「The night of the cocktail party.」
Vesper Grayson wore a light-colored, form-fitting gown that draped to her ankles, accentuating her slender and willowy figure.
Her makeup was exquisite, and her soft black hair fell over her chest. The bright white lights of the hotel lobby illuminated her face, making her look like a fairy descended to the mortal realm—so ethereally beautiful that it was impossible to look away.
She stood with graceful poise, waiting quietly.
"Vesper?"
A gentle, uncertain voice called out from behind her.
Vesper Grayson slowly turned. Seeing who it was, she smiled faintly. "Keane, long time no see."
A look of undisguised admiration flashed in Gael Keane’s eyes.
"Yeah, we haven’t seen each other since graduation. It’s been a few years, and you’ve gotten even more beautiful, Vesper."
"You’ve matured quite a bit, too."
Back then, Gael Keane had just been a reserved young man. Now, dressed in a white suit with short, neat hair and refined features, he had a more mature charm.
Gael Keane smiled. "Some of us in the university class group chat were just talking about organizing a reunion. It’s set for next Monday. If you’re free, Vesper, you have to come. We can have a proper catch-up."
"Sure."
Vesper Grayson replied absentmindedly, her eyes subtly scanning the guests coming and going as she searched for Valen.
"Keane, shall we go inside and talk?"
She hadn’t forgotten her purpose for coming to this cocktail party.
It wasn’t simply to reminisce with Gael Keane.
Hearing this, Gael Keane hesitated. "...Vesper, I can’t take you in."
Each invitation only admitted two people.
In other words, a person holding an invitation could only bring one female companion.
Vesper Grayson froze, her heart sinking. "Keane, are you messing with me?"
"Vesper, I’m sorry!" A guilty look crossed Gael Keane’s face. "Just a moment ago, I got a call from my mother. She told me to bring her best friend’s daughter to the banquet..."
"Gael Keane, why didn’t you tell me sooner?"
If he had told her earlier, she could have found another way. But now, at the eleventh hour, he had changed his mind.
With so little time, how was she supposed to figure something out?
"I’m sorry, Vesper, I have no choice. I hope you can understand. However..." Gael Keane paused. Under Vesper Grayson’s expectant gaze, he said slowly, "If you’re willing to be my girlfriend, then I’ll have a legitimate reason to refuse the other arrangement and take you inside."
"All these years, no one else has captured my heart. I’ve never forgotten you. Vesper, I like you. Say you’ll be my girlfriend, okay?"
He reached out to touch her face, his eyes filled with undisguised lust.
Vesper Grayson froze and slapped his hand away the instant he was about to touch her.
"Don’t you own a mirror? If not, why don’t you find a puddle and take a look at yourself?"
Gael Keane’s expression turned ugly. His gentle facade vanished as he said coldly, "Vesper Grayson, I know you’re competing for the VP position at Grayson Corporation. If I don’t get you in, you can forget about getting close to Mr. Valen. I’m giving you a chance. Do you think just anyone can get into a banquet hosted by Mr. Chandler?"
The Keane Family only got an invitation to this banquet because of their business relationship with the Chandler Corporation.
Vesper Grayson’s gaze turned icy. "I’m not interested."
"Caleb!"
A soft voice called out. The speaker was wearing a vibrant red, form-fitting strapless dress with a slit up to the knee. The satin fabric made her look bold and eye-catching.
She ran to Gael Keane’s side and linked her arm through his affectionately.
Gael Keane answered her, then deliberately turned to Vesper with a look of feigned apology. "Vesper, I’ve already promised to take Gwen in. I really can’t take you, so you’d better find another way."
"Sister, so you were the companion Caleb said he was bringing?" Gwen Grayson feigned surprise. "But what can I do? Caleb already promised to take me. You wouldn’t blame your little sister, would you?"
"Of course not!" Vesper Grayson said with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. "Since Mr. Keane has already promised Gwen, I’ll just have to find another way."
"In that case, Caleb and I will head in first."
Gwen Grayson’s lips curled into a smirk, her delight too great to hide.
’Who could she blame? She didn’t have her birth mother to protect her, while Gwen Grayson had Joyce Rivers scheming in the background.’
’But she had gotten used to it over the years.’
’No one’s life is perfect.’
After Gael Keane and Gwen Grayson left, Vesper Grayson pursed her lips and took out her phone, scrolling through her contacts cluelessly.
Just then, out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a familiar, tall figure entering the main doors.
Jared Hawthorne!
Her eyes instantly lit up.
’Perfect timing.’
Jared Hawthorne was speaking to Noah Nash behind him. Noah was the first to notice Vesper Grayson, and he raised an eyebrow, his tone teasing.
"Elias, look who it is."
The man glanced over at his words, his gaze locking onto the slender figure. His dark eyes, deep and distant, narrowed slightly.
Confident that the man had noticed her, Vesper Grayson started walking slowly toward him.
"President Hawthorne, what a coincidence seeing you here."
Jared Hawthorne stood with one hand in his pocket, his long, deep-set eyes sweeping over her nonchalantly.
"What is it?"
His tone was cool and detached.
Vesper Grayson smiled. "Are you here for Mr. Chandler’s banquet, President Hawthorne?"
When he didn’t reply, she shamelessly pressed on.
"President Hawthorne... are you in need of a companion?"
"You want me to take you inside?" Jared Hawthorne cut right to the chase.
Vesper Grayson nodded eagerly, but the man’s next words made her smile freeze on her face.
"Miss Grayson is an engaged woman, isn’t she? How could she attend a banquet with a strange man?"
"..."
’This jerk really knows how to hold a grudge.’
Just as he was about to walk past her, Vesper Grayson grabbed the corner of his jacket and pleaded softly.
"President Hawthorne, tonight’s party is very important to me. Please, take me inside."
Jared Hawthorne glanced down at her. "Give me a satisfactory reason, and maybe I’ll consider it."
’He’s clearly holding a grudge about how I rejected him and tried to cut ties before.’
She took a step forward, stood on her tiptoes, and leaned in to whisper softly in the man’s ear.
"How about you help me, just this once, for the sake of our fleeting fling?"
The next second, an arm wrapped tightly around her slender waist. Vesper Grayson’s body stiffened, and she instinctively struggled but couldn’t break free. A flash of annoyance crossed her eyes, but since she was the one asking for a favor, she could only force a smile.
"I never help anyone for free. If you want me to take you inside, Miss Grayson, you’ll have to pay a price."
His voice was low and utterly bewitching.
Vesper Grayson’s heart skipped a beat. She looked at him, her beautiful eyes wary.
"President Hawthorne, what are you planning to do?"
"Kiss me."
"..."
Jared Hawthorne released her, looking bored. "If Miss Grayson is unwilling, then forget it."
’It’s just a kiss, right?’
’It’s not like we haven’t kissed before.’
Vesper Grayson grabbed his wrist, pulled him into a nearby room, stood on her tiptoes, wrapped her arms around the man’s neck, and kissed him almost fiercely.
"Satisfied?"
Jared Hawthorne’s brow furrowed, his voice turning cold and heavy. "In your eyes, Miss Grayson, am I someone who must be hidden away, someone so easily dismissed?"
"Jared Hawthorne, don’t push it!"
Vesper Grayson bit her lip, wishing she could slap this man who kept pushing his luck.
’She’d already done what he asked, and he was still not satisfied!!’