Niamh was genuinely taken aback to see Preston Winslow.
Especially since he looked nothing like his usual polished self–sweat beading on
his forehead, breathing hard, his tie askew. Clearly, he’d rushed to get here.
“What are you doing here? I didn’t invite you…”
Her tone made Preston bristle with indignation.
“So what if I wasn’t invited? Am I not allowed to show up? I didn’t come empty–handed, you know…”
He shoved a paper bag into her hands.
Niamh assumed he’d brought a typical opening–day gift, something businesslike or meant to bring good fortune. Earlier, Julian and his fiancée had given her a golden lion statue as a token of prosperity, both their names elegantly engraved on the
card.
But when she peeked inside Preston’s bag, all she found was a dress.
A pale blue, delicately laced, ethereal–looking dress–a new Valentino piece from this summer’s collection.
It felt far more personal than a customary business gift.
Seeing her confusion, Preston cleared his throat and muttered, “It cost more than the one I got for Marina, by the way.”
He really didn’t need to say that. If anything, it only made Niamh more baffled.
Still, a guest is a guest–and since Preston had brought a gift, Niamh well turn him away. She had no choice but to show him to a seat.
dn’t very
Once seated, Preston beamed with pride, looking for all the world as if he were her guest of honor.
The final event of the day was the dinner.
Preston didn’t even get halfway through his meal before he excused himself, apparently summoned by a call from Marina.
Niamh had a sneaking suspicion that Preston had slipped away from Marina’s opening ceremony on some flimsy pretense just to be here. Why he’d go to such lengths, she had no idea. After all, she and Preston, weren’t close enough for him to sneak off just to see her.
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17.44
Chapter 159
Night had fallen by the time the ceremony and dinner wrapped up.
The guests had long since departed. Only Niamh remained, tidying up paperwork and putting the final touches on the day.
“You’re here all by yourself?”
Startled, Niamh fumbled and sent a flurry of documents scattering to the grass.
She looked up and, to her surprise, found Jonathan standing before her–she had no idea when he’d arrived.
He was wearing a suit she didn’t recognize, probably new. Or maybe Marina had picked it out for him, for her studio’s opening event.
Niamh couldn’t fathom why Jonathan was here, especially at this hour.
“Did you…need something?”
“Can’t I just drop by without a reason?” Jonathan’s retorts always seemed to catch her off guard.
“Wasn’t today the opening for Marina’s studio? Shouldn’t you be with her?”
Jonathan just shrugged, a wry smile on his lips. “I was. Spent the whole day there, actually. If she hadn’t wrapped up, I wouldn’t have made it over.”
Niamh was reminded why talking to Jonathan never seemed to improve her mood.
She crouched to gather her scattered documents, only to be surprised when Jonathan bent down to help–faster than she was, in fact.
Most of the paperwork ended up in Jonathan’s hands, Judging by his expression, he had no intention of giving it back.
“Jonathan…” Niamh extended a hand, expecting him to return the stack.
Instead, Jonathan held the papers just out of reach, lifting his arm higher.
“Are you seriously this childish?”
Rather than get annoyed, Jonathan just laughed and, in one swift motion, tossed the documents into a nearby trash bin.
“Jonathan!” Niamh cried.
Jonathan stood back, hands in his pockets, coolly nodding toward the trash can. “If you look now, they should still be there.”
Niamh stared at him in disbelief.
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