5
Honey,” a warm voice murmured in my ear, “what’s gotten you so upset?”
You’re married?” Aria’s face fell, her expression turning sour.
ignored her, my eyes fixed on Vera, a playful smile on my face. “Ms. Vance, I’m so sorry to have troubled ‘ou, making you come all the way down here to fetch me. I do hope this won’t upset your… special connecti-
›ns.”
gave a mischievous wink.
Vera looked at me with an exasperated fondness. “Stop teasing. What on earth happened?”
briefly explained the situation.
Ross’s expression became strained. “Ms. Vance, we’re so sorry to have bothered you. This is just a small,
rivate matter between Fred and us.”
Vera finally turned her gaze to Ross and Aria. She frowned slightly. “And you two are?”
The forced smile on Ross’s face collapsed. He quickly fumbled for his phone, pulling up a message. “Ms.
lance, I’m Ross. You invited us to be brand ambassadors for your new ski equipment.” He held the phone
out for her to see.
glanced over. The message was from the official account of a Veridian subsidiary.
Vera’s voice was placid, yet carried an unmistakable authority. “Mr. Qin, I personally have no acquaintance with you. This invitation was sent by Veridian, yes, but a subsidiary’s choice of influencer hardly requires my
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Chapter 2
personal attention.”
Ross was speechless. His carefully constructed composure shattered, and he kept darting nervous glances at me. Aria, on the other hand, seemed less flustered and more… resentful. She glared at me as if I had personally betrayed her.
I slipped my hand into Vera’s and held out my other hand to Ross. “Mr. Qin. My proposal, if you please.”
His hand trembled as he handed me the pile of shredded paper.
I took Vera’s hand and turned to leave.
“Fred!” Aria’s voice stopped me. “Do you still have my number? There’s something I want to talk to you about
Her gaze was fixed on our intertwined hands.
I looked at her for a long moment, a laugh bubbling up inside me. “Aria, there’s nothing left for us to talk abo
ut.”
