Chapter 334
But when Jasper glanced back at Cassian, Cassian quickly averted his gaze again.
Cassian was wrapped in an icy aura that kept everyone at a distance. No one dared get close.
What Jasper saw was like nothing but a drunken hallucination.
Jasper thought it over, then went over to have a quick chat with Cassian.
Jasper asked Cassian, “So, what are you planning to do about Tessa?”
Almost everyone was curious about that.
If it were anyone else, they’d probably drop them in a heartbeat. The fallout was just too much.
But with Cassian, Tessa still had a shot.
So far, no one had dared to make any assumptions, not even Jasper.
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Jasper figured Cassian would probably do what he always did, go radio silent, let the drama die down, then quietly pull some strings to bail Tessa and her mom out.
Cassian didn’t answer right away. He just slowly finished his drink, then countered, “If it were you, what would you do?”
Jasper hesitated for a few seconds before saying, “I’d definitely cut ties.”
When it came to decisions like this, men tended to be more pragmatic.
Especially since Jasper had Gideon as his benchmark.
When Gold Gauntlet faced a major crisis, Gideon had to weigh the pros and cons and agree to a strategic marriage to keep the company afloat.
Even though he’d loved Aurelia for years, he still had to make the hard choice to give her up.
Cassian gave a light, knowing smile after hearing Jasper’s answer. “Not bad. Looks like you’ve matured.”
With that, he set down his glass, patted Jasper lightly on the shoulder, and turned to leave.
Jasper froze for a second.
Jasper thought. ‘Did he show up just for a single drink?
‘Wait, he didn’t even answer me.
‘Is he actually going to help Tessa or just leave her hanging?‘
While Aurelia was touching up her makeup, Miranda dropped by with some yogurt and told her to drink it before heading out for drinks. She said it’d help keep her stomach happy.
Aurelia was video chatting with Mia at the time. Seeing how on point Miranda was, she didn’t hesitate to shower her with praise.
Mia, never one to hold back, suddenly blurted out, “Did that jerk Cassian show up today?”
Aurelia replied, “Yeah, he did.”
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Chapter 334
“What’s he even doing here?” Mia grumbled, clearly annoyed. “He’s so annoying.
“I don’t feel that way,” Aurelia said, sounding unfazed.
Honestly, she hadn’t even paid attention to Cassian, so she didn’t feel bothered at all.
Before Mia could say anything, Miranda chimed in, “Looks like Mr. Locke already left.”
Aurelia paused. “He left? That was fast.”
Mia said, “Glad he’s gone.”
They chatted for a bit longer, then Aurelia headed out to give her speech and kick off the party.
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With so many guests around, Miranda never left Aurelia’s side, making sure she had backup for every conversation.
Now and then, she’d jump in and take a few drinks for Aurelia whenever someone tried to toast her.
Jessica was also one of the guests. This time, she showed up with a new guy on her arm.
The guy wasn’t the usual boy–next–door or bad–boy type. He was just a guy who looked pretty polished and well–mannered.
He was still younger than Jessica, dressed in a sharp suit.
Jessica introduced him as her secretary.
But Aurelia could tell there was more to it than that.
Her secretary kept taking the drinks for her.
The guy obviously couldn’t hold his liquor. His face and ears were flushed red, and he could barely get his words out.
Aurelia was thinking about stepping in to bail him out before he had to down another glass.
But Jessica brushed it off. “He’s gotta drink. He’s got to soak up some good vibes He’s not used to it yet, needs more practice.”
Then, she turned back to her secretary and reminded him, “You’ll have to cover for me at these parties sooner or later. If you can’t handle your booze, you’ll miss out on a ton of chances.”
The guy kept nodding, “Yeah, I get it.”
Seeing the guy’s rookie vibes as he tried to navigate his first big event, Aurelia got a little sentimental.
Back when she was new to the game, she was no different.
She couldn’t hold her liquor, got all jittery, and could barely string a sentence together.
But after enough rounds, she toughened up, learned to keep her cool, and could handle whatever came at her.
Jessica wasn’t wrong about that.
If one couldn’t hold their liquor, one really did miss out on a lot of opportunities.
That was just how business got done around here. Booze was everything.
Back when she was at Honoria Capital, Aurelia closed many deals by drinking everyone under the table.
But it definitely messed up her health.
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Chapter 334
Back when Honoria Capital’s subsidiary was at a critical period for the listing. Aurelia didn’t want Cassian to worry, so the handled it all on her own.
Even when she suffered alcohol poisoning and lost the baby, she never let Miranda tell Cassian about it.
Looking back. Aurelia honestly had no idea how she managed to get through all that.
But somehow, she pulled through.
Aurelia gave Jessica’s secretary a friendly reminder. “Don’t push yourself when it comes to drinking. Take it slow, or you’ll mess up your stomach.”
He nodded gratefully.
Jessica laughed and added. “Not everyone’s as kind as Ms. Corin, who’d care about your health. In this business, whose stomach hasn’t been ruined by alcohol?”
Aurelia could see that Jessica was serious about taking her new secretary under her wing.
She glanced at Jessica, lingering for a moment.
Jessica flashed her a knowing smile. Everything was understood between them, no words needed.
After the party ended and Aurelia saw off the last of the guests, Stephen finally pulled her aside for a private talk.
When Aurelia walked in, the atmosphere was heavy, and everyone looked grim.
Even Zane had dropped his usual carefree attitude. His demeanor had turned cold and serious.
“What’s going on?” Aurelia asked, a little confused. “Did something happen?”
Stephen’s voice was cold and serious as he said, “There’s been a major shake–up in Northvale. One of the top dogs just got secretly taken in for a disciplinary review.”
Marshall said, “Big changes are coming.”
Cruz chuckled. “What’s there to be scared of? If the sky’s falling, let the big guys take the hit.
Then Cruz looked over at Zane. “You’re the tallest here. Guess that means you get to hold up the sky.
Zane just stared, lost for words.
He protested, “Why me?”
“Who told you to cozy up to Tessa in the first place?” Cruz grumbled, annoyed. ‘She’s Aurelia’s enemy. The only reason you haven’t been kicked out is that Stephen’s too soft–hearted.”
“Hey, I got my payback in the end, didn’t I? Even had Aurelia come watch the whole drama,” Zane defended himself.
Cruz kept pressing. “That’s only because I told you she was Aurelia’s rival. Otherwise, would you really have missed out on such a golden opportunity?”
Zane cleared his throat. “Hey, don’t rub it in. So what if I’m a bit of a flirt? I want to make every pretty girl feel special. Is that
a crime?”
Everyone in the room shot him a look of pure disdain.
Zane scratched his head and said, “Seriously, you guys have it all wrong. I was paying back a favor. Back when I was young and clueless, I owed someone. I wasn’t as desperate as you might think.”
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But even though Zane said so, everyone still looked at him as if he were hopeless.
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Stephen brought everyone back on track and reminded them to pay close attention to any moves coming from up top.
If this really went down, things were about to get seriously shaken up.
Miranda stuck around with a few of the party crew to handle the aftermath. She made sure to tell Walter to get Aurelia home safe.
By the time Aurelia and Walter headed downstairs, it was already eleven at night.
At some point, it had started to rain. It was not heavy, but the chill in the air cut right through, snaking down Aurelia’s neck.
Aurelia just had a thin jacket on, totally useless against the cold.
Walter shrugged off his jacket and wrapped it around Aurelia’s shoulders. “Wait here by the door for a couple of minutes,” he said. “I’ll go and get the car.”
Just as Walter walked off, Aurelia’s phone started ringing.
She glanced at the screen. Surprisingly, it was Cassian calling.
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