Chapter 171 Jessica Mistook Someone for Another
However, as she walked over, Jessica softly murmured, "You're not him. Sorry, I mistook you for someone else."
Jack and the man she had imagined just entered were of similar height and build, both clad in white shirts and black pants, emanating a similar vibe at that moment. They exuded the same coolness, the same chill.
More importantly, the dim lighting in the private room only outlined a vague silhouette. Jessica, feeling a bit dizzy, had mistaken Jack for someone else.
Realizing her mistake, she didn't linger and turned to walk back.
And in her haste, she suddenly stumbled, her whole body tilting downward as she instinctively let out a shout.
"Jessica, be careful," Tina called out as she rushed over.
But the distance was too far, and she couldn't get there in time.
Just as Jessica thought she would definitely fall to the ground, a pair of strong arms caught her.
Startled, Jessica sobered up quite a bit.
Seeing that it was Jack who had caught her, she quickly stepped out of his embrace and lowered her head to apologize softly, "Sorry, Dr. Smith!"
Jack withdrew his hand, giving her only a brief glance, remaining silent the entire time.
Tina hurried over to support Jessica. "Are you hurt? Are you okay?"
"No, I'm fine."
"That's good. Let's go back." Tina was relieved.
She immediately took Jessica back to their previous spot.
At this moment, Arnold walked over to Jack and exchanged a few pleasantries.
With one hand in his pocket, Jack's cool eyes swept across the entire private room. For some reason, Jessica felt that his gaze eventually, albeit subtly, settled on her.
'Hopefully not,' she thought, maybe she was just overthinking it.
"Thank you all for coming. Here's to everyone," Jack raised his glass in a toast, tilting his head back as he downed a glass of red wine.
Several female colleagues nearby were almost entranced by the way he drank, all falling into girlish fantasies.
Jessica was also stunned, but not because Jack's actions were particularly cool or handsome, but because this gesture was so reminiscent of Gabriel.
Especially in this dim light, where only his vague outline could be seen, she increasingly felt that Jack looked like Gabriel.
As she looked at Jack, her mind was filled with thoughts of Gabriel.
Until Tina reached out and poked her hand, uttering, "Jessica, snap out of it."
Jessica then realized she had been staring at Jack the whole time. More importantly, it seemed several colleagues had noticed and were looking her way.
To make matters worse, Jack's scrutinizing gaze was fixed on her as well. When Jessica finally lifted her eyes and unexpectedly met his, she quickly averted her gaze, feeling a wave of embarrassment wash over her.
Her cheeks flushed slightly, she tilted her head back and took a sip of wine to divert her attention.
After the greetings, everyone thought Jack would leave, even Arnold.
For quite some time, Jack had only been the financial supporter of this tradition and had not attended for several years. His unexpected presence this time was already a significant surprise.
So it was really surprising when he drank wine and didn't leave immediately afterward.
Seeing Jack find a seat, cross his legs, and lean back leisurely, Arnold was suddenly at a loss for words.
Finally, he managed to say, "Dr. Smith, are you planning to stay for a while?"
"Is that a problem?" Jack raised his eyes and coldly asked.
The chill in his tone made Arnold shiver, and he quickly explained, "No, no, Dr. Smith, you misunderstood. I meant that I know you don't like crowds, so I can arrange a quieter place for you."
Jack's gaze casually swept around and finally landed on Jessica's side. He said, "No need, I'll sit here. Everyone, just relax and enjoy yourselves."
"Okay," Arnold responded and left.
Arnold was sweating nervously. With Jack here, how could everyone possibly relax?
Sure enough, the atmosphere in the private room immediately cooled down, becoming much more subdued. Everyone played with more caution.
After all, with the vice president of the hospital sitting in the room, everyone was somewhat tense.
Tina pulled Jessica to a corner and asked mysteriously, "Jessica, you don't have a crush on Dr. Smith, do you?"
"What? Me, like Dr. Smith? How is that possible?" Jessica couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"Well, when Dr. Smith was drinking just now, you were staring at him the whole time. Not just me, everyone saw it. Now, probably everyone thinks the same," Tina said.
She continued, "And when you almost fell just now, everyone probably thought you did it on purpose."
Jessica held her forehead, feeling a headache. "I really didn't. I have feelings for someone else; it's not Dr. Smith," she clarified.
"That's good. I'm relieved. Although Dr. Smith is very handsome, he is too far out of our league. He's a big shot, has family businesses, and an ex-girlfriend he cares about deeply. Falling for him is bound to bring suffering. It's good you don't," said Tina.
An ex-girlfriend he cares about deeply?
After her experience with Diana, Jessica was really scared of so-called ex-girlfriends.
Instantly, her impression of Jack dropped significantly.
Half an hour later, when everyone realized Jack's attention wasn't on them and he seemed to be just sitting there, they gradually relaxed.
Tina also dragged Jessica into playing games. Initially, Jessica hesitated because the loser would have to drink.
But she couldn't refuse when everyone insisted, so she nodded in agreement.
Actually, Jessica wasn't in the mood to play.
Her mind kept drifting to the two women she had seen beside Gabriel.
Jessica was determined to put Gabriel out of her mind. She wanted to enjoy herself independently and not dwell on him. She vigorously shook her head, trying to convince herself of this.
At this moment, someone called out, "Jessica, it's your turn. Spin the bottle."
"Oh, okay."
As a result, Jessica lost the game and had to drink. Bound by her agreement, she couldn't back out, especially with so many eyes on her. Feeling embarrassed at the prospect of not following through, Jessica gritted her teeth and took a sip.
That night, she couldn't pinpoint what was wrong. Whether it was her own bad mood or simply a stroke of bad luck.
"Jessica, it's your turn."
"Jessica, it's your turn again."
"Jessica, drink slower."
In the end, she felt her luck was terrible, losing repeatedly, sometimes three times in a row.
Maybe the noise from the game was too much, and Jack glanced over, his gaze still as cold as ever.
When Jessica turned and covered her lips, she met Jack's gaze.
At that moment, she clearly saw the mockery and amusement in Jack's eyes.
