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    vouchers


    Reba didn’t ask for details. She went in with Jessica, determined to handle whatever Jack wanted from her.


    “Reba<i>,</i>” Jessica called out, ncing at the people around them. “Are all these people here because they’re curious about you?”


    “I don’t know. Maybe,” Reba replied, unfazed.


    She’d been through this before, right after she married Jeffrey.


    Back then, everyone was curious why someone as high–profile as Jeffrey would marry a fallen heiress like her, and why he was always holding her hand, never letting her out of his sight.


    She’d wondered about it herself too.


    Jeffrey’s answer had been: “Because I only love you.”


    “I’ll drop you guys off here,” Jack said, already turning to leave. “Just call me if you need anything. I’m heading


    out.”


    Reba gave him a polite nod. “Okay, thanks.”


    Jack tossed in, “Grandpa and Uncle David are upstairs. If you’re bored down here, you can always head up- second room on the right, second floor.”


    “Okay,” Reba answered.


    Jack didn’t stick around.


    He went off to handle his own business.


    Sebastian had told him not to hover around Reba the whole time, worried she’d find them annoying.


    As soon as Jack left, some of the other young guests in the banquet hall shifted their attention straight to Reba. They clustered in small groups with drinks in hand, openly watching her with nothing but curiosity and scrutiny in their eyes. <fn7bd5> ???? ????s? ???????s ?? find·novel</fn7bd5>


    “Who’s gonna give it a shot?” asked Charlotte, her long brown hair cascading over her shoulders.


    “She’s basically the little princess of the Guzman and Quinn families. Who’d dare try to approach her?” one of them said.


    “Exactly!” another added.


    “Did you see the entourage when she arrived? Even Sebastian and Mr. Guzman only get attention like that.”


    “Yeah, but Michael from the Quinns doesn’t really seem to approve of her,” someone pointed out.


    “Still, she’s basically the golden girl of both families. You all know how much clout Mr. Guzman and Sebastian


    14:31 Mon<b>, </b><b>Oct </b><b>6 </b>


    420


    have. If you want to test your luck, go ahead–I’m not getting mixed up in all that,” another person said with a shrug.


    “Calling her the golden girl might be jumping the gun,” Charlotte chimed in again. “So far, only Sebastian from the Quinns has really epted her, and on the Guzman side, it’s just Mr. Guzman showing any support.”


    Everyone seemed to agree.


    Charlotte shot Reba a look like she was some naive little rabbit who’d stumbled into the wrong party. “We never met her mom, but all the adults at home have gossiped about her. Word is, Mr. Guzman’s never liked Amelia–so of course he’s not thrilled about her daughter, either.”


    Thatment made a few heads turn, sparking fresh interest.


    “Let me give it a whirl,” Edward Leighton piped up with a cocky grin. “Might as well see if this new Ms. Jensen is as easy to charm as she looks.”


    Everyone: “?” Nobody had any idea what was going on.


    They all watched Edward walk over like he owned the ce, looking at each other,pletely stumped.


    “You…” Someone started to say, looking at Charlotte, but she waved them off, not really bothered.


    “Just let him go,” Charlotte said, holding the others back and shooting Edward a casual nce.


    “Isn’t Reba already married?” someone piped up. “Her husband’s supposed to be that big boss from Jsburg, right?”


    Charlotte gave an indifferent nod. “Yep.”


    The guy frowned, “Then why would you let him try?”


    “He’s always been reckless anyway. It’s about time he hit a wall and learned a lesson,” Charlotte said, arms folded as she leaned casually against a pir, her whole vibe totally rxed. “Let him see for himself—there’s always someone bigger out there.”


    Everyone just went quiet.


    Reba was about to go look for her mom with Jessica when Edward, dressed to the nines in a jet–ck suit, suddenly stepped right into their path.


    Snagging a ss of wine from a passing waiter, Edward shed Reba a charming smile. “Ms. Jensen, pleasure to meet you. Care to join me for a drink?”


    “Sorry, I’m allergic to alcohol. I can’t drink,” Reba shot back, totally unfazed.


    “So, is it just me you’re allergic to, or does this happen around everyone?” Edward asked, keeping his tone easy and yful.


    Reba just looked at him, stunned into silence–did he really not catch the hint?


