Chapter 168
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The waiter brought over breakfast, and Liam was reaching for a muffin, but Cassian beat him to it.
“Perfect timing, I wanted one, too,” Cassian said, grinning.
Liam shot him a glare. “Why don’t you just order your own if you want one?”
Jasper quickly jumped in to smooth things over. “If you want one, I’ll just order another for
you.”
Just as he was about to wave the waiter over, a woman dressed to the nines came trotting over and threw her arms around Liam from behind.
“Liam, fancy running into you again! Did you miss me?” she cooed.
Jasper recognized her. Liam had brought her to one of their get–togethers before. Her name was Shelley Bader.
Liam quickly pried Shelley’s hands off him. “Cut it out.”
“Tsk, you guys are all the same, hit it and quit it,” Shelley scoffed. “Last night you were getting all lovey–dovey with me in the hotel hallway, and you’re pretending it never happened.”
“Lovey–dovey? Quit making stuff up,” Liam said, secretly relieved that Aurelia was sitting in another the restaurant.
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of
“Making stuff up? Go ahead, show everyone the shirt you wore yesterday. My lipstick marks are still all over it,” Shelley shot back.
Liam was speechless.
Having a bunch of ex–girlfriends was just asking for trouble.
Cassian, who’d been wound up all night, finally let his brows relax.
Jasper scratched his head and asked Shelley, “Aren’t you getting married?”
“Getting married doesn’t mean I have to stop having fun, right?” Shelley shot back.
Jasper blinked, then just said, “Savage.”
Shelley shrugged, totally unfazed. “I’m just playing the game like a guy, making sure men have nowhere left
to run.”
Jasper was at a loss for words.
Liam’s ex–girlfriends were all wild, each one crazier than the last.
Looks like that’s exactly Liam’s type.
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Chapter 168
After finally getting rid of Shelley, Liam let out a sigh of relief.
Then, Cassian gave the mutin back to him, the one he’d swiped earlier.
Liam just stared, question marks practically popping up over his head.
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Cassian said, “Peace offering”
Liam was speechless.
‘Seriously? He steals my breakfast and then tries to apologize by handing it back? Is this guy for real?‘ Liam thought.
Seeing the two finally patch things up. Tessa breathed a sigh of relief. “Let’s put yesterday behind us. From now on, let’s get together more often and keep in touch like we always did.”
“Don’t forget, we’re still on groomsman duty for Cassian,” Jasper added with a grin.
Liam paused for a second, then said, “Suit yourself. I’m not signing up for groomsman duty.”
“Come on, didn’t we have a deal? First one to get hitched, the rest of us play groomsmen,” Jasper protested.
Liam said, with a straight face, “Word is, if you’re a groomsman too many times, you’ll be single forever.”
Jasper nearly choked. “What kind of crazy logic is that?”
“Not happening,” Liam said flatly.
‘Yeah, right. If I end up being Cassian and Tessa’s groomsman, Aurelia will definitely hold it against me,‘ Liam thought.
“Cassian, I want some chicken soup,” Tessa said, turning to Cassian.
“I’ll order it for you,” Cassian said, reaching to flag down the waiter.
But Tessa stopped him. “Don’t go to all that trouble. Just give me a little from yours. Use this small bowl.”
Jasper grinned, “Tessa, you’re getting the couple’s bowl treatment now?”
“Couple’s bowl? What’s that supposed to mean?” Liam asked, looking genuinely confused.
Jasper explained, “You know, when a guy shares a little bowl of his food with his girlfriend, that’s the couple’s bowl. If nobody loves you, you don’t get one, simple as that.”
Liam was speechless.
‘I don’t get it, and I don’t respect it,‘ Liam thought.
Tessa snapped a photo and posted it on Instagram, borrowing Jasper’s line.
[The couple’s bowl from Mr. Locke.]
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Chapter 168
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Aurelia had just finished breakfast and was heading upstairs when Miranda texted her, saying she was feeling sick to her stomach first thing in the morning.
Aurelia replied: [What happened?]
Miranda sent over a screenshot of Tessa’s Instagram post.
Aurelia glanced at it and quipped. [So being in a relationship means you can’t even get a decent meal now?]
