Chapter 290

Jared's expression changed in an instant. The gentle demeanor vanished, even his eyes turned cold and gloomy.

Nathan and I walked up to him, and Nathan greeted him politely, "Mr. Holcomb, I just came to see Victoria off. I hope you don't mind."

I could tell Jared was upset.

He definitely hadn't expected me to get involved with Nathan so soon after the divorce, and now here we were, acting all affectionate and close.

How thrilling and surprising!

I smiled at Jared. "Nathan dropped by to see me off. Don't worry. It won't affect our plans."

Then I turned to Nathan and teased, "Weren’t you going to bring me coffee?"

Nathan responded right away, "Just a sec, I'll grab it for you."

"Okay!" I shot him a nod. He headed to his car, coming back with a to-go cup of coffee in hand.

Jared took a deep breath. He was about to lose his temper, but somehow, he held back. Maybe he couldn’t find a reason to do so.

His face was dark and stormy, his voice cold. "Victoria, is this some kind of joke?"

I hesitated for a moment, then put on a smile. "I don't know what you mean."

"You get another man to provoke me. Is this your idea of revenge after the divorce? It’s childish and ridiculous," Jared snapped through gritted teeth.

I kept my tone calm. "You're overthinking. I'm planning to invest in his company, so we’re talking about a collaboration. That's perfectly normal, isn't it?"

Jared fixed his gaze on me. "What do you see in him?"

I turned to look at Nathan, who was walking over. He was handsome, refined, and carried himself with a gentleman's grace. He was wonderful.

"He’s gentle, considerate, and really knows how to take care of my feelings. Is that enough?" I said softly.

Jared scoffed, "A man always tries to please a woman before he gets her. It just means he’s good at acting."

I nodded. "Oh, is that so? Well, when he stops acting, I’ll just dump him and find another guy to play along."

"You-" Jared's face flushed with anger. "Victoria, do you even know what you’re doing? How can you toy with people’s feelings like that?"

I looked at him, genuinely surprised. "Mr. Holcomb, can’t you handle the game?"

Jared still thought my behavior was outrageous. In his eyes, I was supposed to be traditional and conservative, a woman who was disciplined and followed all the rules.

My love should be whole-hearted and dedicated to one person, building a family together.

It shouldn’t be like now, with this playful attitude.

Nathan came back with two cups of coffee and handed a latte to Jared. "Mr. Holcomb, would you like some?"

Jared took it with a poker face, thanked him, and then got into his car.

The other executives, stunned into silence, followed and got into the car behind them.

Nathan gently said, "Let me know you’re safe when you get to Shaville."

"Will do." I nodded, waved at him, and got into the van.

For the rest of the ride, Jared didn’t say a word to me. He just leaned back in his seat, resting with his eyes closed.

The car’s swaying lulled me into a drowsy doze.

I wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but it was already dark outside, and my head was resting on a shoulder.

I tensed up, turned my head, and saw Jared. He’d moved from the front to the back seat at some point, sitting next to me. I had no idea how long I’d been leaning on him.

I quickly pulled my head away and turned to look out the window.

Jared spoke in a low voice, "There’s still over half an hour to go. Why not try to get some more sleep?"

"No," I replied, shaking my head.

The silence hung in the air again.

Just then, Jared’s phone rang. He picked up, and Yvonne’s cheerful voice came through, "Dad, have you and Mom arrived in Shaville yet?"

I glanced at his phone screen, and suddenly he pointed the camera at me. Yvonne spotted me sitting next to him and waved excitedly. "Mom, you’re not there yet?"

Frowning, I said, "I just woke up. Go ahead and chat with your dad."

Jared started talking with Yvonne, asking about her day, whether she’d fed her pet, and whether school had worn her out.