SWNOVELS Chapter 84
Chapter 84
At the desk, Jason tossed the medicine Marie had given him onto the surface. “What’s
this?”
Estrella glanced at the pills Jason had flung carelessly on the table. “You don’t know? Well, if you’re clueless, I’m not exactly Sherlock Holmes here.” She had no time for beating around the bush. Straight talk was her game.
Estrella played dumb, but Jason just chuckled dryly. He didn’t snap at her. Instead, he
you this calmly met her eyes and asked, “Did you chuck the breakfast I bought for morning too?”
Estrella looked up, realizing he had seen her throw it away.
Jason didn’t mince words, and neither did Estrella. She exhaled softly, walked over to the dresser, and started putting her hair up with a hairpin. “Jason, I’ve been doing just fine all these years without yours
bouts of concern, and I sure don’t need your fleeting
kindness.”
If he had wanted to make things right, he should’ve done it long ago. Besides, he was still entangled with his past feelings and Serene, answering her calls and running to her side whenever she beckoned.
Estrella had told him once. As long as she bore his child, he could play his games, and she wouldn’t care. But he couldn’t even grant her that simple wish, claiming she didn’t deserve
Now, she was done playing.
Feelings change with the tide. She was no longer the Estrella from two years ago, nor the one who once had feelings for him.
Life was long and unpredictable.
Estrella’s sudden seriousness caught Jason off guard. His hands pocketed in his jeans, he watched her for a long while before finally saying, “About the misunderstanding on my last business trip, I was wrong to doubt you.”
Estrella gave a wry smile. “Don’t bother explaining. It’s too early to make conclusions. Who knows? Maybe Korey and I might just hit it off someday.”
At dinner that day, she had tried to keep a peaceful facade so Korey wouldn’t sense the tension, but Jason had to go and show his disdain for her, making it all too clear. If that was the case, explanations would be pointless.
Estrella thought Jason could show his indifference to her in front of anyone, just not in front of Korey. After all, they were competitors.
Jason’s voice was cold. “Estrella, would it kill you to speak to me without sarcasm?”
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Estrella smirked. “Mr. Jason, what would you like to hear? I can tailor my words to your liking.”
Their conversation was going nowhere. If they continued, Jason knew he’d be left fuming. Suddenly, he grabbed his coat, and stormed out, slamming the door behind him. If she didn’t need his concern, he certainly didn’t need to waste his energy on her.
The bedroom door closed with a thud. Estrella glanced over, noting that Jason had left, not even three days into his visit.
For the next couple of days, Jason didn’t return, living it up with Thomas and the group, trending online more than a few times..
One morning, as Drew picked up Jason for a meeting at the government office, he casually a
asked, “Sir, the Golden Gaze diamond has arrived. When will you be giving it to Ms. Estrella?”
Jason’s expression darkened. “Who said it was for her?”
Drew remained silent. If not for Ms. Estrella, then who? Despite the rumors of Jason’s escapades, there wasn’t anyone serious in the picture.
Drew had plenty of thoughts but dared not voice a single one.
On Friday afternoon, when Estrella and her colleagues arrived at the resort, they bumped into Jason in the lobby, accompanied by Drew and Serene.
Serene was dressed in a white dress with a light grey coat, sporting a pink diamond necklace that added a touch of elegance to her usual look.
“Mr. Jason, what a coincidence to see you here,” Logan greeted him as he approached.
Estrella followed with her two colleagues but didn’t initiate a greeting, instead standing idly by.
“Estrella,” Serene greeted her with a smile upon seeing her.
Estrella hummed in acknowledgment. Her gaze briefly landed on Serene’s necklace. It was Golden Gaze’s exclusive piece for the year, priced at 48 million dollars. Bryce had mentioned buying it for her, but it never materialized.
Such an expensive piece was beyond Serene’s means. To put it bluntly, selling her house wouldn’t even fetch 8 million, so there was no way she could afford such a necklace.
With that thought, Estrella’s gaze shifted to Jason. How ironic. She’d always teased him for being tight-fisted, yet he could be surprisingly generous. According to Thomas and the others, Jason was no miser, except when it came to Estrella.
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Noticing Estrella’s glance at her necklace, Serene touched her neck self-consciously. Her confidence was waning.
Before
more company executives arrived and the director Logan chatted with them. Estrella found a place to rest on her own.
Jason hadn’t greeted her, and she hadn’t greeted him. With her firm’s colleagues present, she couldn’t reveal her true relationship with him. After reviewing some legal documents and sipping two cups of coffee, Estrella stood up to visit the restroom.
Exiting the restroom, she ran into Serene. They faced each other, and Serene greeted her with a grin. “Estrella.” Each encounter with Estrella left Serene beaming, as if they were old friends.
“Hmm,” Estrella responded coolly.
Noticing Estrella’s reaction, Serene touched her necklace again. “Estrella, are you upset?”
Estrella was speechless. Wasn’t this how it always was? Serene wasn’t her client or her benefactor. Why should she be overly cheerful?
Estrella wiped her hands with a tissue paper as Serene nervously explained, “Estrella, Jason did give me this necklace. He just felt sorry for me because of all the troubles at home lately…”
When Serene spoke of herself, her voice faltered, but then she pressed on, “Estrella, please don’t get me wrong. Jason and I are just friends, like you and Bryce are. I hope you won’t freeze me out, okay?”
I
Estrella couldn’t help but chuckle. She hadn’t caused any drama; where was all this coming from?
Tossing a used tissue paper into the trash, Estrella lifted her gaze. “Freeze you out? You’d have to be worth my while first.”
One thing Estrella had to admit was that Serene had a patience and poise that most. women couldn’t touch. If Paula had even a tenth of her composure, she might have already charmed her way into Jason’s heart.
“Estrella,” Serene continued, “I know I’m not in a position to say all this, but I just want your to understand me. I’m not after Jason; I just want us to be friends. I don’t want to be enemies with you.”
Estrella looked at her amusedly. “Oh, is this the kind of twisted logic used by Hunter’s mistress Ruby? I’m not here to break up your home. I just want to be part of it.”
When Ruby had dropped that line, Estrella had been stunned, and so had everyone else around them.
Serene’s face flushed. “Estrella, that’s not what I mean.”
3/4
With her hands in the pockets of her dress, Estrella smiled breezily. “It’s fine. Whatever you mean, it’s none of my business. No need to explain.”
Temptations were everywhere, but whether or not a man strayed from his family was his choice alone. Therefore, Estrella didn’t engage in catfights. She dealt directly with the man. Bickering with women was just too time-consuming and exhausting. There were simply too many of them.
However, if anyone dared to get too close, they’d find themselves in a world of hurt.
Estrella started to walk away when Serene turned and reached out to her. “Estrella, please, that’s not what I meant, really.”
Estrella looked at her with disdain, shrugging off her hand. “What are you trying to do, grabbing at me like this?”
Serene stumbled and fell backward, crashing to the ground.
scene, c
Just as she hit the floor, Jason and Drew arrived on the the tail end of the debacle. From their vantage point, it seemed as if Estrella had pushed Serene down.
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