Chapter 49
“You’ve got it,” Lauren said as she took Serena by the hand and led her away from Justin. T
“Serena, are you only avoiding me because you still care about me?” Justin asked icily, assessing Serena shrewdly as if he could see through her. “If you’re really over me, you should treat me like any other guest and talk to me openly instead of hiding from
me.”
Lauren rolled her eyes. “Imagine how busy one would be if one had to make small talk with everyone at a party! Mr. Farrow, did you ever think that Rina isn’t so much avoiding you as she doesn’t think you are worthy of her time? Must I spell that out for
you?”
Justin’s eyes were like chips of ice. “You certainly have a death wish, don’t you, Lauren?”
Lauren was about to retort when Aaron stopped her. “Just drop it already. He’s not someone you can afford to cross.” I
“Not like I haven’t crossed him already! I may as well give him a piece of my mind while I’m at it,” Lauren snapped.
Serena interjected, “Laurie, this isn’t the time for you to rile Justin up. He can and will have you thrown out of here if you rub him the wrong way.”
Only then did Lauren give her fight a rest.
Serena turned to give Justin a steely look. “Mr. Farrow, I’m avoiding you because I don’t want your girlfriend to get the wrong idea about us. I have no intention to come between you and her, and I’d appreciate it if you could leave me alone.”
With that, she grabbed Lauren by the arm and moved elsewhere.
Justin stood in place and did not go after them.
Lauren snorted. “The way I see it, Justin’s just itching for a beating! He couldn’t care less about you when you were fawning over
him, and now that you’re gone, he’s desperate for your attention. He can screw himself!”
Aaron clapped his hand over his forehead. “Put a sock in it before my company ends up as collateral damage, Lauren… Though I
must say, Ms. Judd, it’s impressive that you’re well–acquainted with both Mr. Farrow and Mr. Quade, especially the latter. Lauren
never mentioned this.”
“Why would I tell you everything about my superpowered best friend?” Lauren said, practically gloating.
“Honestly, I’m surprised someone like Ms. Judd is best friends with an idiot like you,” Aaron countered.
“I will literally boil your orchids tomorrow, Aaron!” Lauren threatened with a feral hiss
“Okay, okay, I’m sorry,” Aaron apologized.
Serena couldn’t help laughing at the duo. “Excuse me while I look for Mr. Quade in the hall.”
Inside the hall, Shawn stopped in his tracks when he noticed Wilson walking toward him. In a rare show of humility, he greeted
1/2
+25 Bonus
Wilson, “Hello, Uncle Wilson.”
Wilson was the portrait of casual elegance as he shoved one hand into his pocket and asked, “What are you looking at?”
“Your date tonight,” Shawn answered frankly, “I must say, you’ve got great taste, Uncle Wilson. Your new assistant is as capable as she is beautiful. She stole the spotlight from every other socialite here the moment she showed up.”
Wilson’s gaze darkened. “Are you done staring?”
A lazy smile curved Shawn’s lips. “You seem a little more uptight than usual this evening, Uncle Wilson. First, you won’t let me handle company projects, and now I can’t even look at your assistant?”
“Yes. You don’t deserve to look at her,” Wilson pointed out venomously, impatience flashing in his narrowed eyes. “If you so much as bother Serena again, I’ll make you pay for it, nephew or not.”
He had delivered his warning loud and clear.
Shawn froze, only to crack an amused smile a heartbeat later. “How interesting! I never thought I’d see you get so worked up over a woman, Uncle Wilson. Well, now that I know she’s yours, I won’t bother her anymore.”
Wilson shot him another frigid look before turning to head toward the garden.
Shawn watched as Wilson left, his smile vanishing as malice filled his eyes. He scoffed. Wilson was an illegitimate son of the Quade family who happened to be lucky enough to crawl into a position of power, but that didn’t mean he had the right to look down his nose on everyone else.
The more Wilson wanted to protect Serena
the more Shawn wanted to make her his new plaything.
