Chapter 594 I Want Both
Elara bit her lip, her eyes showing a mix of emotions.
Jesse stared straight ahead, his voice sincere, "Elara."
She turned to look at him.
"I'm not gonna pry into your past, but if you've ever been hurt or had a rough time, I hope you'll tell me," Jesse said with genuine care. "I'll always be here for you."
Jesse was ready to protect Elara, to be her rock. Whenever she needed him, he'd be there; if she stumbled, he'd catch her.
"It's fine, don't worry," Elara smiled, not really bothered by her past but concerned he might be. "But you, be careful when we get there. I'm worried they might try something."
"No worries." Jesse shrugged it off. He'd seen plenty of schemes in the business world and could spot them a mile away in real life. Whatever they tried, he could handle it.
"Maybe we shouldn't go," Elara glanced at the car ahead, regretting she'd asked Jesse to come. "They'll just talk about boring stuff; no need to go."
"What's boring to us might be fun for them," Jesse replied coolly, his eyes calm. "Only by ruining their fun once will they stop messing with you."
Elara wanted to argue but held back after thinking it over. Jesse was right; if they skipped this, those people would just find another way to cause trouble.
Since she wasn't planning to go abroad after this, they'd run into each other again. Better to settle it now.
"What if they joke around and try to flirt with you? Would you be interested?" Elara asked.
"Are you doubting my taste?" Jesse replied coolly.
How could she doubt his taste?
"The only person I like is you," Jesse said seriously, his eyes sincere, "No one else even comes close."
They chatted casually on the way.
Evelyn had already called ahead to book a private room at the nightclub.
Around nine, they arrived at the private room.
The place had food, drinks, and entertainment, and Evelyn and her friends were regulars.
In the lively setting, Jesse's cool demeanor made him stand out.
"Don't just sit there without drinking," Aria filled everyone's glasses, clearly aiming to get Jesse or Elara drunk to spill some secrets. "You need to loosen up, Elara. This is for you and Jesse."
"We have to drive later, so no drinking," Jesse declined.
The room's atmosphere immediately cooled.
After exchanging glances, the six of them made a decision. "If you don't drink, you pay the bill."
"Fine," Jesse agreed.
His straightforwardness caught them off guard.
They doubted inwardly, 'Didn't Willie say Jesse got into Fresh Harvest Eatery because of his formidable reputation?'
"Your boyfriend is quite generous," Evelyn sat next to Elara, casually asking. "What's his family like?"
"He's part of my family now." Elara replied.
Aria chimed in, clarifying, "Evelyn means, is he from some prominent family or something?"
"I'm not some heir, just a regular guy from a small town," Jesse said coolly, not bothering to hide his disdain for people he didn't like.
"You must be kidding," Evelyn said, holding her wine glass with a charming smile. "Can a regular guy just waltz into Fresh Harvest Eatery?"
Evelyn had thought it through. Fresh Harvest Eatery had a solid reputation; no individual or organization could easily sway them.
In other words, either Jesse had made a reservation ages ago and today was just his turn, or he got in because of his status. Either way, he wasn't just some ordinary guy.
"Elara, your boyfriend's quite the enigma," Aria chimed in.
"It's not that he's mysterious; it's that Elara hit the jackpot after being single for 28 years," Evelyn said, her eyes still on Jesse, genuinely admiring his cool and indifferent demeanor.
Jesse frowned slightly, but before he could speak, Elara jumped in, her tone happy rather than angry, "Yep, I hit the jackpot. Not everyone's boyfriend is as great as Jesse."
"Don't you like the person you had a crush on anymore?" Evelyn asked.
Stella joined in, "We heard from your classmates that you had a crush on someone during school and chased them for years. Have you given up now?"
"Jesse, you're pretty lucky," Evelyn said, trying to stir the pot, her smile still in place. "Elara might have been single until she met you, but she's a loyal person."
"If her family hadn't pressured her, she might still be thinking about her crush," Aria added.
Elara was puzzled. "How do you know about my crush?"
Very few people knew she liked Jesse, except for her close friends.
Even Mark only found out after graduation.
Hearing Elara's words, they paused for a moment before saying, "Is it hard to know such things?"
In fact, they were making it all up. They didn't know Elara had a crush on Jesse for years.
They said this to make Jesse think Elara wasn't sincere and was just trying to end her single status. This way, if they broke up, they would have a chance. After all, they really liked Jesse's looks.
"Seriously, how's the person you had a crush on doing now?" Evelyn brought the topic back, clearly trying to stir things up. "If he and Jesse stood in front of you and made you choose, who would you pick?"
Elara's lips twitched, looking at Evelyn with disdain, silently questioning if their intentions could be more obvious.
Evelyn's gaze met Elara's, admitting she did it on purpose.Elara's eyes conveyed that she found Evelyn childish.
Evelyn responded with a dainty smile, showing she thought it wasn't important, and the important thing was that she really liked Jesse.
Elara signaled Evelyn to get lost with her expression.
"I want both," Elara replied directly.
Aria and the others were surprised, their eyes instinctively falling on Jesse. Seeing Jesse's lack of reaction, they began to doubt his identity. If there were any feelings involved, he should have been angry by now, right?
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