Chapter 354 Neglected
To everyone else, it looked like Linda was throwing a fit while Seb was trying to calm her down.
Walter must've picked up on something so he raised his glass to toast Linda. Now, Linda was in Walter's good books.
The other big shots knew how to play along, so they all raised their glasses to toast Linda too. Linda, already in a crappy mood, was getting a bit tipsy.
That's when Seb swooped in to save Linda from more drinks. He'd only had a bit at first, but after a few rounds, he was knocking 'em back.
Seeing this, Walter let out a big laugh and said, "Mr. Anderson, didn't know you had a knight-in-shining-armor side!"
"You're funny. Linda's my friend, so of course, I gotta look out for her. Plus, it's not cool for guys to outdrink a lady, right?" Seb said, all smooth.
"Yeah, drinking's our thing," Walter said, raising his glass again.
With the convo going like that, Seb loosened up and started downing drinks with the folks from Pioneer Accounting Firm.
Susan noticed Seb was getting hammered and started to worry.
Linda must've seen it too, so she jumped in to save Seb from more drinks, ending up pretty buzzed herself.
For a bit, everyone was laughing and having a blast.
"Mr. Anderson and Linda are such a cute pair. Look at them, both trying to keep each other from getting wasted. So sweet!"
"Mr. Anderson, Linda, are you two getting serious?"
"Come on, guys, stop teasing! Actually, we..." Linda blushed, trying to explain but totally lost for words.
Then Seb chimed in, "Actually, Linda hasn't accepted my advances yet, so whether I'm her boyfriend is still up in the air!"
Everyone gasped.
Seb chasing Linda and failing? No one saw that coming; they all thought they were already a thing.
So, Walter turned to Linda and said seriously, "Linda, don't be too picky. A guy like Mr. Anderson is a rare find!"
Linda forced a smile and stayed quiet.
Leon, sitting next to Walter, quickly changed the subject, and everyone went back to drinking.
Susan was listening closely. Seb was being a real gentleman about Linda. He made it seem like he couldn't win her over, rather than her having a one-sided crush, keeping her rep intact.
But if Seb didn't like Linda, why string her along? Even if he handled it well, he was still the jerk making Linda happy for nothing. Susan cursed Seb in her head!
Susan didn't want to drink much, but since they were all colleagues, she couldn't be too standoffish. Plus, everyone kept going on about how lucky Linda was to have a guy like Seb looking out for her.
Susan couldn't help but sneak a peek at the other table. Seb was all over Linda tonight, playing the knight in shining armor. It made Susan think all that gossip she heard earlier was total BS, so she ended up drinking more than she should've.
By around ten, the party finally wrapped up.
Everyone started heading out. Susan, clutching her purse and steadying herself against the wall, felt a bit woozy.
Suddenly, a strong arm caught her, making her heart skip a beat!
This arm was solid and familiar. Susan felt a rush of excitement, turned her head, but her smile froze.
It wasn't Seb. It was his assistant, Leon. Susan felt a wave of disappointment.
"Ms. Wilson, you've had a bit too much," Leon said, looking concerned but keeping it professional.
Susan glanced up and saw Seb ahead, helping Linda into the elevator, with Walter and the other bigwigs tagging along.
The rest of the crew piled into another elevator. Seb didn't even glance back at her. Feeling bummed, Susan shook off Leon's hand and slurred, "I'm good, thanks!"
She then followed her colleagues into the elevator. Leon, looking a bit helpless, joined them.
In the elevator, her colleagues were a bit shocked. They knew Leon was Seb's right-hand man, a big deal at Prosperity Group, even more so than the VP.
Seeing Leon being so attentive to Susan, everyone started whispering about their relationship. But Susan, drunk and feeling crappy, didn't notice.
Finally, the elevator hit the first floor, and Susan was the first to step out.
In the hotel lobby, the Pioneer Accounting Firm folks were hanging out.
Susan saw Seb with his arm around Linda, who looked pretty tipsy.
Walter laughed and said, "Mr. Anderson, up for some more fun?"
"No thanks, Linda's drunk. I'm taking her home. Appreciate the hospitality," Seb said, all serious.
"Mr. Anderson, it's our pleasure. We'll be counting on your support at Pioneer Accounting Firm!" Walter said, clasping his hands together.
Seb looked down at the tipsy Linda and said, "As long as Linda's with Pioneer, I'll make sure the firm does well. You get what I'm saying, right?"
Walter nodded quickly, "Got it. I'll make sure to value Linda!"
Seb seemed pleased. He looked up, and Susan straightened up, thinking he was looking at her.
But then Leon walked up to Seb. Seb whispered something to him, then put his arm around Linda and, with the crowd, headed out of the hotel lobby.
Susan was left standing there, feeling totally alone.
She watched Seb leave with Linda, feeling a sudden wave of loneliness and emptiness.
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