Chapter 234
Chapter 234
Tessa got home late, surprised to see Alina still up.
As soon as she walked in, Alina glanced up at the clock on the wall.
It was three in the morning.
Alina’s face was cold, her tone full of warning. “This isn’t abroad. Can you tone it down a bit?”
Tessa, her mood instantly killed, tossed her bag onto the couch and sprawled out lazily.
She barely bothered to reply to Alina’s warning. “Yeah, whatever.”
2881
55 vouchers
Alina caught a glimpse of those suggestive red marks barely hidden by Tessa’s collar. Her brows knitted in frustration, but all she could do was warn her, “Make sure you wear a turtleneck tomorrow. Don’t let Cassian catch a glimpse.”
It was only after Alina spoke that Tessa realized and reached up to touch her neck.
“And those rumors about you being bad luck still haven’t died down. You need to turn things around fast, or they’ll just keep snowballing and you’ll end up with way bigger problems than you started with, Alina added.
Alina had been losing sleep over this whole rumor situation.
Lately, she’d been getting the cold shoulder from the other ladies in the socialite circle, especially the ones led by Mandy.
No matter what she did, no matter how much she tried to win them over. Even if she bent over backwards, it was all for nothing.
She still hadn’t managed to gain a real foothold in the socialite scene. Just being Cassian’s future mother–in–law wasn’t enough to let her hold her head high yet.
Just today, one of those socialite ladies had snarked, “It’s just an engagement, not a wedding. Who knows if she’ll ever actually make it into the Locke family?”
In high society, there are tons of stories about engagements that get called off before anyone even walks down the aisle.
Until the very last moment, you really can’t say for sure.
“The news drops tomorrow. That should help cover up those ugly rumors,” Tessa said, still not slacking off.
Alina breathed a little easier, but her tone stayed earnest. “You’ve got to keep both fronts covered. Any luck with Cassian lately?”
Tessa didn’t feel like answering that.
No one knows her daughter better than a mother, and Alina immediately got anxious. “Why is there still no progress? Didn’t I tell you what to do? If nothing else works, just move in with Cassjan! You two are already engaged. It’s only natural for you to live together.
Something in Alina’s words struck a nerve, and Tessa grew impatient. “Can you just stop worrying about us? I know for a fact.
Cassian loves me!”
After what happened, Tessa was completely sure of how much Cassian cared for her.
She was confident that Cassian’s heart was hers, and she wouldn’t let anyone say otherwise.
“What I mean is…” Alina started.
Chapter 234
813
1295 vouchers
“Enough, I’m exhausted. I’m heading to bed. You should get some sleep too,” Tessa interrupted, having lost all patience as she got up and walked off.
The next day, the news spread like wildfire across the city, just like Tessa and Alina had predicted.
Armed with a finance PhD from a world–famous business school, Tessa was back in the limelight.
In a country obsessed with academic credentials, having such a high–powered degree meant everyone was suddenly eager to sing her praises.
Ascend Group’s stock, which had been in the dumps, finally started to bounce back.
Even the shareholders who’d been grumbling about Tessa started to change their tune.
With Cassian backing her up, even the last few critics had no choice but to swallow their objections.
The Ascend Group’s quarterly meeting wrapped up smoothly, and right after, the VP knocked to let Cassian know that Ms. Corin from Regal Investment was here to see him.
Cassian didn’t even look up from his papers. “Show her in,” he said, his voice calm and authoritative.
Tessa was about to head out, but the moment she heard Aurelia was coming, she settled herself right back into her seat.
Sure, she was totally confident Cassian was into her, but that didn’t mean she trusted other women getting close to him.
And when it came to Aurelia, that was a whole different story.
Before Aurelia came in, Cassian finished up his work and glanced up, noticing Tessa adjusting her collar. He asked, concerned, “Feeling warm?”
“A little,” Tessa replied.
She’d deliberately picked a high–necked black lace top to cover up the hickeys on her neck.
The AC in the conference room was going strong, but she was bundled up more than necessary, so she was feeling overheated and a bit awkward.
