Eric sat down next to Jessica with a grin, and the other guy introduced himself, “Ms. Murphy, right? I’m Kevin Wallace. Nice to meet you.”

Jessica gave me a look, probably hoping I’d show a bit more enthusiasm.

I said politely, “Hello, Mr. Wallace.”

Eric looked me up and down and said, “We all call him Warner. Why not call him that too? Makes things feel more friendly.”

I shook my head. “It’s not really proper to call him that when we’ve just met.”

Jessica grinned at Warner and said, “Warner, I just introduced you to my prettiest girlfriend.”

Warner gave me an appreciative once-over, and it was obvious he liked what he saw.

‘Seriously, what the hell, Jessica?’ I thought. From this moment on, she was dead to me. I was cutting her off for good.

Warner was about to sit down next to me when I suddenly said, “Jessica, I just remembered I’ve got something urgent to take care of. I might need to head out early.”

“What could be so urgent? Can’t you stay a little longer?” Jessica blinked in surprise and shot Warner a quick look.

Warner’s smug face instantly fell, like I’d just thrown shade at him in front of everyone.

But truth is, I wasn’t about to give him any.

Sure, looks are an asset, but they’re not something for my so-called friends to use as bait.

Jessica immediately jumped up and said, “Oh, come on, don’t leave yet! Just chill for a while. You’re not working these days, and you’re freshly divorced—what could possibly be so urgent?”

I grinned and said, “It’s my boyfriend’s zodiac year, so I promised I’d buy him some red underwear for good luck. Made the promise last night, and I’m not about to flake on him.”

As soon as I said that, the room went dead silent.

Jessica’s eyes went bug-eyed as she stared at me. “Victoria, your boyfriend’s zodiac year? Wait, is he thirty-six, like Eric?”

I laughed. “Nope, he’s only twenty-four. Just graduated college.”

Jessica was stunned. “You’re twenty-seven and dating a twenty-four-year-old? Victoria, seriously, watch out. These younger guys might just be after your divorce settlement.”

Maybe it was because I was trying to make a quick exit, but Jessica seemed to be dropping the act and getting real with me.

The two guys sitting next to us looked pretty awkward, especially Warner—his face looked really sour.

He was probably one of those self-made types, used to being the center of attention, especially with women always flattering him. And now, as his blind date, I’d just bruised his ego. He was glaring at me now, eyes full of hostility.

“Oh, so women with money are all chasing after boy toys these days?” Warner sneered.

Jessica looked at me, totally disappointed. “Victoria, as your friend, I really don’t think you should date someone that much younger. They’re not even from our generation. Are you sure you even get what these younger guys like?”

I just shrugged, deliberately provoking them. “What’s wrong with younger guys? They’re awesome. They always smell fresh, none of that old-man funk. Plus, they’re behaved—give them a little spending money and they’ll follow you around like a loyal puppy. No macho attitude at all.”

That definitely killed the vibe in the room.

Especially Warner. “Ms. Murphy, from the way you talk, sounds like you’ve got a lot of energy to burn. No wonder you prefer the young ones.”

I was boiling inside, feeling like these three had totally played me.

“Oh, I heard that once a guy hits twenty-five, all he can do is just lounge in bed and talk. No idea if that’s true, but lucky for me, my guy’s only twenty-four,” Victoria said with a sly grin.

The two middle-aged men’s faces soured instantly.

“Ms. Murphy, I think I finally get why you ended up divorced. Turns out you’re just too wild, too needy,” Eric snapped back, not holding back as he tried to put me down.

Jessica looked at me like I was some kind of joke, totally mortified, as if I’d dragged her reputation down with me.

I was done arguing with them. I just laid it out straight. “Jessica, I’m treating you like a friend, but you’re treating me like some product to be traded. Does that seem right to you? Don’t invite me to these setups again. Just because I’m divorced doesn’t mean I can’t afford my own meals.”