Chapter 316
"There's something I need your help with over lunch, Mr. Holcomb," I said, keeping my tone strictly business.
Jared’s eyes darkened slightly, a faint smile tugging at his lips. “Oh? And what do you need from me?”
I said seriously, “I want you to clear the air about us. Someone just called me ‘Mrs. Holcomb,’ and that’s not appropriate anymore. To avoid confusion, I’d like you to make it clear to everyone.”
The smile on Jared’s lips disappeared instantly, his voice turning cold. “In such a hurry to move on. Why? Is it because of Hathan?”
I was taken aback. Jared’s tone would always shock me. However, we were already divorced, there was no need to hide anything.
“Don’t bring him into this. This is my own request,” I replied flatly.
“But you care about his feelings, don’t you?” Jared’s expression darkened. “You two had a good time last night, didn’t you?”
I found him ridiculous and wondered when he had become so nosy about my life.
“Thanks for your concern. Good? Well, it was actually amazing,” I said, raising an eyebrow.
Jared’s face hardened. Without another word, he turned and walked away.
My mood instantly lifted. Jared really was a glutton for torture, always poking his nose into my business after the divorce.
I dropped my laptop off at my office and headed to the restaurant.
On the way, I noticed the place was packed. The hotel really went all out with chefs hunting down the best healthy dishes from around the world. They even divided the space into different cuisine sections, which were a hit with the crowd.
Just looking at the lively scene lifted my mood a lot.
When I walked into the private room, Jared was already seated. Our earlier conversation hadn’t exactly been pleasant, but it didn’t stop him from handling the formalities and chatting with the others.
I wasn’t sure if he’d actually follow through on my request to clear things up about our divorce.
Everyone there was either a company executive or a shareholder, basically all insiders. If Jared made the clarification, it would stay within the group and wouldn’t cause any drama.
Just then, my phone buzzed a few times with messages. When I saw they were from Hathan, I replied right away.
He sent me his location in the restaurant, and when I spotted the giant maple painting behind him in the photo, I immediately knew which private room he was in.
Remembering how flustered Hathan had been last night, I couldn’t help but feel a little mischievous.
I wondered if he would get flustered if I teased him a bit, so I typed: “Staring at the maple tree is too boring. I want to see your handsome face!”
(Hathan said it never took good on camera.) He sent several cute puppy-eyed emojis.
I didn’t push him any further. After all, he was at a formal event, and the fact that he wouldn’t send a photo of his face showed that he was being considerate.
As I was texting Hathan, Jared suddenly spoke up, “Everyone here is part of the company, so there’s something I need to announce.”
Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look at him. I glanced up, too.
Jared gave me a quick look with his brows furrowed and said, “Victoria and I officially finalized our divorce not long ago. Please don't call her Mrs. Holcomb; it makes things awkward for her.”
Some people who already knew stayed calm, while those who didn’t stared at me in shock.
I quickly smiled and said, “That’s right. Just call me by my name from now on.”
Everyone was dying to gossip, but with Jared and me right there, no one dared to bring up our divorce. Instead, their faces were a mix of barely contained curiosity.
I could really see why they were so stunned. Just a little while ago, I was still taking care of Jared, bringing him food, and making sure he was comfortable, and soon after, we were divorced.
I slipped away for a bit and hid out in one of the bathroom stalls, hoping to overhear some gossip about myself.
As expected, a few women came in—they had no idea I was there, probably thinking I was off handling hotel business. As they washed their hands and touched up their makeup, they started gossiping.