Cassian told his secretary to lower the temperature even more.
Aurelia had just stepped in from outside, and the rush of cold air in the conference room made her shiver.
Unfortunately, the secretary had seated Aurelia right under the AC vent.
The chilly air kept blasting down onto Aurelia’s neck, making her whole back tingle.
She felt her whole back go numb.
Aurelia had only been sitting there for five minutes before she started sniffling, so she hurried through the meeting to get it over with.
Fortunately, Cassian was all about efficiency. In less than twenty minutes, they’d covered everything they needed to discuss.
Cassian closed the file and made some small talk. “Heard InquireMind is prepping for its first IPO?”
“That’s right,” Aurelia said.
With news like that, even if Aurelia kept it under wraps, it was bound to leak out sooner or later.
“How’s the internal team shaping up?” Cassian asked, sounding unusually invested.
10:34 Thu, Jan 1
Chapter 234
Cassian seemed more interested than usual.
Even Tessa glanced at Cassian, a hint of suspicion in her eyes.
སོ
ཝཱ, 81
55 vouchers
Aurelia couldn’t help but feel Cassian was prying, so she frowned and said, “That’s really none of your concern, Mr. Locke.”
Cassian was straightforward. “This is your first IPO, and as your former boss, I genuinely hope you succeed. I’ve got more experience in this field, so if you have any questions, feel free to reach out.”
“I appreciate it, Mr. Locke,” Aurelia replied, her response curt.
She clearly didn’t want any further involvement with Cassian, and definitely wouldn’t seek his advice.
Cassian, however, seemed oblivious to her refusal and continued on as if he hadn’t noticed.
“If InquireMind goes public, it’ll break my record for the fastest IPO ever,” he said, pausing as his gaze sharpened on Aurelia.
“You actually pulled it off. Congrats. And honestly, I’m sorry for ever doubting you,” he added.
Aurelia shot Cassian a suspicious look, thinking he must be on something today.
He was being all helpful and apologetic right in front of Tessa.
‘What’s he trying to pull?‘ Aurelia wondered.
While Aurelia was still mulling things over, the secretary knocked again and came in, with Mr. Youngkin from NaviTech right behind her.
“Wow, you guys finished already? Did I totally miss it?” Breon Youngkin apologized for showing up late.
Cassian said, “We’ve pretty much covered everything.”
Breon looked genuinely surprised. “That was quick!”
He’d only been twenty minutes late, and they’d already wrapped things up.
Cassian explained, “Ms. Corin knows my work style pretty well, so it makes it easy for us to get things done together.”
Breon nodded in agreement. “Ms. Corin worked under you for seven years. She knows a lot more than just your work habits.”
Tessa gave a little cough.
Breon finally caught on and gave an awkward smile. “As long as you two are on the same page, I’m fine with whatever you guys decide.”
Cassian checked the time. “Looks like it’s lunchtime. Mr. Youngkin, want to grab a bite together?”
Breon agreed instantly, but then realized Cassian wasn’t planning to invite Aurelia at all.
‘Weren’t they just having a great conversation?‘ Breon wondered, a little confused.
He glanced at Tessa, and suddenly it all made sense.
Cassian was clearly holding back because he didn’t want Tessa overthinking things.
Honestly, Aurelia didn’t give a damn about stuff like that,
Even if Cassian had asked her to join, she’d have shot him down without a second thought.
10:34 Thu, Jan 1 M
Chapter 234
She just pretended not to hear a thing, packed up her stuff, shot Breon a polite nod, and headed out.
As soon as Aurelia stepped out of the office, she couldn’t help but sneeze.
‘Seriously, I’m about to freeze to death!‘ Aurelia grumbled inwardly.
981
E55 vouchers
Before leaving, she stopped by the restroom, and when she came out, she spotted Tessa in front of the mirror, touching up her makeup.
The clothes that had been buttoned up tight earlier were now slightly loosened, perfectly revealing the suggestive red marks on her neck.
田
