Her explanation caused Jack and Roxanne to glance at each other. Although they were skeptical about it, they couldn’t find any fault with the excuse since it was indeed peak hour.
Even though Roxanne’s house was close, traffic did hold them back for almost half an hour.
As a result, Jessica would naturally take longer since Hightower residence was even further away.
Having considered it, Jack replied grimly, “All right then. There’s no need to rush. Just drive safe.”
Despite the contempt that flashed across Jessica’s eyes, she didn’t let it affect her cordial tone. “As I’ll probably be stuck here for a while, there’s no need to wait for me. I’ll get the restaurant staff to serve you first.”
Just when Jack wanted to decline, the waiter arrived with the food. Having no other choice but to accept it implicitly, he responded, “We’ll be waiting for you.”
With a hum of acknowledgment, Jessica ended the call before going on to make another.
Oblivious to what she was up to, Jack and Roxanne assumed that she was really held up by traffic.
All they did was stare at the food in front of them with neither showing any intention to dig in.
Firstly, Jessica had not shown up. Secondly, both of them felt that something was amiss.
In spite of that, when Roxanne scanned the surroundings and didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary, she had no choice but to suppress the suspicion that arose within her.
Subsequently, both of them discussed the partnership while waiting for Jessica to show up.
However, unknown to them, a camera flash repeatedly lit up from amongst the trees outside the window.
Back at the café Jessica was in, she had just finished a cup of coffee when the screen on her phone started blinking.
After throwing it a glance, she picked it up to answer.
“I’ve gotten the pictures,” said a voice succinctly.
His words elicited a cocked brow from Jessica as she replied in glee, “In that case, I’ll be waiting for your shocking exposé tomorrow.”
“Me too,” the man responded in a solemn tone.
With that, Jessica ended the call.
Subsequently, she got to her feet and regained her composure before heading to the restaurant next door.
“I’m sorry to have kept you waiting.”
Upon entering the restaurant, Jessica gave her two guests an apologetic look.
Her arrival brought a sense of relief to Roxanne and Jack who responded with a faint smile. “It’s all right. Please take a seat.”
Nodding in acknowledgment, Jessica sat down beside them. However, at the sight of the untouched food on the table, she looked at them in surprise. “Didn’t I ask you to start first? Why did you wait for me? I’m really sorry that the food is now cold.”
Since Roxanne didn’t know Jessica that well, she simply broke into a cordial smile.
As for Jack, he gave her a perfunctory reply. “Since you’re the host, it’s right that we wait for you.”
He had barely spoken when silence descended upon the table.
At a loss as to what to do, Roxanne gave Jack an awkward look, for she intended to leave early if possible.
When Jessica wasn’t around, she and Jack could still talk about the partnership.
Now that the former had arrived, they would have to stop.
Thus, Roxanne had no desire to continue wasting time there.
When Jack’s eyes met hers, he easily guessed what was on her mind. Taking the initiative to break the silence, he said, “Jessica, didn’t you mention that this meal…”
Jolted back to her senses, Jessica threw Roxanne a knowing glance. “Ah, I’m sorry. I was befuddled after getting stuck in the traffic for so long. The fact that I’m supposed to apologize to Ms. Jarvis over dinner almost slipped my mind.”
Jessica then got to her feet and raised her glass at Roxanne. “I had too much to drink the other night, Ms. Jarvis. Therefore, I hope that you’ll excuse my behavior. This toast is a symbol of my apology!”
No sooner had she spoken than she downed her glass of wine in a single gulp. After that, she showed her empty glass to them and even paused in front of Roxanne to hint at her.
Her gesture elicited a conflicted look in Roxanne’s eyes, as it was evident that Jessica was pressuring her into reciprocating with a drink.
However, she would only drink when it was absolutely necessary.
On top of that, Jessica was supposed to apologize instead of putting her in another difficult position.
“Ms. Jarvis, are you unwilling to forgive me?” With a slight knit of her brows, Jessica was filled with remorse. “I understand why you wouldn’t want to do so, considering how outrageous my behavior was. For throwing a tantrum at you in front of so many, I was even grounded by my father the moment I got home. Subsequently, I used the last few days to reflect upon my actions.”
Pausing briefly, Jessica pursed her lips in a self-deprecating manner and turned to look at Jack. “I don’t deny having feelings for Jack, but who he fancies is none of my business. Also, I shouldn’t have forced my feelings upon him and put both of you in a difficult spot. It doesn’t matter whether both of you forgive me or not. I just want to let you know that I’m truly sorry for my actions.”
Jessica’s brimming sincerity ignited a glint in Roxanne’s eyes.
In truth, she wasn’t bothered at all by what happened that day. Now that Jessica had apologized, it was only appropriate for her to provide a response.
Holding that thought, Roxanne raised her glass in the end. “Ms. Hightower, it’s not as serious as you make it out to be. To be honest, I didn’t take offense over what happened that day. Therefore, you shouldn’t too.”
The moment she finished, Roxanne flashed a flat smile before downing a glass of wine.
No sooner had she done so that her brows instantly furrowed.
“What’s wrong?”
Noticing the grim look on her face, Jack frowned and inquired.
However, Roxanne just waved at him before throwing Jessica a glance.
Did Jessica do this on purpose? Why did she choose such a strong wine for dinner?
Nevertheless, when Roxanne didn’t notice anything amiss after drinking it, she wondered if she had been overthinking what was going on.
After downing two glasses of wine, the three of them fell into another awkward silence.
After all, the reason they were gathered was just to hear Jessica’s apology.
Cognizant of the tension, Jessica exchanged pleasantries briefly before getting up to take her leave.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
Leave a Reply