Beyond the Divorce by Third Blossom

When I entered the private room Michelle mentioned, I realized they were already there. But it wasn't just her and her boyfriend. There were two men who looked like they were in their forties or fifties, and both of them looked pretty sleazy.

Michelle noticed me coming in and immediately stood up, approaching me with a smile. She couldn't help but glance at the door with a hint of dissatisfaction. She remarked, "Didn't Atlas say he'd come with you, Chloe? Why are you here by yourself?"

I looked at her disdainfully. I had no intention of playing along with her charade. "When did I say Atlas would come with me?"

She didn't expect me to refute her and discreetly squeezed my arm. I reacted as if stung by a scorpion, shaking off her hand and glaring at her. "What are you doing? That hurts!"

She quickly laughed it off. "You're becoming more hot-tempered, Chloe. You weren't like this when we lived in the dorm back then."

I didn't bother to reply and walked over to the table, taking a seat.

Michelle hurriedly followed behind me. When she reached the table, she introduced the two men to me.

I acknowledged them briefly, casually saying, "Nice to meet you."

Michelle quickly signaled to the two men, and they sat on either side of me. Shamelessly, she remarked, "Men and women working together create the best harmony!"

The men's eyes were fixated on my face, leering with creepy grins.

"Your classmate is a real beauty. No wonder she knows Mr. Atlas. Looks like you weren't lying. It's a great honor for us to meet Ms. Chloe today."

To be honest, I regretted agreeing to Michelle's request. These two men were clearly not the best companions.

Then again, no one sophisticated would ever associate with Michelle.

"Of course. When have I ever lied? We were close back then. We shared a room. If you don't believe it, just ask Chloe. Aren't I right, Chloe?"

Michelle went to give instructions to the waiter to start serving the food. She then came back, resting her hand on one of the men's shoulders, saying, "Mr. Benedict, Chloe is now a successful businesswoman, With our relationship, it'll be easy for her to get projects for Tyler!"

As she spoke, she winked at me.

I pretended not to notice and ignored her.

She looked even more smug. "You need to entertain Mr. Benedict and make him happy, Chloe. He's a great businessman with several

companies under him. We might

have an opportunity to collaborate in

the future."

I glanced at Michelle coldly, thinking that she was really pushing it. She was treating me like a hostess.

Michelle's behavior was one thing, but Benedict also leaned toward me, seemingly eager to get close.

"Do you really know Atlas, Ms. Chloe? I was thinking of discussing a project with him. How about you set up a meeting for us? I'll make sure you get something out of this. What do you say?" His breath fanned my face, nearly choking me. Instinctively, I moved back.

I looked at him indifferently. "I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you. I never get involved in Mr. Atlas's work."

He looked at me disdainfully. "You don't seem to know what's going on here, Ms. Chloe. Why not take advantage of this great opportunity? Your approach seems a little unwise."

The other one, who I assumed was Tyler, also smirked and added, "That's right, Ms. Chloe. Since you and Michelle were classmates and roommates, it'll be easy to get things done!

"That's why I asked her to invite you here. We can all get acquainted. Not just anyone can meet Mr. Benedict. I specifically invited him here to liven things up. Mr. Benedict is a very busy man."

I finally understood what was going on. Michelle's so-called 'boyfriend' must have needed something from Benedict, or there was some shady deal between them. They wanted to use my relationship with Atlas to achieve their goal.

In any case, today's setup had a purpose.