Chapter 123
Emily, Xena, and Jason jumped at the chance to heap praise on Molly’s performafice, their words flowing with calculated
charm.
Emily flashed her trademark sweet smile. “Molly, you were incredible! I could never dance like that
Xena chimed in. Tve dabbled a little in dance, but nothing like you. You were amazing?
Jason said, “Molly, you’ve got to teach me sometime. Seriously, I need to learn your moves.”
Molly returned their compliments with a gracious smile and declined Jason’s request.
It was all so… practiced. Polished.
Jackson looked like he wanted to claw his way out of the room. This feels like a hostage situation, he’d rather watch Spencer’s stupid smirk than sit through this.
Zion sat in silence, his usual confidence replaced by a slumped posture.
Ryan, like his brother, stayed out of the conversation entirely. His eyes were fixed on Janie.
He knew better than to stare–knew it wasn’t the time or place–but he couldn’t help it. Frustration churned inside him.
Ryan wondered, “Why do I have to pretend? Why do I have to hide who Janie is to me while Jackson flaunts her as if she belongs to him?
The thought alone made his fists clench under the table. With a deep breath, Ryan forced his eyes shut.
But Zion felt the shift in energy. The tension radiating from Ryan made his own discomfort grow.
Xena grew more rigid by the second. She could feel control slipping from her grasp.
[Here comes the mutual compliment circle again. Classic. But Molly’s got the talent to back it up–give her more stages!]
[Ryan’s at it again, just staring. Someone get this man a distraction, stat!]
Molly didn’t particularly enjoy this kind of shallow back–and–forth, but it came with the territory.
She could tell when praise was genuine and when it was just part of the game. And right now? Most of it felt forced.
Jason was already crafting his next PR stunt in his mind–something about secret glances, unspoken tension, and Molly being head over heels for him.
But just as he prepared to make his next move, Janie’s voice cut through the room like a cool breeze. “Can we move on?”
Jackson didn’t miss a beat. “Yeah. Wrap it up, people. Some of us have better things to do.”
Jason froze mid–gesture, his hand awkwardly retreating. The room fell silent.
Molly let out a quiet breath of relief, flashing a small, grateful smile in Janie’s direction before returning to her seat.
The next comment popped up on the screen: [We want to know the relationship statuses]
Janie was slightly taken aback, and a person automatically came to her mind.
Her expression softened slightly, and the corner of her lips curved into the faintest smile.
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Chapter 123
Jackson noticed immediately
He stiffened, glancing at her with a sharp look before quickly turning away.
Janie, my queen, saving Molly like the pro she is. Love it)
Uh, excuse me? Not everything needs saving. Let’s not act like Molly can’t handle herself.
Relationship statuses? Finally, the drama I came for
[Did you see Janie’s face? She’s totally thinking about someone. My heart can’t take this.]
Nena’s cheeks turned a deep shade of pink. “Do we really have to talk about this?”
Emily’s eyes lit up. “Oh, come on, Xena. Everyone’s saying you’re engaged?”
Ryan and Zion both froze. Their expressions tightened as they exchanged a glance, then instinctively turned toward Janie.
The engagement rumor wasn’t exactly a secret–the Jenkins and Krieger families had been hinting at the old arrangement for years.
But nothing had been formalized, and for some reason, hearing it spoken out loud in front of Janie felt… wrong
Maybe it was because that engagement had originally been intended for Janie.
Tyler Krieger was every bit the golden boy–handsome, smart, and from a family with status to match.
Janie would unlikely ever meet someone as outstanding as him again.
They have wronged her.
The weight of their gazes eventually drew Janie’s curiosity, and she raised an eyebrow and thought, ‘What now?”
After a moment, she gave a mental shrug. It’s probably because I look incredible.
Xena continued to bask in the attention. Thoughts of Tyler’s charming smile only made her blush harder.
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