or was Luther trying to hint at something else?

Smiling faintly, Yvonne asked, "Do you still need more secretaries, Mr. Feland? If I recall correctly, both Ms. Blau and Ms. Zimmerman are excellent at their work."

Yvonne had a sixth sense about these things. Although she was meeting Luther in private for work matters, it was obvious what the meaningful look in his eyes suggested.

"Pardon me. I didn't make myself clear." Schooling his expression, he said somewhat earnestly, "It's clear that being a secretary is nothing to you, especially considering your education and background. This exhibition is proof of that as well.

"I'm genuinely extending an offer for you to join us at Feland Group—not as a secretary, but for a position far more suited to you. You don't need to give me a reply right away. Our doors will always be open to you."

"Thank you," Yvonne said without giving a straight answer.

Once dinner was over, Yvonne grabbed the contract Luther had signed and got up to leave. "I'll email you about the other details for the exhibition, Mr. Feland. I'll be taking my leave now."

Since she didn't drive today, she went out to the entrance and hailed a cab.

…

Luther was heading to the parking lot when he ran into Jared at the elevator.

"Mr. Ford? Is this a coincidence, or have you been waiting for me?"

Jared narrowed his eyes dangerously as he glared at Luther in fury. "I've warned you before, Mr. Feland. Don't get any ideas about Yvonne. She's mine."

Due to the business collaborations between the Fords and the Felands, it was unavoidable for the two men to bump into each other from time to time.

As it was, men understood men the best, and Luther had had his eyes on Yvonne for some time now.

"I think you've misunderstood something, Mr. Ford. It was Ms. Jamison who invited me out today," Luther said with a taunting smirk.

Just then, Anthony and Shane appeared. They instantly sensed the sparks of hostility flying between Luther and Jared.

"Hey, now. We're all friends here. Let's keep things civil as a favor to me, yeah?" Shane said as he swiftly got in between the two.

Being on fairly good terms with Luther as well, he turned to Luther and said exasperatedly, "Everyone knows that Yvonne is Jared's girlfriend, so watch yourself. You shouldn't go after your friend's woman."

However, Luther purposely asked, "Do you guys think Yvonne is trying to seduce me? Or am I the one trying to seduce her?"

Instantly, Jared's anger flared. Glowering at Luther, he warned, "Yvonne is mine. I've kept her by my side all these years. She belongs to me. No one else can touch her!"