Chapter 687

His Mandarin was impeccable.

I froze for a moment, then smiled. “I work in Hachester.”

He flashed a grin, his bright, even teeth making him look all the more cheerful. “Hachester? I’ve been there – it’s truly a beautiful city.”

I smiled and lowered my head, focusing on the food in front of me.

He followed behind me with a plate of foie gras and said, “Hachester isn’t far from Shaville, right? I used to work in Shaville for a while, but I never got the chance to visit Hachester. I’ve only heard people say, ‘Above is heaven, below are Shaville and Hachester.’”

His words drifted over from behind as I walked ahead. I replied lightly, “You should check it out when you get the chance.”

“Definitely!” he said with a grin, then added, “I’m Joel Sinclair. What’s your name?”

Just as I was about to speak, Edward’s voice suddenly rang out. “Joel, what do you think would happen if Jane Leigh found out you were hitting on other women?”

Joel turned around and, spotting Edward, flashed a friendly grin. “Mr. Jennings, sorry – is she your girlfriend?”

Edward stepped up beside me, his eyes cold as he stared Joel down. “Don’t mess with her.”

I looked from Joel to Edward, catching the name Edward had just mentioned – a woman called Jane Leigh.

“Mr. Jennings, you’ve got it wrong,” Joel said sincerely. “I just felt friendly since she’s from Clusia.”

Edward kept a cold expression as he took my hand and led me away.

He brought me straight out of the banquet hall and into a quiet corner of the rooftop garden. He snapped, “Why do you always attract so much attention from other men?”

Me: ‘What?!’

“Do you just say yes to any handsome guy who comes your way?” Edward had never lost his temper with me like this before.

I couldn’t stay silent anymore and shot back, “He was the one who started talking to me. I don’t just say yes to anyone.”

“It was just being polite, why are you making such a big deal out of it?” I arched an eyebrow. “Oh, I get it— you’re jealous because you still care about your ex-wife, and seeing her with another guy just set you off, huh?”

I’m not clueless – I could see exactly how Edward was acting.

If he’s this worked up over his ex-wife’s new boyfriend, it’s obvious who he really cares about.

Edward looked stunned, completely caught off guard.

I shoved him away, yanked off my necklace, and pressed it into his hand. “I need to leave. This just isn’t my scene.”

With that, I turned, brushed past his shoulder, gathered up my skirt, and headed for the exit.

I walked out of the banquet hall with my head held high, but my other clothes were still in his room.

I knew there were a few women’s boutiques on the first floor, so I went down, bought a new outfit, and changed right away. I dropped off my evening dress at the front desk and texted Edward to pick it up himself.

I grabbed a cab and headed back to my apartment.

Elaine was at home, holding a bowl of instant noodles, her eyes wide with surprise when I walked in. “Ms. Murphy, why are you back all of a sudden?”

I smiled. “Can’t I just come home whenever I feel like it?”

“That’s not it,” Elaine said, her face full of gossip. “I heard someone’s been picking you up from school lately. You’ve got a steady boyfriend now, right? I figured he wouldn’t just let you come home alone.”

I said flatly, “I go wherever I want. Nobody gets to tell me what to do.”

“You’re a boss, Ms. Murphy!” Elaine gave me a thumbs-up. “I’ll split my noodles with you.”

I couldn’t help but laugh and said, “You full yet? If not, my treat – let’s head downstairs for some food and drinks.”

“For real? Sweet! The rich lady’s picking up the tab!” Elaine teased, putting on an exaggerated tone.

We went downstairs together. I wasn’t really craving anything, but I loved watching Elaine eat – she could really put it away.

I had a few drinks on the side, and as the alcohol started to hit me, I found myself floating somewhere between tipsy and sober. Honestly, it felt kind of nice.

Once Elaine was stuffed, I paid the bill, and the two of us walked arm in arm back to the apartment.

From a distance, I spotted a car parked outside the building with its lights off. The moment I saw it, a chill ran down my spine.

Sure enough, the door opened, and Edward stepped out.

Elaine finally got a good look at the guy I’d been seeing lately and blurted out, “Damn, he looks expensive! Ms. Murphy, you really know how to pick them.”