Chapter 289 We're Adults, We All Understand
The girl next to her said, "Duh, who else? That was Elena! I just didn't think she'd be so young and hot!"
"You didn't back her up earlier, but now you're all about her." The person who had been sided with Kimberly sneered.
"What was I supposed to do?" The girl shot her a look. "Did you forget how you, Saskia, and Kimberly were acting? If I had helped her, you guys would've turned on me too."
She mumbled, "My mom wanted Elena to design clothes for her. Now, with me screwing things up, that's probably not happening."
"Not necessarily," another girl chimed in. "She doesn't seem like the type to hold grudges. She probably won't bother with someone as dumb as you."
Everyone else was chatting among themselves too.
The party wasn't even over, and I already had a stack of business cards. Some were for potential gigs, others wanted me to design clothes. Most were just for networking. They figured if they got in good with me, any project would be a piece of cake.
Neil made it clear right there that since I was Madison's goddaughter, I was basically his niece too.
So even if I didn't want to help them, making a good impression on me was still a win.
After all, Madison, Jerry, Christopher, and Neil—none of them were people you wanted to mess with.
No joke, this was the day I felt the most love in my life. Guess that's just how people are.
But it also hit me that I still gotta hustle. Even though ElevateJoy was blowing up, it wasn't enough to give me confidence in a place like Maple Valley, where rich folks were everywhere.
As I took another business card, Jerry walked over and casually put his arm around my waist.
"Mr. Hammer, Ms. Royston, I hope you'll excuse me, but I've just seen a friend I'd like to catch up with." The person handing me the card got the hint and walked away.
Jerry smirked and teased, "A lot of guys giving you their cards, huh?"
"Yeah, you jealous?" I raised an eyebrow at him. He chuckled, pinched my waist lightly, and whispered in my ear, "I'm not just jealous."
I felt a bit ticklish and couldn't help but laugh, "Then what else ?"
Jerry said slowly, "I'm hungrily desirous."
My face heated up, and I glanced around. Luckily, everyone had given Jerry some space when they saw him coming over.
And of course, I wasn't dumb enough to ask him more. We were adults; we all got it.
Christopher came back to the party, chatted with a few people, and then said goodbye to Madison. He left, but before he walked out, he instinctively looked back and spotted Hope, who used to be all about him. But now, she was in someone else's arms, not even looking his way.
On the way back, Jennifer could feel the tension in the car. Christopher's cigarette never went out.
She didn't like the smell of smoke but put up with it. For a moment, she wondered if Hope were in the car, would he still smoke like this?
After a long time, Jennifer finally couldn't hold back. She clutched her dress and pressed her lips together. "Mr. Valence, thanks for helping with my mom's illness."
Christopher seemed lost in thought. When he heard her, he frowned slightly, glanced at her indifferently, and said in a flat voice, "No need to thank me."
Daniel had mentioned it to him after handling it, so he had a vague idea.
His response was so cold that it left no room for more conversation. Jennifer looked at Christopher's cold, perfect profile and said, "The doctor told me you paid for the fees. Don't worry, I'll pay it back once I save enough money."
"Pay it back?" Christopher's lips twisted into a mocking grin. "Then hit up Daniel and transfer it to his account."
Jennifer was floored; this was not what she expected.
Christopher chuckled, his deep blue eyes not even giving her a second thought. He looked at Jennifer calmly, seeing right through her.
With just one look, Jennifer dropped her head in embarrassment, avoiding his gaze.
Christopher was scary. Playing fake games in front of someone who got human nature so well was a huge mistake.
Christopher slowly put out his cigarette, his voice hoarse but still intimidating. "Do you know why I called you here today?"
Jennifer's heart pounded, not out of anything else but pure fear and nerves.
Christopher looked down at her, peeling away her thoughts inch by inch, "Seeing Hope, you thought you could be a stand-in?"
She clutched her dress tighter to stop her trembling, forced herself to look up at Christopher. "So, Mr. Valence, can I?"
Christopher sneered, not giving an answer, just said, "Stop the car."
Donald heard the barely hidden anger in Christopher's voice and immediately pulled over to the side of the road.
Christopher leaned over toward Jennifer.
Jennifer's eyes trembled, thinking she had a chance, but Christopher's hand reached past her and opened the car door on her side.
Christopher pulled back, ordering coldly, "Get out!"
"I..." Jennifer was stunned. There had been a serious accident on the highway earlier, causing a major traffic jam. Donald had taken another route, and now she didn't even know where she was.
Donald got out and walked to the car door. "Please, Ms. Grayson."
A sense of humiliation almost swallowed Jennifer whole.
Her legs wobbled as she got out of the car. She said, "This dress belongs to Ms. Royston. I'll clean it and return it..."
"No need." Christopher's voice was indifferent, not even sparing her a glance. "She has plenty of dresses like that. She won't want one that's been worn by someone else."
'Hope doesn't even want me anymore, so why would she want these leftover dresses?' he thought.
Watching the Maybach disappear into the night, Jennifer's face turned pale, her eyes filled with unwillingness.
If she had never gotten close to him, she wouldn't have had wishful thinking. But once she thought it was possible, desire grew uncontrollably in her heart.
As the party wrapped up, I relaxed and limped toward the lounge.
Jerry glanced down. "Your shoes rubbing?"
"Yeah, I think I've got a blister." I hadn't worn high heels much in the past two years, and tonight I wore a new pair to match my dress, so it was inevitable.
Jerry suddenly bent down and scooped me up, putting on a stern face. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Put me down!" I looked back; there were still quite a few guests waiting to talk to Madison.
His actions drew a lot of attention.
Jerry laughed nonchalantly, "What are you afraid of? I'm your boyfriend, not your ex-husband."
The word "ex-husband" was emphasized.
He pushed open the lounge door with his shoulder, carried me in, and placed me on the sofa, sitting down next to me naturally.
As I was about to bend down to take off my shoes, he beat me to it, holding my ankle with one hand, removing my high heel, and frowning at the sight of the blister on my heel.
Jerry sighed, "Hope, you really can endure pain. It's bleeding, and you didn't say a word."
"It's just a blister, it's no big deal." Seeing Jerry place my foot on his knee, I felt a bit embarrassed and curled my toes, quickly saying, "I brought some band-aids. I'll just put one on. It's okay."
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