    <b>14:31 </b><b>Mon</b>, Oct 6


    ‘Seriously, can’t he take a hint?‘ Reba thought to herself, feeling a bit speechless.


    ???????


    “Guess it really is just me,” Edward grinned, picking up on her expression and setting the drink aside. “Well, I’m ttered to be the only one Ms. Jensen has such a strong reaction to,”


    Reba just blinked at him, wondering. ‘Did he seriously just say that?‘


    Jessica shot Reba a confused look, clearly just as thrown off.


    For a moment, both girls were totally at a loss—it was like they couldn’t wrap their heads around how bizarre that guy was acting.


    “Looks like fate brought us together. Since you can’t drink, how about some juice instead?” Edward said cheerfully, handing her a fresh ss. “Let’s call it a small celebration–just for meeting”


    Reba thought it over for a moment, stered on a polite smile, and epted the ss, even though she wasn’t thrilled about it.


    Edward was the only heir to the Leighton family–a pretty important name, even outside the big four. ‘No need to make trouble with someone like that if I can help it, Reba thought. ‘Who knows, after I get my shares, we might even end up working together.‘


    “Mind if I ask your age, Ms. Jensen?” Edward raised his ss in a friendly toast. “And, are you married?”


    “Yeah, I am,” Reba replied, keeping it brief.


    Edward still didn’t catch on. “So, which lucky guynded the jackpot and got to marry someone as young, beautiful, and interesting as you?”


    “Jeffrey,” Reba answered, toozy to deal with his odd choice of words.


    Edward just about spat out his drink, then started coughing like he’d swallowed it wrong.


    He was still coughing, totally thrown, nearly losing his cool right there.


    He gaped at her in disbelief, mind wiped clean. “Wait–who did you say?”


    “Jeffrey from the Hanson Group,” Reba said, cool as ever.


    After tonight, things between them would be done for good.


    By the time this night ended, they’d have parted wayspletely.


    If the timing was right, Jeffrey probably knew everything by now. If he didn’t call or text her, she’d just head to the hospital tomorrow and track him down herself.


    “Sorry!” Edward stammered,pletely blindsided. He’d been king of the dating scene for years—never crashed and burned this hard. “I seriously had no clue you were Jeffrey’s wife. My mistake.”


    Reba set her ss down. “Can I go now?”


    “Of course! Be my guest” Edward said, hastily waving her off.


    Shit! Edward muttered to himself.


    Those useless idiots couldn’t even give me a heads–up!‘ he thought bitterly.


    Reba didn’t linger a moment longer. She left together with Jessica, brushing off the whole fiasco as if none of it bothered her at all.


    But tonight, she was destined to be at the center of every conversation. Whether it was the grand entrance orchestrated by Sebastian and Ryan, or the fact that she was known as Amelia’s daughter, there was no doubt -everyone’s attention was firmly locked on her.


    Just as expected, as soon as Reba found Jessica’s mom, small groups started drifting over.


    This time, though, it wasn’t young people like Edward–it was folks in their forties, fifties, even sixties.


    They gave Reba looks dripping with mockery and sarcasm. One of them sneered, “So, you’re Amelia Quinn’s daughter?”


    “No,” Reba replied, her voice steady and unfazed.


    “No?” They looked at her in disbelief. “Everyone in Honn knows Sebastian and Ryan gave you gifts–do you really think denying it matters?”


    Reba barely flinched at their mocking stares. “My mom’s a Jensen, not a Quinn.”


    Her mom had made it clear–even back in Honn, she was Amelia.


    There was no way she’d ever be Amelia.


    “Jensen or Quinn, who cares? What really matters is that your mom’s got some seriously twisted moves—she actually went and had Mr. Guzman’s kid in secret,” someone sniped.


    “So now she’s rolling out you to go after the Quinn and Guzman families‘ fortune or what?” said another, all mockery.


    “Seriously, that woman has zero shame,” someone scoffed.


    “She even went as far as swapping out her family name just to keep the kid hidden. At this point, dignity means nothing to her,” another person jeered.


    “Apologize,” Reba said, her voice cold and steady.


    They shot each other a look, bursting into snickers like they’d just heard the world’s dumbest joke. “Did you just ask us to apologize?” someone scoffed, disbelief written all over their faces.


    <b>14:31 </b>Mon, <b>Oct </b><b>6 </b>