Lost Me Gained Regret

The girl beside her said, "Who else? Janedream's Elena, of course! I just didn't expect her to be such a young and beautiful woman in person!" "Pfft, I didn't see you defending her earlier, and now you're all praises."

"What could I have done?"Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

The other girl glanced at her, "Did you forget how nasty you, Judie, and Dorothy were talking about her earlier? If I had defended her, you guys would have probably lashed out at me too."

Keeping a low profile.

Nothing unusual.

She didn't argue, just mumbled, "My mom was trying so hard to secure a private session with Elena for me, and now, because of my mess... it's probably never going to happen."

"It might not be that bad."

Another girl chimed in, “I don't think she's the type to hold grudges, especially not against someone who's, no offense, not the sharpest tool in the shed."

The room buzzed with chatter.

Before the dinner even ended, I was swarmed with business cards - some were offers for collaborations, others were trying to secure a private session of their own.

But mostly, they were looking towork.

They believed that if they could get on my good side, any project they wanted to tackle would be a breeze.

Herbert also made it clear on the spot that since I was Bella's goddaughter, I was naturally considered his niece as well.

That way, even if I wasn't keen on helping them with anything, just leaving a good impression on me would give them a smooth sailing.

After all, Bella, Gregory, Bryant, Herbert - any one of them was a big fish that nobody at the event could afford to provoke.

To say the least, this was the most kindness I had ever felt in one day.

It's just human nature, I guess.

But it also made me realize I still had a lot to work on.

Janedream, despite its rapid growth, wasn't enough to give me a solid standing in Vista Town, where the elite were a dime a dozen.

As I was handed another business card, Gregory strolled over, casually wrapping an arm around my waist.

"Mr. Ford, Ms. Webster, I've spotted a friend. Please, go ahead without me."

The person handing me the card took the hint and left.

Gregory smirked, teasing, "Getting a lot of business cards, aren't you?"

"Jealous?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

He chuckled, squeezing my waist a bit before whispering in my ear, "I'm not just jealous."

I felt a tickle and couldn't help but laugh, "Oh? And what else?"

Gregory's voice was playful yet suggestive, "I'm also hungry."

My cheeks flushed, and I quickly glanced around, thankful that everyone had made space for this VIP the moment he approached. And naturally, I wasn't foolish enough to ask him what he meant by 'hungry'.

We're adults here, after all.

Bryant returned to the hall, mingling with a few people who came up to converse before nodding to Bella and making his exit.

As he left the hall, he instinctively looked back, immediately spotting the woman who used to have eyes only for him, now in the arms of another man.

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It was as if a clear line had been drawn between them.

On the drive back, Nadine felt the tension in the car was palpable, with Bryant's cigarette never seeming to burn out.

She disliked secondhand smoke but endured it all the same.

For a moment, she wondered, if Jane were here instead of her, would he still be smoking like this?

After a long silence, she finally spoke up, her fingers clenched around her dress, Mr. Ferguson, thank you for taking care of my mother's medical expenses."

He seemed distracted, but at her words, he frowned slightly, glancing

at

V his voice devoid

of emotion, "You don't need

me."

to

thank

York Carlson had mentioned it to him after handling the matter, but it wasn't something he dwelled on.

His response was so cold, leaving no room for further conversation. Nadine looked at his chiseled profile, saying, "The doctor told me it was

charged to your account. Don't

worry, I plan to repay you as soon as

save up enough money."

"Repay?"

Bryant's lips twisted into a mocking smile, "Then you should contact York and transfer it to his account."