Chapter 21 Aren’t You Here?
Elaine was silent for a while. Jackson glanced down at her and noticed that she seemed distracted. Frowning slightly, he asked, “What’s
wrong?”
She gave him a faint smile, her eyes bright with curiosity. “I was just wondering… everyone else brought a date, but why did you come alone?”
“Aren’t you here?” His tone was teasing, but his dark eyes showed no emotion, and his voice was perfectly calm.
She smiled but didn’t reply.
Of course, she didn’t actually think it was because she was there that he hadn’t brought a date.
Jackson wouldn’t care about a woman’s feelings.
Besides, their relationship was strictly transactional–there was no emotional weight to it.
As the music came to an end, Jackson spun her out and then pulled her
back in.
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Her dress flowed gracefully, like a butterfly in flight, and her slender waist arched backward as his arm held her steady.
With the final note of music, they executed the last move perfectly in
sync.
The room erupted in applause.
Jackson stood her upright, his hand still on her waist. She stepped back from his embrace.
As the applause echoed through the hall, her cheeks flushed slightly, her beauty enhanced by the crystal chandelier above.
Noticing that Jackson had danced the first song, someone assumed he’d be open to dancing the second and approached him with an invitation.
Jackson politely declined with a soft “sorry,” took a glass of champagne from a passing server, and walked off in the opposite direction.
Elaine grabbed a plate of food and found a quiet corner in the lounge to sit and eat.
Her appetite was small, and she was quickly getting hungry. She had only had some wine all evening and hadn’t eaten, so she was starting to feel it.
After eating until she was about 70% full, she set down her utensils,
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wiped her mouth with a napkin, and noticed someone had sat down across from her.
She looked up to find Loyd, the notorious playboy.
Loyd, holding a glass of champagne, sat across from her with a smug smile, his eyes fixed on her.
“Ms. Valentine, why are you sitting here all alone?”
She didn’t have a good impression of him and had no desire to engage.
Though his father Daniel was the mayor, she generally didn’t mix with the political or business elite.
Inviting Daniel today was merely due to some old family ties, but they had little to do with each other otherwise.
Since returning to the country, she hadn’t paid much attention to these wealthy heirs, but after working at the magazine, she had developed a habit of keeping up with the news. She knew a little about Daniel’s only son.
He had a bad reputation–lazy, spoiled, and a notorious womanizer…
With Loyd being the only child, Daniel indulged him, turning a blind eye to his actions as long as they didn’t affect his career.
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Elaine took a sip of champagne, her lips glistening. Just as she was about to speak, a commotion from the crowd caught her attention. She turned to see what was happening.
In the center of the hall, people were buzzing with noise. Jackson was looking down at a stain on his clothes, his brow furrowed slightly.
He was wearing a black suit, and the champagne stain wasn’t very obvious, though it had darkened that part of his outfit.
The woman in front of him held an empty glass, her face pale with panic as she apologized, “I’m so sorry, Mr. Mason, I didn’t mean to.”
She placed her glass on a server’s tray and grabbed a napkin, rushing to wipe the stain from his clothes.
As soon as her hand touched him, Jackson quickly pulled away, avoiding her touch. The woman tried to get closer, but he shot her a cold, distant look, his gaze sharp and unwavering.
