fanqie novel
Chapter 110
In no time at all, the driver came around with another car to swap out for them, and Blake couldn’t help but grumble, “That Jason is too brazen, even daring to ram into your ride.”
Korey offered a nonchalant smile. “That’s just Jason’s way. Don’t take it to heart.”
“You’re too easygoing,” Blake protested. Then, lowering his voice, he added, “But Mr. Korey, I heard that Ms. Holly’s accident might have something to do with Ms. Estrella. Doesn’t that bother you one bit?”
At the mention of Holly and Estrella, Korey’s expression darkened subtly. “That has nothing to do with Estrella. Where did you hear such a thing?”
“I can’t recall where I heard it from. It could be got it wrong,” Blake muttered. He didn’t tell Korey that it was within the walls of the Ledford estate that he had overheard the gossip.
Korey’s mood was visibly soured, and he fell silent. Whether it was the mention of Estrella or Holly that disturbed him more, he couldn’t say.
Later, Estrella got wind of Jason rear-ending Korey’s car through the grapevine that was Bryce, but she didn’t confront Jason about it. She knew all too well that would only stir up more trouble.
That night, Jason had cornered Estrella, offering to move Serene away if her presence was causing Estrella any discomfort. Estrella had brushed it off, claiming Serene wasn’t significant enough to bother her, but the distance between Jason and Serene had grown.
nonetheless.
Since the time Estrella said she had no feelings for him at the resort, Jason hadn’t used
Serene as a prop.
Come noon, after finishing a meeting, Jason had barely settled back in his office when Serene knocked on the door.
He glanced up, spotting the lunchbox in her hand. “Didn’t I tell Drew there’s no need to bring food over?”
Serene strode in with a smile, saying, “I noticed you’ve skipped lunch at the office for a while, so I got up early to make you some soup.”
Without looking up from his contract, Jason replied, “Estrella makes soup every day.”
That was a bluff. Estrella had only warmed up a tonic soup for him once, and he was deliberately bringing her up to make a point.
At the mention of Estrella, Serene’s smile wavered with awkwardness, fully aware of Jason’s intentions. He had been intentionally keeping her at arm’s length lately.
Pretending all was well, Serene pulled up a chair across from Jason, her voice light, “The
soup Estrella made is a gesture of her affection. And this is mine. After all, you’ve always looked after Vincent and me.”
Jason paused his skimming and met her gaze. As their eyes met, Jason’s expression remained emotionless. Serene smiled and said, “Jason, have you been avoiding me on purpose lately? Have I caused trouble in your life? Have I given Estrella the wrong impression? If so, I can go and explain things to Estrella.”
Serene mentioned that she wanted to clear things up with Estrella, a notion that sent waves of refusal through Jason’s heart. He was acutely aware of Serene’s actions, including the incident at the resort where she intentionally explained the necklace situation to Estrella. He saw it all too clearly.
The best strategy for handling such issues is to downplay their significance. If no one else brings it up, there’s no need to rush in and broach the subject yourself; otherwise, it can backfire and make things worse. With years of experience in the business world, he knew these tactics all too well. The only reason he’d manipulated Serene in the past was due to the strained relationship with Estrella.
If Serene does go on to explain things to Estrella, the balance that they have painstakingly established will crumble in an instant.
With a detached look, Jason spoke, “Estrella understands. No need to explain.”
His relationship with Estrella was simple: a bit more time at home, a bit more sweet-talking, and they would mostly avoid big issues.
“Jason, did Estrella get the wrong idea about me?” Serene pressed, sensing his reluctance. “Look, I really don’t have any ulterior motives. I see you as a friend, a supervisor, and someone who’s been there for Vincent and me. I have no other way to repay you, so sometimes…”
Before she could finish, Jason cut her off, “Estrella hasn’t said anything.”
Estrella was sharp. If she didn’t want to fall out with you, she would turn a blind eye even you were at fault and leave it unmentioned.
So whenever she and Jason fought, as long as he didn’t bring a third party into it, neither did she. They would only argue about the rights and wrongs in their relationship.
“Jason, I admit that I admire you a lot and find you very capable. But it’s not what you and Estrella might think. It’s just you’ve helped me so much, and I am truly grateful to both you and Estrella. if my gratitude has caused any misunderstanding between you and Estrella, I apologize”
Listening to Serene’s explanations, Jason remained unmoved. “Your job and benefits won’t change, and Estrella isn’t the type to make things difficult for you. Don’t overthink it.” He had promised Holly he’d look after Serene, and he intended to keep that promise.
Meeting his gaze squarely, Serene knew all too well that she had been a pawn in his game
08:14
with Estrella, and a substitute for Holly. After a long silence, she asked, “Jason, have you moved on from Holly? Have you really let go?”
His reply was indifferent. “Whether I have or haven’t, you’re not her.”
With that, Serene was left speechless, the weight of his words settling between them like an unbridgeable chasm.
Serene had been sitting across from Jason for quite some time, watching him work as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Finally, she stood up and decided to leave first. As she gently closed Jason’s office door, Serene lifted her gaze and caught sight of Estrella striding toward her, with a sheaf of papers clutched in her hand.
Upon seeing Estrella, a smile quickly spread across Serene’s face. “Hey, Estrella.” Even though her mood had been soured just moments before, she couldn’t let Estrella catch a glimpse of her disarray.
“Hey,” Estrella greeted back in her usual nonchalant manner.
As Estrella passed by with her documents, unhurried, Serene turned and asked, “Estrella, do you think there’s been some kind of misunderstanding between me and-”
Before Serene could finish, Estrella stopped, smiled, and said, “Whatever you’re thinking is none of my business. If Jason has any issue, he’ll talk to me directly.” Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g
Estrella had long seen through Serene’s façade. Besides, who Jason liked, who he was good to, and who he couldn’t get out of his head was of no concern to her. She was only interested in whether Dorvold Group was making money, if her cases were going to win, and when she could conceive a child with Jason to fulfill her major life task.
With just a few simple words, Estrella had left Serene speechless multiple times. In reality, no matter what Serene said or did, she had never influenced Estrella. After staring at Estrella for a long while, Serene sighed and said, “As long as you haven’t misunderstood, that’s good.”
Estrella patted her shoulder. “Focus on your work. After all, I own half of Nelson International.” All this idle chatter was less productive than earning some extra cash for the company, which would help Estrella in return.
Serene swallowed hard. “Will do.”
After parting with Serene, Estrella pushed open Jason’s office door and walked in.
Inside, Jason looked up as the door opened again. Seeing Estrella, his face immediately lit up with a soft smile, a stark contrast to earlier,
Estrella approached with an impassive face, and Jason asked, “Did you run into her?”