I looked at him with a teasing smile. “If you feel shortchanged, why not try to beat me at my own game? With your eye for picking top-tier female execs, I bet every woman you choose would be a total knockout.”

Jared’s expression soured, his voice going cold. “Victoria, there’s no need to jab at me here. If I really wanted to, I would’ve found someone already.”

“Oh? Don’t tell me… you’re still saving yourself for me?” I grinned, closing the distance between us step by step.

Jared sucked in a breath and took half a step back, his handsome face flushing for no reason. His breathing grew heavier as he stared at me, eyes burning. “If I said yes, would you come back?”

I was just messing with him, but he actually took it seriously.

My teasing smile vanished and I replied flatly, “No.”

Jared’s chest rose and fell, the embarrassment fading from his face, replaced by a cold look. “How long are you going to keep this up?”

I stared at him in surprise. Seriously? Jared’s asking something this childish?

“I plan to keep playing this game forever,” I said, arching an eyebrow with a grin. “So you’d better hurry up and find someone to marry.”

“Yvonne said she doesn’t want a stepmom,” Jared said, his expression turning cold as ice. “She says you’re the only mom she’ll ever have.”

At the mention of our daughter, my icy defenses cracked for a moment. I let out a soft sigh. “I’ll always be her mom.”

Jared looked momentarily taken aback, then said quietly, “Alright. Got it.”

Jared and I made our way back to the dining room, where the party was already in full swing. Our seats were at Nathan’s table, and by the time I got there, Nathan had already had a few rounds—his cheeks were tinged pink and he looked a little tipsy.

As soon as Jared and I sat down, a couple of investors started urging me to drink. Maybe it was because I looked good, but it felt like I was always in the spotlight. There were a few other gorgeous women at the table too, all arm candy brought by the investors. They were total pros at these events—sweet, savvy, and could charm anyone in the room.

Compared to them, I was honestly way out of my league when it came to these kinds of parties. The guys at the table were smooth operators, knew all the tricks when it came to drinking, and their banter was practically an art form. If you didn’t join in, you’d just seem uptight.

I picked up my glass and knocked back two drinks in a row, listening to all their smooth talk. After a few more rounds, I’d already passed out a bunch of my business cards. These were all future prospects—who knows, maybe we’d strike a deal someday.

Just as I was about to go for another drink, two big hands reached out and snatched my glass away—Nathan and Jared. Jared was faster, though. He stood up and, playing the boss card, covered for me and took the drink himself.

Nathan added, “Victoria can’t really hold her liquor, so let’s not make things hard for her, guys.”

Everyone shot us those looks, like they totally got what was going on.

I wasn’t about to lose my nerve here. I’d already texted Melissa to come pick me up when things were winding down. So even if I ended up wasted, I knew I’d have a ride home.

“Nathan, you’ve been working yourself to the bone lately. You’re still young, but you’re already going gray. Today’s launch was a huge hit—you should be the one knocking back drinks tonight,” someone joked.

Nathan grinned and said, “I won’t let anyone down. I’ll make sure this product is the best it can be.”

With that, he downed his drink in one go. His pale cheeks flushed; even his eyes seemed tinged with red. He really looked like he’d had too much, leaning on the table and sneaking glances at me. The emotions in his eyes felt heavy, almost suffocating, and I had to look away.

A few people from the company came over to Nathan, saying they had something important to discuss.

Jared turned to me and said, “You’ve been driving for hours. If you’re tired, you should head back.”

I was actually planning on leaving anyway, so I nodded. “Let Nathan know I’m heading out, alright?”

“I’ll bring Yvonne over later,” Jared said.

I nodded, said goodbye to everyone, and left the lounge. As I walked out, I pulled out my phone to text Melissa.

She was on her way, but it would still be ten minutes before she arrived.

As I headed for the lobby downstairs, the buzz suddenly kicked in and my steps got a little unsteady.

When I reached the first floor, I saw Nathan at the entrance, sending off a couple of VIPs. He turned and caught sight of me.

We made eye contact from across the room, and suddenly, Nathan started walking over.