"Hmph. It's nothing," I mumbled, turning away.

"Nothing? Alex didn't buy it," he countered, gently placing his hand on my forehead. "You're not running a fever."

The simple gesture intensified the blush already burning my cheeks.

"M-maybe it's the alcohol. Yeah, that's probably it!" I stammered.

Alex raised a skeptical eyebrow but didn't press further. Instead, he took the champagne glass from my hand and replaced it with orange juice. "Your tolerance is terrible. From now on, no drinking at events."

When the gala finally ended, I was relieved to retreat to my comfort zone.

Monday morning, I walked into the office, carrying the box containing the necklace, and went straight to Jolene. Her pale face and exhausted eyes revealed sleepless nights.

"Serena," she hissed, her teeth grinding, "You did this on purpose, didn't you?"

"What are you talking about?" I asked, confused.

"The subsidiary reports weren't urgent at all," Jolene sneered, her eyes venomous. "You seduced Mr. Hastings so he'd take you to the gala and leave me here to pull all-nighters, didn't you?"

I stared, stunned by the absurdity of her accusation. "What nonsense are you spouting? Do you honestly think Mr. Hastings is the type of man I could manipulate?"

Unconvinced, Jolene stepped closer, her hostility palpable. "Don't play dumb. Then why did Mr. Hastings make me do those pointless reports?"

I arched a brow, meeting her glare head-on. "Are you seriously asking me that? Shouldn't you know better than anyone why Mr. Hastings gave you that task?"

Her face turned ghostly white as the truth exposed her actions. Then, it flushed crimson with anger and embarrassment. But her antics didn't end there. Jolene took another step forward and accused, "You must have gone crying to Mr. Hastings!"

I wasn't prepared for her sudden push. Stumbling, I dropped the box, and the necklace tumbled to the ground.

Remembering Alex mentioning the necklace's high-end quality and significant value, I panicked, rushing to retrieve it, but Jolene beat me to it.

"You still claim you didn't seduce Mr. Hastings? Then why do you have this?" she shouted, clutching the necklace tightly.

"I needed something appropriate for the gala. Mr. Hastings lent it to me. Now, give it back—I need to return it to him," I explained, trying to remain calm.

"Lied!" Jolene's voice rose, her grip tightening. "This isn't just any necklace. It belonged to Mr. Hastings' late mother. Before she passed, she told him it was meant for his future wife."

Her words left me frozen in shock. A storm of thoughts and realizations hit me.

No wonder Alex had instantly recognized me as his date at the gala. That necklace—it carried so much meaning. At least ten people had commented on it, yet I'd been too oblivious to connect the dots.

Regret and confusion washed over me. My legs felt rooted as I stared at Jolene in disbelief.

"You're still claiming Mr. Hastings lent this to you?" Jolene stepped closer, her voice laced with anger and anguish. "This necklace has been kept under lock and key. Even as the head office assistant, I didn't know about it until recently. There's no way he'd just hand it over to anyone!"

Her words swirled in my mind, raising questions I wasn't ready to face. I stood paralyzed, unsure of what to think or say.

"Say something," Jolene demanded, giving me another shove.