Chapter 408

“Victoria, don’t get discouraged! You’re gorgeous–of course you can land another rich guy. Tell you what, I’ll have my husband set you up with one of his buddies. He just got divorced too, total first-generation rich guy. Sure, he’s in his forties, but that’s not so bad, right?” Jessica said, totally serious.

I waved her off right away. “Thanks, but I’m really not looking to get married again right now.”

“Come on, I know you. We both married into money because we were young and pretty, right? We don’t really have any real skills, so without a man, life gets tough for us. Victoria, don’t be embarrassed. I totally get why you’re feeling anxious and panicked right now,” Jessica said, giving my hand a reassuring pat.

Her ten-carat diamond ring pressed into my skin, making it sting a little.

For a second, I just sat there, torn between laughing and crying. It hit me–people really thought I was nothing without a man, I thought.

That’s just scary, I told myself.

“Mr. Holcomb’s a decent guy, so I bet he gave you a nice payout in the divorce, right? Well, my husband’s friend is running a successful business and planning to expand. If you bring some capital into the marriage, he’ll be grateful for your support when he needs it most. And if you give him a couple of sons, you’ll be set for life,” Jessica said, sounding like she was genuinely looking out for me.

“I’ve already invested all my money. I don’t have any cash on hand,” I said, smiling calmly.

“You actually invest?” Jessica looked at me, shocked. “Victoria, don’t go trying to invest like other people do–it’s super risky. What if you lose everything… Knock on wood, forget I said that.”

For some reason, the moment I sat down with Jessica, I was already bored.

Our lives had drifted so far apart–she had her own thing going on, and I had mine. We just weren’t on the same page anymore.

Honestly, I just couldn’t get into anything she wanted to talk about.

“Victoria, have some more. You look like you’ve lost weight, but honestly, it suits you–you look even better now,” Jessica said, urging me to eat while her eyes kept scanning my face. “If I had your natural features, I wouldn’t have to suffer through nose jobs and all that. You were born with a perfect nose and wild brows–so pretty.”

I smiled. “Honestly, it takes guts for women to go through all that pain just to look good.”

“I’m just not brave enough to go through with it. But my husband said if I got prettier, he’d give me a bonus. You have no idea–I cried for three days straight, thought I was losing my mind. Luckily, he took time off work to stay with me,” Jessica said, never missing a chance to mention her husband. Guess she really knows how to run her marriage.

“You’re lucky to have a husband who loves you so much,” I said, just saying it to keep things smooth.

But Jessica actually took my words at face value. She pouted and said, “That man of mine is just a total workaholic–he doesn’t know how to be sweet at all. But I’ve managed to whip him into shape over the years.”

I just focused on my food, eating away–I really didn’t want to be force-fed her relationship bragging.

We were just chatting when Jessica suddenly took a call. When she came back, she rested her chin on her hand and gave me a look. “Victoria, Eric and his friend are downstairs. Why not have them join us for lunch? It’s been ages since you last saw Eric, right?”

My smile faltered at that.

“It’s nothing, just a meal. Didn’t you say you were into investing? Eric and his friend are pros in that area–you could ask them for some advice,” Jessica added.

Just then, two guys walked into the restaurant–one was Jessica’s husband, Eric Young, and the other was a guy who looked to be in his early forties.

I instantly realized what this lunch was really about.

Jessica was basically setting me up.

Guess there’s no such thing as a free lunch.

Good thing I knew how to handle this. I wasn’t worried at all.