<b>Chapter </b><b>47 </b>


    Everyone froze for a moment, trading bewildered nces. No one had any clue where they’d pissed off Jeffrey.


    “I take it none of you are too happy with me stepping in for Primey Technologies,” Jeffrey said coolly, brushing off his sleeves and rising to his feet. “Guess I should take my leave then.”


    Everyone quickly chimed in, “No, no, that’s a misunderstanding! How could we ever be unhappy with you running Primey Technologies?”


    “Having you manage Primey Technologies is an honor. Otherpanies would kill for the chance.”


    “If we’ve done anything to offend you, please just let us know.”


    Everyone instantly got anxious.


    Everyone knew Jeffrey’s reputation. He surpassed his brother to be the Hanson family heir, a business titan famed for saving strugglingpanies.


    He was the kind of big shot they practically had to beg to show up. Now that they’d finally gotten him, there was no way they’d let him walk out that door.


    “Is there some kind of misunderstanding?” Jason asked. He was all elegance in his crisp white suit, speaking in a gentle,


    refined tone.


    Jeffrey’s gaze slid over to Reba, tracing down from her face to the coffee in her hand. “No misunderstanding. I just can’t help noticing how talented you all are at making thingsplicated.”


    Everyone’s expressions went pale; they were totally freaking out.


    At that moment, Charles suddenly recalled that earlier, he’d switched the wine Reba was supposed to drink for coffee.


    “You’ve misunderstood, Mr. Hanson. That wasn’t our intention,” Charles said smoothly, swapping the coffee in Reba’s


    hand for wine.


    He gave Jeffrey an apologetic nce<i>. </i><i>“</i>My mistake. I thought Reba was with you. I’ll punish myself with three shots.” With that, he downed three drinks in quick session.


    Reba nced over, her eyes meeting Jeffrey’s through the crowded room.


    “Reba, you need to toast Mr. Hanson three times as well,” Jason reminded her with a subtle cough. “Show Mr. Hanson some respect and apologize.”


    Reba’s fingers curled tightly around the wine <b>ss</b>. She really couldn’t hold her liquor; her tolerance was terrible, and Jeffrey knew it all too well.


    “Seems like one of your employees has a real problem with me,” Jeffrey said as he lowered his gaze to Reba, his toneced with subtle challenge.


    “She’s new here, not quite familiar with these business customs yet. Please don’t mind her,” Jason quickly covered for


    13:15 Fri<b>, </b>19 Sept


    Reba, and then shot her a meaningful look, urging her, “Go ahead. Apologize to Mr. Hanson.”


    <b>3 </b>


    <b>38</b><b>% </b>


    The tension in the private room was thick enough to cut with a knife. People suddenly realized Reba and Jeffrey had some kind of connection, but none of them had the nerve to guess what it actually was.


    +20


    Just as Jason was about to prompt her for a third time, Reba finally lifted her ss to Jeffrey. “Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention earlier. My bad,” she said, and with zero hesitation, she knocked back three drinks in a row, not even pausing for


    breath.


    The high–proof liquor went straight down her throat, the searing burn making her brow furrow. Honestly, she’d never had that much hard alcohol in one go before.


    “That’s your idea of an apology?” Jeffrey was already seated again, his slender fingers tapping on the table, exuding that cool, untouchable authority of someone used to being in charge.


    Reba met his gaze. “So, what do you want?”


    Jeffrey’s eyes drifted from her face to the bottle of high–proof liquor beside her. “Finish that bottle.”


    “And then you’ll drop it?” Reba pressed.


    Jeffrey looked right back at her. “Yes.”


    Reba grabbed the bottle.


    The others, realizing what was going down, quietly slid back into their seats, not a peep out of anyone.


    Reba stood alone at the table. She poured out the liquor, fully prepared to knock it back all at once, hoping the burn wouldn’t linger in her mouth for too long.


    “Wait,” Jeffrey called out, stopping her.


    Reba halted mid–motion, turning to look at him. The three shots were definitely starting to hit; her head was swimming a little.


    Jeffrey reached over, going for the ss in her hand.


    Reba instinctively tightened her grip. “What do you want?”


    “Just making sure it’s really booze and not just water,” Jeffrey said, his warm fingertips brushing against her cool, delicate hand as he took the ss.


    The contact made her flinch, snatching her hand back like she’d touched a live wire.


    Others saw the whole thing, and they were sure that Jeffrey and Reba had a kind of rtionship.


    Sitting beside Jeffrey, Jason couldn’t help wondering if Reba was Jeffrey’s soon to be ex–wife whom everyone gossiped about.


    Everyone in the business knew the rumors about Jeffrey and his wife, but few had ever seen her in person, let alone dined with both of them. Especially at a ce like Primey Technologies–not even Fortune 500–no one here had met


    ? <b>37</b>%


    Jeffrey’s wife.


    <b>+20 </b>


    Besides, Jeffrey was known for keeping the media far from his private life. Photos of his wife never leaked. Even the scandal with Andrea was quickly erased by his team. Those who knew him noticed from his build, but to everyone else, he was practically a ghost.


    That was why Jason was left guessing, and why everyone else’s imagination was running wild.


    “Just how do you expect me to pull a swap with everyone’s eyes glued to me?” Reba muttered, convinced Jeffrey was just nitpicking for drama.


    Jeffrey nced at Charles by her side, casual as ever. “Pretty sure the wine turned into coffee earlier, didn’t it?”


    Charles just let out an embarrassed chuckle.


    Reba held back a sigh, chest tight with annoyance. As Jeffrey lifted the ss and gave it a good sniff, she couldn’t help but ask. “Well? Think it’s water or actually the real thing?”


    Jeffrey called out, setting the ss down on the table, “Mr. Smith.”


    “Yes?” Jason answered immediately.


    Jeffrey’s eyes stayed locked on Reba. “Tell me, are all your employees this fiery, or is it just her?”


    Reba couldn’t find aeback, and Jason was leftpletely speechless.


    If Reba really was Jeffrey’s wife, this would be way out of their league. But if she wasn’t, then from the way the two of them were acting, there was definitely something special going on.


    Jason didn’t know Jeffrey all that well, but he did know that when Jeffrey was truly unhappy with someone, he never acted like this.


    Jeffrey would either leave the table without a word, leaving everyone baffled until his “gift” arrived and reality sank in, or he’d pressure the room so heavily that no one dared breathe.


    But right now, Jason felt that Jeffrey was just teasing. “You’re joking, Mr. Hanson. Primey Technologies is yourpany now, too,” Jason replied carefully, picking his words.


    Jeffrey rested his fingers on the ss, nudged it closer to Reba, and said, “No doubt. It’s real liquor.”


    Reba didn’t move to take it.


    Reba suddenly realized something was off. The three shots hadn’t seemed like much at first, but the more she argued with Jeffrey, the stronger the alcohol hit/Her head grew heavy, her mind blurred, and her fingers tingled with numbness.


    “Why aren’t you drinking?” Jeffrey took in every detail of her reaction, knowing exactly how buzzed she was.


    With the liquor soaking through her system, Reba’s attitude fired right back. “Drink? Fine, I’ll drink!”


    She grabbed the ss and drank quickly, ignoring the <b>mess</b><b>. </b>The rim hit her lips as liquor spilled down her jaw, slid over


    her neck, and soaked into her shirt cor.


    <b>3/4 </b>