Chapter 151 His Heart Skipped a Beat
"Sarah, even though Elizabeth and I don't share a bed, at least we live under the same roof. Can you say the same?" Dean shot her a challenging look.
Sarah managed to keep her cool. "Dean, you and Elizabeth seem pretty tight. When did you two meet? I don't remember her ever mentioning you."
Dean kept his focus on his food and didn't respond.
"Dean?" Sarah pressed.
"You should ask Elizabeth about that," Dean shot her a glance and said.
"Fine, I'll ask her when I see her. By the way, these are gifts for Pearl. Can you give them to her for me?" Sarah placed the gifts on the coffee table and left.
With Dean being so handsome, she couldn't believe Dean and Elizabeth weren't actually sleeping together.
On Friday evening, employees of The Jones Group gathered for a company dinner.
Elizabeth had booked an entire floor of the hotel, making sure it was a private and classy experience for everyone.
She knew if she stuck around, the employees would feel awkward.
Besides the dinner, the group planned to hit a bar, but Elizabeth wasn't into it. She just wanted to go home and be with her kids, so she had a token glass of juice, said a few words, and left.
She didn't expect Nancy to show up with Pearl and Nolan to pick her up.
As she walked down the hotel steps, she saw them.
"Mom, what are you all doing here?" Elizabeth hugged the kids and asked Nancy.
"Grandma was worried you might have had some drinks and couldn't drive, so we took a cab to pick you up," Pearl wrapped her arms around Elizabeth's neck and said affectionately.
Elizabeth hugged her and walked towards the car with Nancy and the others. "Don't worry, Mom. I only had juice, no alcohol."
Nancy stepped forward and said, "Elizabeth, you've been working too hard lately. Let me drive."
The Range Rover slowly merged into traffic and gradually disappeared.
Michael watched them leave. Only then did he step out from behind a large pillar at the hotel entrance.
Daniel stood next to him. "Mr. Thomas, the little girl with Elizabeth, is she her daughter? She looks like a mini version of her!"
"Yes, her daughter," he said softly.
Daniel looked at Michael, puzzled as to why he didn't go over and say hello.
Michael noticed his confusion and murmured, "We agreed not to interfere in each other's lives. I can't keep intruding into her life. She would be angry."
Daniel was anxious. "You two are divorced, not enemies. Why can't you just meet and chat?"
Michael said painfully, "You don't understand. She hates me. She doesn't want to see me at all."
He also thought Pearl looked a lot like Elizabeth.
Who was her father?
It certainly wasn't him.
After all, she hated him so much.
If he hadn't forced her to have an abortion back then, the child she was carrying would be about this age now.
Michael turned around, the sorrow on his face hidden, and instructed Daniel, "Go meet your friend."
Dwayne Larson was Daniel's good friend from college.
He used to work at a tech company, but the company went bankrupt.
Dwayne spent some time at home without a job.
When Elizabeth rebuilt the Jones Group and needed to hire new employees, Dwayne, given his outstanding skills, had a recommendation letter from his previous company, so he was hired into the tech development department.
After the company dinner, Dwayne called Daniel. "Hey, Daniel, we're done eating and heading to the bar. Where are you? Didn't you say you wanted me to introduce you to our tech director?"
Daniel replied, "I'm at the hotel entrance waiting for you."
After hanging up, he asked Michael. "Do you want to come along?"
Michael shook his head. "It's not appropriate for me to go. There's no info about this Dean online. I suspect he erased it himself, which means he's a skilled hacker. Daniel, it's up to you tonight. Find out Dean's true identity. See if he's the hacker."
Daniel thought to himself, 'Michael doesn't just want to know if Dean is that hacker. He probably also wants to know Dean's relationship with Elizabeth.'
Michael added, "I wonder how Calla's hand is doing. I'll go check on her."
After all, Calla was still his nominal girlfriend. Until he found a better doctor, he still needed her.
As her boyfriend, he couldn't be too indifferent.
He still needed to keep up appearances.
Before the Jones Group employees came downstairs, Michael left.
As soon as Dwayne walked out of the hotel lobby, he saw Daniel standing at the entrance.
They hadn't seen each other for quite a long time. He smiled and walked briskly towards Daniel, throwing an arm around his shoulder. "Daniel."
The group then headed off to the bar in high spirits.
Dwayne kept his hand on Daniel's shoulder, their heads very close together.
Dwayne whispered, "Daniel, let me tell you, even though our Mr. Palmer sticks to Ms. Jones every day, their relationship is more like a friendship, not like a couple. They even go to gigolo shows together."
Daniel replied softly, "Our Mr. Thomas and Eloise, and even with Calla, don't seem like a couple either. The way he treats Eloise is more like an elder with a child. With Calla, it's more like a partnership. There's no sign of romance."
Dwayne chuckled, "Is it okay for us to talk about our bosses' private lives like this?"
Daniel replied, "It's fine. It's just the two of us chatting. No one else is listening. We just won't spread it around."
Before they knew it, they arrived at the bar.
In the private room, many people surrounded Dean, trying to get him to drink.
But he never got drunk.
Dwayne pushed Daniel in front of Dean. "Mr. Palmer, this is my friend Daniel. He's heard a lot about you. Mind if he joins you for a few drinks?"
Although Dean wasn't drunk, his eyes were hazy.
Dean looked at Daniel, meeting his gaze. In those eyes, Dean saw something rare—a purity, a clarity that held no hint of scheming or cunning. They were eyes that seemed to hold a truthfulness that was utterly captivating.
Dean's heart skipped a beat.
Dean gently lowered his head and moved a bit to the side.
He reached out and patted the empty seat next to him. "Sit here."
Daniel sat down next to him, and they were very close.
Dean opened a new bottle of wine, filled an empty glass from the table, and handed it to Daniel.
When Daniel reached out to take the glass, his hand accidentally brushed against Dean's fingers.
Daniel felt a jolt of electricity that he almost didn't hold the glass steady.
Dean turned his head and downed the rest of his wine in one gulp.
He refilled his glass, raised it, and clinked it gently with Daniel's.
The two glasses collided with a crisp clink.
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