Chapter 85
The single term of address “Mrs. White” left everyone in the room stunned, with their jaws practically hitting the floor
This misunderstanding had just gotten much bigger
Now, they all law that I wasn’t Alvin’s significant other but Tom’s.
In an instant, all eyes locked on me, brimming with curiosity. After all, it was the first time anyone had seen Tom bring a woman to a gathering like this.
“You werm’t going to explain it to them? Hmm?” Tom’s voice was light as he reached out to ruffle my hair. His teasing tone made my heart slap a brat.
“I didn’t have the chance to explain. You showed up too fast…” I replied, trying to sound calm.
“I believe you this time,” he said, his fingers trailing down to the back of my neck for a quick, grele squeeze before letting go
Tut even though the touch was brief, the roughness of his fingertips brushing against my skin left a lingering warmth that I couldn’t quite shake
My hand drifted to the back of my neck almost absentmindedly, rubbing the spot as I fought an odd sense of fluster. It was just a casual touch, but the familiarity of it unsettled me
li was almost lilie. I had felt it before….
I shook the thought from my head. Maybe I was getting too into character, so much so it was starting to mess with my mind.
“Mrs. White, nice to meet you.”
The group’s voices snapped me back to reality. One by one, they greeted me, all calling me Mrs. White in unison.
I had never been in a situation like this before. My smile felt still as I nodded and greeted them back politely, though I could already feel the muscles in mmy cheeks aching from the effort.
“Alright, get lost. Stop crowding around like that!”
Noticing my discomfort, Tom waved them off with a playful grin.
As the group reluctantly backed off, he took my hand and led me toward a corner booth with a plush couch.
“This whole thing was put together by Alvin. These are all his friends. If you’re feeling bored or overwhelmed, just let me know, and we’ll head home,” Timm explained as he sat beside me, draping an arm casually over the backrest behind me.
The gesture was natural yet carried a subtle, almost possessive energy
Despite being shooed away, the group didn’t stray far. They lingered nearby, keeping a distance but still stealing glances at Tom
It was clear that within this circle of friends, there was a hierarchy. And Tom, without a doubt, stood at the top of it.
Not long after, a few people who seemed closer to him wandered over to our booth.
Tom, I heard you’re involved in military tech research?” one of them asked..
“Yeah,” Tom replied with an easy nod, crossing one leg over the other as he leaned back slightly. “Why? Thinking about investing?”
“H, I’d love to The question is whether you’d even give me the chance.”
Tom smirked faintly. “There’s a bidding project coming up next month. If anyone’s interested, you can check it out.”
The moment Tom mentioned the upcoming project, the group immediately buzzed with excitement. They swarmed closer as they talked over one
The atmosphere shifted in an instant, turning lively and animated
At first, Tom responded sparingly, offering a few words here and there, but it wasn’t long before he fell mostly silent. Instead, his attention shifted to casually passing me pieces of fruit and snacks.
Tum, want to play cards?” socieune called out from a nearby table.
Tom tilted his head toward for “Want to play?
“I don’t know how,” I said quickly, shaking my head.
“Come on. I’ll teach you” Without waiting for further protest from me, Ton took my hand and gently pulled me to my feet, leading me
toward the cand
At first, my rhes got the better ofte. My palins felt
slightly sw
sweaty as I chansily held the cards, unsure of what to do
but with Tom standing right lehind: and acting as ing strategist, I ended up winning several rounds in a row.
The pile of chips in front of me grew larger and larger, quickly ballooning to noumit worthi tens of thousands of dollars at the current exchange rate.
I quickly excused myself, claiming I was tired and didn’t want to play anymore.
I could tell that the other three players at the table had been deliberately letting me win, all out
And favors like that came with strings. The more you look, the lower the price. It was best to know when to staju
Chapter 85
“By the way, did you guys check out Twitter’s trending toples today? Mandy and Gavin made their relationship official! I heard they were both married and divorced, and now, they’re back together. True love, huh? After all these years of ups and downs, they still ended up finding each other…”
The voice came from a man sitting a little ways off, and he was dressed in a loud floral shirt. His tone was animated as he gossiped, but he didn’t seem to notice the sudden shift in the atmosphere.
“And I heard Gavin’s ex–wife wasn’t exactly innocent either. Apparently, she cheated on him during the marriage, and the guy she cheated with was Gavin’s best pal or something…”
The man was getting more and more into his story,
ory, but just as the words left his mouth, his gaze collided with Tom’s.
The icy look in Tom’s half–lidded eyes stopped him dead in his tracks.
The man visibly flinched, the air going out of him in an instant.
“Sorry about that, Tom. He’s just back from overseas and doesn’t know how things work. Don’t take it personally…” another voice cut in quickly, an edge of nervousness in their tone
I pressed my lips together, stealing a glance toward Tom. I felt a faint panic as a realization struck me with alarming clarity.
Our messy history–mine with Gavin and now with Tom–was no longer a secret.
These people knew. They knew I was Gavin’s ex–wife.
