Chapter <b>103 </b>
Upstairs in the lounge, Jeffrey and Stephen sat face to face. Without looking back, Stephen ordered Bernard and bodyguards, “Leave us. I have something private to discuss with Jeffrey.”
Bernard responded, then left the room with the two bodyguards.
Stephen turned to Jeffrey and asked, “Will you ask your friend to leave? I assume you wouldn’t want him to hear what we’re about to discuss.”
Stanley just nced sideways, quietly watching. It was obvious he was doing whatever Jeffrey wanted.
“No need,” Jeffrey replied calmly. “I don’t have anything to hide.”
Stephen chuckled softly, a smirk ying on his lips. “Let’s see if you can still say thatter.”
Jeffrey was nothing like Stephen. Jeffrey didn’t give a damn if Stephen had dirt on him or if anyone figured out his weak spots. Without beating around the bush, Jeffrey asked, “What are you doing with Reba?”
“Just having a heart–to–heart,” Stephen replied, cool as ever.
“Really? You need all this drama just to talk?” Jeffrey eyed the whole borate setup. ‘There was no way Stephen bought that it was just some random chat,‘ he thought.
“Not for an ordinary heart–to–heart, no.” Stephen drawled, leisurely taking off his sses. “But I was talking to her about your childhood. And I showed her a few photos, for good measure.”
Jeffrey’s whole vibe turned ice cold in an instant. Stephen slid his sses back on, drawling out each word. “Oh? She didn’t mention anything to you?”
Stanley shot Jeffrey a worried look, heart twisting a little. Thest thing Jeffrey ever wanted was to talk about his childhood.
That part of his life was locked away, buried deep where nobody could reach. Even Stanley had always known better than to go there.
Stephen bringing it up with Reba was like poking at a lion’s sore spot, messing with Jeffrey at his most vulnerable.
“She knows I hate talking about that stuff,” Jeffrey said, feeling much calmer thanks to Reba’s gentle instincts. “That kind of automatic care and real love… I’m guessing you’ve never experienced it, have you?”
Stephen’s eyes glinted for a split second behind his sses, betraying a hint of something hard to read.
“You only ever care about power and your own interests,” Jeffrey said, not pulling any punches.
“Well, take a look at this,” Stephen said, pulling up a photo on his phone and sliding it across the table. “I showed her this one, too.”
Jeffrey lowered his eyes. The moment the photo came into view, his heart skipped a beat. Memories were
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instantly pulled back to the past, to that sunny, energetic person who always wore a smile, as if he were still alive.
“So what?” Jeffrey replied, his voice steady. “It’s just a photo.” Stanley blinked, staring at Jeffrey in total confusion.
Stephen’s brows furrowed slightly. He knew very well how much that incident had affected Jeffrey. After that, even if their parents mentioned a single word about it, Jeffrey would react fiercely. ‘Why was he reacting this. way now?‘ Stephen wondered.
“You’ve gone to all this trouble to block me, even tried to control Stanley. So what’s your real goal?” Jeffrey asked, his voice calm and collected, like he’d settled into unshakeable resolve.
Stephen’s gaze stayed fixed on him, scrutinizing every detail. The air in the lounge grew heavy, tension pressing in from all sides.
After watching Jeffrey for a bit and still unable to tell if he was truly unfazed or just putting on a show, Stephen finally spoke, his tone deliberate. “Didn’t I already tell you?”
Jeffrey’s eyes were colder than midnight, deep as an endless abyss, giving nothing away.
He didn’t believe Stephen went through all this just to tell Reba about his past. If he really wanted to, he could have said it anytime, anywhere, without making such a big deal out of it.
“The Primey Technologies awards ceremony should start soon. Want to go check it out?” Stephen switched topics. “Reba might be taking home a prize.”
Jeffrey stayed silent. He just looked at Stephen, his eyes steady and unreadable.
“Since you don’t want to talk, I’ll see myself out,” Stephen said, standing and pushing up his sses. He walked out of the lounge unhurriedly. Jeffrey didn’t say a single word the whole time.
Everything reyed in Stanley’s mind as he hesitated, words catching in his throat. “Jeffrey…
That photo was a gut punch. Stanley honestly worried Jeffrey would get swallowed up by those old memories again.
“What do you think Stephen’s endgame is?” Jeffrey asked, racking his brain for an answer, but nothing added <ol><li>up. </li></ol>
Stanley couldn’t help feeling a bit lost. Honestly, he’d never seen Jeffrey so calm while dealing with a mess like this. Back in the day, Jeffrey would have totally unraveled.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Jeffrey shot him a sidelong nce.
“Stephen just dropped a whole lot on you,” Stanley said, keeping it vague, not wanting to dig too deep in case Jeffrey was just pretending to be okay. “Are you sure you’re alright?”
“I’m fine,” Jeffrey replied.
If it had been before, he might have had some emotional reaction. But beforeing up, he asked Reba;
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Stephen had clearly told her about it and even showed her the photos, yet she didn’t mention a word.
No matter how much the mess with Andrea had hurt her, Reba still kept Jeffrey’s shattered pride and aching heart safe from harm.
If she could have Jeffrey’s back like that, there was no way Jeffrey had ever let someone else mess with his head.
“Really? You’re okay?” Stanley asked, his voice soft and a little uncertain.
Jeffrey turned his head, his strikingly handsome face as casual as ever, and replied with a simple “Yeah.”
Stanley still felt a bit lost, but he decided not to dig any further. As long as Jeffrey was fine, that was the best oue anyway.
“While you were stuck here by his secretary, did you catch anything from what they said?” Jeffrey asked, still feeling uneasy about what Stephen was really aftering here.
“No.” Stanley shook his head. “The three of them acted like their mouths had padlocks.” Jeffrey’s gaze grew a more serious shade.
Stanley chewed over everything. “What if his goal really is just what he said? Like, maybe all that stuff with keeping me out and setting up that car crash was just a smokescreen to mess with us.”
Jeffrey went quiet, mulling it over. ‘Sure, that was possible. But deep down, I just couldn’t believe it was really that simple,‘ he thought.
Not to mention that Stephen’s appearance at the Primey Technologies‘ tenth–anniversary celebration would make the financial news and be known to their parents, just the fact that he was backing Reba would be hard to hide from the one he was keeping at home.
Their rtionship was definitelyplicated, and Stephen never admitted her existence to the public, but Jeffrey was sure she still mattered to Stephen in his own way, even if he never said it out loud.
Causing all this trouble just to throw a minor obstacle in his way wasn’t Stephen’s style.
“Keep a close watch on Reba these next few days,” Jeffrey said, still feeling uneasy. He had no idea what Stephen was really nning, so he’d rather stay on guard.
“Maybe you should just do it yourself?” Stanley said, looking defeated after today’s events. “I don’t think I stand a chance against Stephen. I’m scared I’ll slip up.”
“I’ve
got
other things to deal with. Come on, trust yourself,” Jeffrey replied, his eyes deep and unwavering.
He still hadn’t dealt with whatever was going on between Stephen and Andrea. The way things yed out tonight was almost like Stephen wanted to put their whole messy connection on disy for everyone.
He just couldn’t figure out when Andrea had even gotten mixed up with Stephen. For now, none of those questions had a real answer.
Jeffrey didn’t dwell on it <i>too </i>much. Whatever the case, he would get everything rified when they got back.
Right now, the most important thing was to wait for the celebration tonight to end.
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