Chapter 93

Jared's expression paused for a moment when he saw me before he quickly composed himself. He politely said goodbye to Tracy's dad and walked over to me.

Tracy’s dad, Mason Darwin, gave me a meaningful, scrutinizing look before calling out his daughter’s nickname.

Tracy, with a hint of disappointment in her eyes, said to Jared, "Jared, I’m going back with my dad now."

Jared gave her a gentle nod. "Alright, go ahead."

Tracy didn’t leave right away. She turned to me with a smile and said, "Mrs. Holcomb, I hope you don’t misunderstand. Tonight is just a business dinner. Jared and my family are discussing a potential partnership. Don’t worry. With me around, this deal is as good as done."

With that, Tracy acted gently and followed her father out of the restaurant.

Jared turned to me, his expression calm. "What brings you and your friend here?"

Melissa immediately shot back, "Mr. Holcomb, are you saying Victoria can’t show up anywhere you are from now on?"

Jared smiled faintly and explained, "That’s not what I meant."

Melissa continued, "Then what do you mean, Mr. Holcomb? Are you saying Victoria was stalking you?"

My chest tightened at her words, but I wasn’t about to waste my breath asking about him and Tracy. I’d just ignore it completely.

Jared shook his head. "That’s not what I meant. Victoria, are you heading back now? I’ll ride with you."

"Sorry, I have to take Melissa home," I said, pulling Melissa along with me as we headed out.

Jared didn’t try to follow us.

Melissa was still fuming. In the elevator, she asked me, "Victoria, why are you so quiet? You need to let it out. You can’t just let him off the hook like that. You should at least make him put it in writing."

I replied coolly, "A man’s nature is to keep falling for new women. Even if he wrote a promise, what difference would it make?"

Melissa burst out laughing at that and nodded. "Exactly. Men can’t get enough of it."

Melissa kept ranting, "Did you hear that woman’s tone? She sounded so sweet and familiar. Anyone who didn’t know better would think she was his wife."

That suddenly brought back a memory from my previous life. Tracy once told me that at work, she called him Mr. Holcomb, but in private, she only used his name. And in bed, she’d use all sorts of flirty nicknames, even calling him Baby before.

"Melissa, don’t get upset over them," I said softly.

"No, any normal person would be upset. Victoria, do you not love him anymore?" Melissa suddenly snapped out of it, her eyes going wide as she stared at me. "You only stop hurting and stop caring when you don’t love someone anymore. So, is that it? You really don’t love him anymore?"

I gave her a small, wry smile. "Honestly, there are still things I like about him, like his money. But as for the man himself, I stopped loving him a long time ago."

"Well, that’s actually a good thing," Melissa said, arching an eyebrow. "But seriously, the guy is loaded. If you split everything fifty–fifty, you’d be rolling in billions."

I never dared to dream of becoming some crazy rich lady with billions. Just a tiny slice would be more than enough to keep me comfortable for the rest of my life.

After dropping Melissa off, I headed straight home. Jared was already there. He’d swung by Sally’s place to pick up Yvonne. Right now, the two of them were in the kids' room, playing with building blocks.

Jared was dressed in a crisp white shirt and black slacks, looking all professional and business-like. Yvonne was wearing a princess dress, and with the warm light shining down on them, it was a really sweet scene.

"Mom, you’re back so late?" Yvonne pouted when she saw me standing in the doorway. "Why are you busier than Dad? You don’t even have time to play with me anymore."

Jared turned to look at me, then gently patted Yvonne’s head. "Mom’s just starting her business, so it’s normal for her to be busy. I’ll make sure to spend more time with you from now on."

Yvonne still wasn’t too happy, her lips pouting even more.

I didn’t join them in the kids' room; I just went back to the master bedroom. I was beat after a long day, and all I wanted tonight was a nice, relaxing soak in the tub.

So I started running the bath, sprinkled in some essential oils and rose petals, and in no time, the whole bathroom was filled with a soothing, floral scent.

Just as I was testing the water temperature, Jared showed up at the bathroom door. "The Darwin family has a new project I’m working on. Tonight was just a regular business thing. Don’t read too much into it."