Chapter 473

I didn’t give Yvonne an answer. After living through two lifetimes, I just don’t see marriage as something I have to check off my life list anymore.

Yvonne and I were having breakfast downstairs when Jared walked in. Even though things got a little tense between us yesterday, it didn’t seem to bother him at all–he still wore that gentle, refined smile as he came in.

“Daddy!” Yvonne called out happily. You could tell she was totally a daddy’s girl.

Jared grabbed a napkin and gently wiped the grease off Yvonne’s mouth. Then he looked at me. “Want to come with us to drop her off at school?”

“Mommy, please?” Yvonne looked at me with big, hopeful eyes, giving me her best puppy-dog look.

“Or, how about I take her?” I suggested.

Jared’s face froze for a second, like I’d just kicked him in the gut.

“I want both Mommy and Daddy to take me,” Yvonne whined, pouting.

Jared looked at me with those deep, pleading eyes, practically begging me to come along.

I couldn’t handle these two. They were like a united front now, and Jared’s puppy-dog look actually suited him.

After breakfast, I got into his car, and we drove Yvonne to school. She was like a cheerful little bunny the whole way, singing one moment and reciting poems the next.

I’d never seen her like this before. In my previous life, I gave her all my love, but she just brushed it off. Now, just taking her to school was enough to make her this happy, Vic thought.

Jared barely said a word on the drive back from school.

Maybe what I said last night bruised his ego a bit. He just gazed out the window, at a loss for words.

“I’m heading to Hayes Corp in a bit. Want to come?” Jared asked.

“Sure,” I replied.

Jared glanced at his phone. “The shareholders‘ meeting is at ten. Let’s just head straight there.”

I quickly said, “Can you pull over up ahead? I’ll grab a cab and go by myself.”

“Victoria, do you really have to be so careful about appearances?” Jared said, clearly frustrated.

“It’s just easier this way. Less liable for everyone,” I replied, asking the driver to stop by the curb.

Jared just played me, his expression guarded.

I flagged down a cab and headed straight to the theater.

The shareholders meeting was held in a grand, formal conference room. Nearly forty people were present, but only about a dozen actually had voting rights; the rest were trusted accountants and top executives who just came along for support.

Jared and I ended up sitting next to each other again, and he didn’t look too happy about it.

Nathan was sitting to the left of the main seat, and he’d been distracted ever since I walked in.

The meeting went through several agendas and decisions that needed everyone’s signatures and stock votes, which made me a little nervous.

The meeting wrapped up after three hours, and my phone had been on silent the whole time.

After the meeting, I checked my phone and saw two texts from Ryan.

He said he’d be staying in Braylin for a few more days, then, kind of pouty, asked why I never reach out to him first.

I froze for a second. Maybe I’d been hurt too badly by men in my previous life, and now I’d just lost the ability to make the first move.

Right now, all I could think about was work.

Seeing his message from a little after ten and realizing it was already one, I quickly texted back: “Hey Ryan, sorry, I was in a meeting and my phone was on silent.”

Ryan called me right away.

“Vic, guess what? I’m a diplomat now,” Ryan suddenly announced.

I was caught off guard. “Wait, what? When did that happen? I thought you hadn’t even graduated yet?”

Ryan chuckled. “It’s more like an internship.”

“So, are you going to be based in Braylin from now on?” I asked, genuinely curious.

Ryan sounded kind of desperate. “Vic, could you come to Braylin? Would you think about joining my family’s business?”