Chapter 530

A chill ran down Annie's spine as she stared at the card. "Is everything good to go?" she asked.

Grayson replied softly, "I've made the necessary arrangements. It's up to you now. Don't disappoint us, Annie."

Her face paled. Anxiety clogged her throat. However, thinking of their predicament, she nodded. "Alright," she said.

She left the hall with the card.

It was 10:00 p.m. The gala would end in an hour. Many people, due to the late hour, would be staying at the hotel.

Joe swirled his wine glass. The crimson liquid sparkled under the lights. He'd drunk almost four glasses of red wine out of boredom, but his frustration remained.

"Mr. Martin," Paul said, "I've booked your room. Here's your key card."

Joe took the card. "I'm going up to rest," he informed Paul.

Leaving early wasn't unusual for Joe; he easily grew bored at such events.

Paul, having also booked a room, went upstairs after a few more sips of wine. The gala offered premium wine; he couldn't afford such champagne, so he took advantage of the occasion.

Suddenly, he stared into the distance. Hadn't Natalie found out about Jeremy's affair? He'd fired Annabelle, and they'd broken up. Why?

Annabelle stumbled into Jeremy's arms. He may not have reacted quickly enough to push her away, but he allowed her to fall into his embrace.

Annabelle's gorgeous face flushed. Paul couldn't hear their conversation; the music was too loud. However, he'd always been a gossip.

Annabelle's schemes were ingenious. Even after Natalie discovered Jeremy's infidelity, she could twist the situation to her advantage.

Jeremy probably no longer cared about Natalie's opinion.

Although Paul wanted to watch, he forced himself to turn away, lest Jeremy think he was spying.

Simultaneously, Jeremy pushed Annabelle away. He seemed cold and unforgiving.

Surprise contorted Annabelle's features as she was shoved away, yet the smile from when she'd fallen into Jeremy's arms remained. The conflicting expressions made her look ridiculous.

"Mr. Hughes," Annabelle protested weakly.

How could this be? When she'd approached him, his gaze had softened; he'd been entranced, as before. Why was he behaving differently?

Within seconds, Jeremy's expression changed completely. He pushed her away without hesitation.

Jeremy clenched his jaw. "I see you haven't given up on seducing me, eh?" he asked.

"No, I wasn't trying to seduce you," she said. "My heels were too high; I lost my footing and fell. It's my fault. I remember what you said to me last time."

Annabelle immediately played the frightened doe, but she was genuinely terrified. Why had this method failed? How was this possible?

She didn't understand. Was it because of the shattered porcelain? Her initial tactics had become useless when repeated.

"Which perfume do you use?" Jeremy asked, looking down at her questioningly.

Annabelle was stunned. Her heart pounded nervously. "I don't use perfume," she replied.

Why was he asking this suddenly? Had he realized something? She placed her hand behind her back diffidently.

Usually, people wouldn't detect her methods; they no longer believed in black magic. Yet, Annabelle thought of Skylar, who worked for Alexander. Despite Annabelle's offer of billions to repair her porcelain, Skylar refused, refusing even to look at it.