Novel Square
Chapter 90
Estrella turned to face Logan with a playful smirk. “Logan, if I took orders from his secretary, I’d be stepping on toes on your behalf.”
Logan was utterly flabbergasted.
Not far off, Jason cast a cool, indifferent glance in her direction. It was clear to him now. In public, Estrella could deny their connection more convincingly than he ever could.
“Logan, you’ve got quite the dream team building here. These young guns and roses, not only are they sharp as tacks but also easy on the eyes.” © 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.
“Justice Guardians LLP snagging Mr. Jason’s legal affairs? You guys are soaring high.”
“Gentlemen, we at Justice Guardians LLP are all about serving you fine folks.”
Estrella had been knocking cases out of the park lately, and just recently, Logan had passed Ryan’s high-profile case her way.
As the drinks circulated and the crowd learned that Estrella was Ryan’s lawyer, the
conversation grew even livelier.
“Ms. Estrella, so young and stunning-you must still be on the market, right?” Estrella’s youth and beauty were the talk of the table, leading to the inevitable inquiry.
As the man’s words hung in the air, Jason gave her a sidelong glance, noticing how Estrella hadn’t really looked at him all evening, as if she truly didn’t know him.
Hearing the question, Estrella flashed a confident smile. “Keith, if you know any eligible bachelors, I guess I’m still available.”
Grayson, also present at the dinner, nearly choked on his drink at her response. Clearing his throat, he glanced over at Jason, whose expression visibly darkened.
Serene tensed up and then turned to Jason. Noticing his sour mood, Serene ladled some soup into a bowl for him. “Jason, you’ve had a bit to drink. Have some soup to settle your stomach.”
Keith, amused by Serene’s attentiveness, chimed in. “Mr. Jason’s secretary is quite the heart-warmer. I was thinking, with Ms. Estrella’s talent and looks, she’d make a striking match with Mr. Jason-seems like that line might not be tied after all.”
As the middle-aged man finished speaking, Serene quickly looked up at Estrella with an embarrassed expression. Estrella didn’t even glance their way, instead she told Keith with. a laugh, “Mr. Jason is a bit out of my league.”
Jason’s expression darkened even further at her words. Estrella had been delivering these subtle jabs all evening.
Grayson found the situation amusing; it was clear that Jason had not managed to charm
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her the night before.
Sensing the tension, Logan tried to smooth things over. “Arden, Estrella, Drew, let’s not forget Mr. Jason is the bread and butter of Justice Guardians LLP. Let’s raise a toast to him.”
Estrella seemed a tad cool towards Jason that night, and Logan noticed. Worrying she might offend their VIP, Logan kept trying to make peace.
Logan’s words were the law, and since Jason was indeed their major client, Estrella had no reason to refuse the toast, joining Logan and others with her glass held high.
As the group approached, Estrella stood unassumingly at the back, clearly uninterested in mingling with Jason.
“Mr. Jason, we thank you for your trust in Justice Guardians LLP. We’ll do our utmost for Nelson International,” Logan proclaimed, with a glass in hand.
Jason’s presence at the dinner was both a surprise and a delight to Logan, who had heard that Jason rarely attended such gatherings. With his attendance, Grayson and other executives had followed, making the networking event quite fruitful.
Estrella was their lucky charm; ever since joining the firm, Justice Guardians LLP had been on a winning streak.
At the table, Jason noticed Estrella lagging behind the group and turned to Drew, “Drew, bring Ms. Estrella a chair.”
Η
Estrella had said he was out of her league, so he decided to give her due honor and see how she would respond.
When Jason instructed Drew to move a seat, the room fell silent, all eyes turning to Estrella. Could it be that Mr. Jason took the previous comments to heart and also saw a perfect pairing with Ms. Estrella?
“Right away, Sir,” Drew promptly got up to fetch the chair.
As Drew responded, Serene quickly stood up, offering her seat. “Estrella, here, take my
spot.”
Estrella, with a glass in hand, looked over at Jason, who quirked an eyebrow and smoothly pulled the chair Serene had vacated a bit further back for her. “Ms. Estrella, please, have a seat.”
Logan snapped back to reality and quickly nudged Estrella, “Estrella, you’re in charge of the legal affairs for Nelson International. Have a good talk with Mr. Jason:”
The young man next to Estrella promptly cleared the way for her. He had given Estrella a ride home last time, and he knew very well about her connection with Jason but since Estrella never mentioned it, he couldn’t say anything about this.
Jason’s grand gesture was met with Estrella’s candid response as she pulled the chair back and sat down gracefully. “Mr. Jason, since you’re being so gracious, I’ll gladly accept.”
Following that, Logan and the others toasted with Jason, who graciously sipped his drink.
each time.
The dinner was more than halfway through, and Jason’s glass, which started the evening eighty percent full, was still at the same level, each toast met with a token sip. Estrella couldn’t help but suspect that Jason hadn’t even taken a real sip of his drink, merely tapping the rim of his glass to his lips as a token gesture.
It made sense, after all. Sharing a table with someone of Jason’s clout was akin to being graced by royalty. A mere tasting of his drink was all you could expect from him; no one dared to challenge him to
anything more..
After Logan had made his round of toasts, he glanced at Jason, whose arm was nonchalantly resting on the back of Estrella’s chair, making polite conversation while his. gaze occasionally lingered on her. With a grin, Logan turned to Estrella and said, “Estrella, since you’re spearheading the legal affairs for Nelson International, why don’t you take this splendid opportunity to share a drink with Mr. Jason?”
What was so splendid about today anyway? That was Estrella’s internal retort, but with all. the higher- ups present, she couldn’t very well embarrass her supervisor.
Rising with her glass in hand, Estrella smiled and said, “Thank you, Mr. Jason, for the opportunity to collaborate. We at Justice Guardians LLP will certainly redouble our efforts to successfully manage all of Nelson International’s legal affairs.”
With that, she downed the contents of her glass. Jason also stood up, and seeing Estrella empty her glass, he remarked, “Ms. Estrella shows such sincerity. It would be rude of me not to reciprocate.” And with that, he drank down the remains of his bourbon, which had been nearly full just moments before.
The room fell silent, with Logan looking on in amazement. Estrella clearly carried a lot of clout. Jason hadn’t touched a drop all evening, yet with her, he’d polished off his entire glass. Logan felt a pang of sympathy for Jason’s stomach just watching him.
Estrella was truly a lucky charm for Justice Guardians LLP.
As the others regained their senses, they finally understood how Justice Guardians LLP had managed to secure the legal work for Nelson International. Mr. Jason had clearly taken a shine to the firm’s attorney. No wonder Future Vision hadn’t renewed their contract. It seemed they too needed to pay closer attention to Justice Guardians LLP and cozy up to Ms. Estrella a bit more.
Who knew? She might even become Jason’s wife in the future.
Serene watched the scene unfold, her brow furrowed with concern.
ho was a
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worried sick over Jason, but this was a matter between Jason and Estrella. If Jason was
happy to flirt with Estrella, what could she say? Serene’s heart ached as she could only watch helplessly.
Since Jason rarely showed such favor, Estrella just looked at him in this way. As Estrella kept her gaze on him, her eyes brimming with an indescribable emotion, Jason, with a smile, asked her, “Ms. Estrella, are you worried?”