That instantly killed the flirty vibe, and everyone went back to eating, dropping the whole spectator act.

Jared looked pretty frustrated. He’d never been this considerate about the little things before, and now that he was, I was giving him the cold shoulder.

Lunch dragged on until almost three in the afternoon, with some of the guys having a few drinks. Once I was stuffed, I went straight back to the office to catch up on work.

When Jared came in again, his face was flushed, and it was clear he’d had a few too many drinks. He pushed open the door to my office and collapsed onto the armchair, looking like he needed a moment to catch his breath.

“How’s Yvonne doing?” I asked casually.

“She’s got another round of shots today. My mom is taking her,” Jared answered.

Sally had never been kind to me, but she had always been good to Yvonne. Maybe I should stop picking fights with her.

Jared met my gaze and asked, “Did Yvonne say anything about Tracy yesterday?”

I froze, surprised that he knew it.

“Yeah, she mentioned it, saying Tracy was moving in with you. Why not take the chance and get closer to her? You two would make a great couple,” he advised.

Jared’s gaze went distant for a few seconds before he chuckled bitterly. He scoffed, “Maybe I’m just never satisfied. The things I want are always out of reach, and when I finally get them, I don’t even want them anymore.”

I couldn’t help but mock him. “How do you even manage to want everything at once? Seriously, teach me your ways. I could use a crash course about how to be insatiable.”

Jared’s face turned even redder, and he grumbled, “Why would you want to learn that? Just look at the mess I ended up in.”

“You’re the one who can’t let go. If you ever did, your life would be a lot easier,” I said, giving him a small smile.

Jared stared at me, like I’d hit a sore spot. Then he said straightforwardly, “Just thinking about you with Nathan last night is driving me crazy. Do you have any idea?”

I shot him a surprised look. “Why are you freaking out? Did you really think I’d stay celibate for you after the divorce?”

He added, “No, you’re right. You deserve to live your life, it’s just the thought of you with him–”

I cut him off quickly. “Have you been binge-watching too many porn movies?”

Jared’s face turned pale. He pressed his fingers to his head as he said, “Forget the… just think of the…”

Jared’s lips curved into a mocking smile. “Wouldn’t it be better keeping Yvonne busy with the secret alimony check?”

“Seriously, what's your problem? Thinking of page sites and… what?” I snickered back.

(Deleted text was unintelligible)

Jared looked embarrassed at my words. “If I had 1.5 billion, wouldn’t it be better to use it as a gift and marry you all over again?”

I couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Money is not what I care about anymore. I have plenty. What matters is the person.”

“What do you see in him?” Jared suddenly demanded, jumping up from the couch, clearly agitated. “Victoria, just be straight with me. What does he have that I don’t?”

He walked toward me step by step, and my heart skipped a beat. I quickly stood up, saying, “Jared, you’re drunk.”