Miranda: [Aurelia, your roasts are always savage!]
Aurelia: [Why are you scrolling and spilling coffee when you should be working?]
Miranda: [Alright, I’m out.]
*****
After the conference wrapped up that morning, Aurelia was about to head back to Ashmont when Darren’s secretary dropped off an invitation to the Veyport Chamber of Commerce’s 30th anniversary party.
Getting an invite to Darren’s party was the most coveted invitation in town.
Aurelia immediately changed her flight and asked Mia to help her book a top stylist from Grendel City for a full glam session.
She was determined to show up at the party looking elegant and perfectly put together.
While she was getting her hair and makeup done, Liam texted her, asking when she was heading to the airport.
Aurelia replied that she had something to take care of and wouldn’t be heading back just yet.
Liam couldn’t help but feel a little let down.
He’d been hoping for another chance to spend some time alone with Aurelia.
But since things didn’t work out, he had no choice but to head back on his own.
When he came downstairs to check out, Jasper, Cassian, and Tessa were already waiting for him in the lobby.
“Come on, quit dragging your feet! We’ve all been waiting for you,” Jasper called out.
“Coming,” Liam replied.
While they were waiting, Kyler shot Tessa a text. [You heading back to Ashmont?]
Tessa texted: [Yeah, I’m about to head to the airport now.]
Kyler: [I was gonna fly back with you all, but I’ve got to stick around for Mr. Keith’s party, so I’ll be here one more day.]
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Chapter 168
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Kyler made the trip out here, but never got a chance to spend any time with Tessa.
Cassian was always by her side.
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So most of the time, all Kyler could do was watch her from a distance, even if it was just for a second.
Reading Kyler’s message, Tessa suddenly had a thought and asked. [Are you talking about Mr. Keith, Darren Keith?]
“Yes, that’s the one,” Aurelia confirmed.
Tessa gripped her phone, sounding a bit anxious as she turned to Cassian. “Did you know Mr. Keith is hosting a party today?”
“Yeah,” Cassian replied, his sharp, unreadable expression giving nothing away.
“Did you get an invitation?” Tessa asked.
Cassian nodded. “Yeah.”
“Then why aren’t you going?” Tessa asked, a little surprised.
‘That’s Darren’s party. Everyone wants to be there!‘ Tessa thought, her mind spinning.
Cassian just met her gaze,
silent.
It suddenly clicked for Tessa. Cassian was only skipping Darren’s party because of her.
Jasper overheard and jumped in, “Let’s be real. Only Cassian’s got the clout to score an invite to Darren’s party. The rest of us aren’t even on the guest list.”
Upon hearing that, Tessa felt down.
‘Guess I’m just not good enough for that crowd,‘ she thought to herself.
“You want to go?” Cassian asked, keeping his tone cool.
Tessa gave a straightforward nod.
Of course, she wanted to go, but she just wasn’t at that level yet.
Cassian said, “I’ll take care of it.”
His words made Tessa’s eyes light up with hope.
‘Cassian, you’re just too much! If I were a girl, I’d be head over heels for you!” Jasper joked, practically getting high off all the couple vibes in the air.
Liam nudged him with his foot. “Go and earn some cash and buy yourself a cure for that lovesick brain of yours!”
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Chapter 168
Cassian was always efficient. Half an hour later, he let Tessa know everything was taken care of
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After that, he brought Tessa to pick out a dress and get her hair and makeup done, making sure she’d look stunning for the big night.
After learning her lesson last time, Tessa wised up and went for a sleek black dress with a sharp, business vibe
But she didn’t hold back on the accessories. Those eye–catching, luze sapphire earrings gave her look a serious upgrade.
This time, Tessa was dead set on making Darren rethink everything he thought he knew about her.
Aurelia arrived at the party venue at 6:30 p.m., sharp.
As she walked up to the entrance, she spotted Kyler just ahead of her.
Kyler’s brows furrowed again when he saw Aurelia. He clearly thought she didn’t belong here.
He glanced at her glamorous outfit and gave a dismissive smirk.
‘Does she even have what it takes to be at a party like this?‘ Kyler thought with a sneer.
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