Chapter 109 The Event
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The man at the far end of the room caught sight of them. His gaze sharpened, and a knowing smile spread across his face as he crossed the floor with smooth confidence. “Not every day I see you show up in person. Ms. Greenwood,” he said warmly. “I take it Mr. Jackson’s been chained to his desk again?”
Dawn blinked. The name hit her like static.
<i>Mr. </i><i>Jackson</i><i>? </i>
Linda’s chest seized. She felt Dawn’s eyes on her, full of quiet questions, and her pulse thudded like a drum in her ears.
“Yeah … he’s swamped most of the time,” Linda forced out, herugh thin and brittle. She longed to vanish. “Sorry, Mr. Grayson, we already promised to meet someone else. Let’s catch
up
Before Dawn could ask anything, Linda gripped her arm and guided her away fast.
Once they reached a quieter corner, Dawn tilted her head. “Our boss is a Jackson too, Ms. Greenwood?<b>” </b>
“Yeah, it is.”
Linda’s gaze slid past
name?<b>” </b>
her like oil refusing to settle. “Why? Do you know someone else with that
“My fiancé,” Dawn said without a pause. Her face brightened with pride the moment Ethan’s name left her lips. “Ethan Jackson. He’s been away for work thesest few days. When he’s back, I’ll introduce you.”
Linda almost choked on air.
Introduce? She already knew him too well.
She and Ethan had gone to the same university. They weren’t in the same program, but their paths had crossed plenty.
By senior year he had seen her talent and convinced her toe back with him tounch apany. She’d agreed, not knowing she was signing up for a life entangled in his.
She thought it was all business, but then for some reason she got entangled in his romance.
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Linda pressed her teeth into the inside of her cheek. She was never good at lies, and tonight her weakness was showing.
“Ms. Greenwood?” Dawn leaned closer, worried.
“You don’t look so good. Are you sick?”
“No, I’m fine.” Linda’s smile barely held as her heart hammered.
“It is kind of funny though. Your fiancé and our boss share the samest name. But since our boss spends most of his life overseas, he usually just goes by his foreign name. As for meeting him … ”
Her voice cracked on the edge of augh.
“We can set it upter. Things are chaos right now.”
Dawn nodded in agreement. “That’s fine. He’s busy too. Oh, and I noticed you graduated from Gregorias University. My fiancé did as well. Maybe you knew him back then.”
Linda froze like ice water had been poured over her.
How could someone be this innocent?
Dawn had nearly solved the puzzle with almost every single piece handed to her, yet she still didn’t see the picture.
<i>Come </i><i>on</i><i>, </i><b><i>just </i></b><i>finish </i>it <i>already</i><i>! </i>
Linda wanted to confess and tear the secret into the open, but instead she bit her tongue till it hurt and shoved Dawn into conversation after conversation, making her meet people until the girl’s energy drained away.
By the second half of the night, Dawn was gging.
“Sweetheart, go sit for a while,” Linda urged, her own energy climbing as if fed by panic. “Drink some water. <b>I’ll </b>take care of things here.”
Dawn gave in.
Still, she watched Linda’s sudden vitality with suspicion. It felt less like caffeine and more like something boiling from inside.
She rubbed her neck and found a seat in a quiet corner.
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The event wasn’t ck–tie, but the crowd buzzed with influence. She recognized several faces from magazines and interviews.
Lifting a ss<b>, </b>she took a sip before unlocking her phone.
One unread text called to her more than the rest. <fn3db1> Checktest chapters at find?novel</fn3db1>
Ethan texted, “Home yet?”
Her lips curved. She typed back quickly. “Not yet. Linda dragged me to aworking thing. It’s still ongoing.”
Ethan read it in silence. His eyes darkened with thought before he answered.
Ethan texted, “Are you bored?”
Dawn answered, “I’m fine.”
Dawn added, “But Linda’s wired tonight. Honestly, I’ve only seen thepany’s owner once since I joined. If Linda weren’t here, the whole ce would fall apart.”
Ethan’s jaw locked.
A dryugh stuck in his throat.
He’d think she was trying to be funny with him if not for the fact that she had no idea he was thepany’s owner.
“Mr. Jackson,” Oliver reminded softly, “our guest has arrived.”
Ethan nodded, typing ast message before putting the phone aside.
Ethan texted, “Meeting a partner now. Have fun. I’ll call youter.”
Dawn muttered under her breath when she read it. “I’m not a kid.” She sent a quick reply, then slipped her phone away.
When she lifted her head, a man was watching her.
That surprised her.
“Uh, hi. Can I help you?”
He looked mid tote thirties, dressed in a tailored suit. His features wereposed, but his eyes burned like someone seeing a ghost.
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“Hello,” he said gently as he lowered himself into the chair beside her.
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His palm was mmy with sweat. He set down his ss too quickly, then rubbed his hand against his jacket as if trying to wipe away the evidence.