billion book
Chapter 24
At that moment, Jason stood up, made his way over to Bryce, and patted him on the shoulder. “I’ve got mad faith in you.”
Bryce offered, “Did Ella dump that agreement drafting gig on you? I’ll chat with her and get it sorted. She’s a whiz with this legal stuff, being a lawyer and all.”
Jason’s hand pressed down firmly on Bryce’s shoulder, his words carrying weight, “You handled this well. But step back from here on out.”
Who the hell was talking about divorcing Estrella? Two years and despite some harsh words, he had never mentioned divorce.
Leave it to Bryce, saying he’d play the mole for him, suss out Estrella’s thoughts. Instead, he just threw gas on the fire and brought back a pile of nonsense.
Estrella received Bryce’s call while he was being hustled by Drew to board the train with. the group. On the other end, Bryce was crying his eyes out, begging Estrella to save him. All Estrella could offer was a sympathetic, “Bryce, take care of yourself. I’ll be here when you get back.” She added for comfort, “If your mom disowns you, I’ll take the hit and take you in.”
“Ella, save me. Go plead with Jason.”
“Mr. Bryce, please get on the train,” Drew’s voice came through, and the call with Bryce ended.
Listening to the dial tone, Estrella was baffled. She had agreed to divorce, so why Jason still not letting Bryce off the hook?
was
Unable to figure it out, Estrella didn’t bother trying. She’d just wait until her vacation to check in on Bryce.
Just as she and Jason had started to mend their strained relationship, it was on the rocks again.
Jason stopped coming home. Rumors of his scandals were everywhere. Yet, he still hadn’t brought up the divorce.
Two days later, after wrapping up a civil dispute case at the courthouse, Estrella got a call from Grayson. He was throwing a welcome-back shindig for Korey the next night and wanted her to clear her schedule.
“I’ve got a big case in court tomorrow. Can I swing by after it wraps up?” Estrella asked.
“That’ll work.”
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Korey was hitting 29, the same age as Grayson, a few years older than the rest of the group. They all grew up in the same circle, knew each other since they were kids. After being away for more than two years, Korey’s return warranted a proper celebration. So, the next day, after court, Estrella headed straight to the karaoke bar for the second half of the festivities.
Half an hour later, she pushed open the door to the private room, where the party was in full swing, and Thomas’ booming voice dominated the space. He’d organized the after-party, ensuring no one would call it a night early.
Glancing around the room, Estrella noticed some new faces, and there, beside Jason, sat a girl with an air of innocence. Estrella was used to such scenes by now, numb to them.
“Estrella.”
“Estrella, come sit over here.”
Jesse waved her over, and Estrella made her way over.
From a distance, Jason gave Estrella a fleeting look, quickly averting his gaze. The annoyance from the other day still lingered.
With Jason’s casual glance, the girl next to him took a longer look at Estrella. Estrella was so pretty, no wonder Jason spared her a second glance.
As Estrella approached, Jason didn’t greet her, and Estrella acted as if she didn’t know him, which made Korey’s brows furrow. Korey had heard about the marital troubles between Estrella and Jason but didn’t expect such coldness when they met, not even a
hello.
“Korey,” Estrella greeted Korey across Jesse, and Korey asked, “Estrella, have you had dinner?”
“I ate before coming.”
Jesse, sensing an opportunity, joked, “Should I give you two some space?”
Korey just smiled, saying nothing.
On another couch, Jason watched the trio laughing and chatting, and, irritated, he picked up a cigarette and lighter from the coffee table and lit up.
Thomas, not wanting Korey to sit out, took to the mic and announced, “Let’s quit the small talk and play a game together. No excuses, Korey. You’re in.”
The games in the karaoke bar were typical-dice, truth or dare.
With a crowd this size, Thomas suggested pairing up, with the losers of each round taking a drink or answering a question.
Erik was the first to say, “Estrella, Kelly and I will be in one group. You group up with
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Koreyn.” She seemed to be doing it on purpose this time.
Korey said, “I’ve got no problem, Estrella, what about you?”
Estrella generously said, “Okay!”
The girl next to Jason had been watching Estrella, whispering, “Korey seems to like Ms. Estrella very much. His eyes are full of Ms. Estrella.”
Estrella was beautiful, and this girl had been watching Estrella all night. She found that, Korey’s eyes
eyes were also full of Estrella. Even though he tried his best to hide it, it couldn’t
be hidden.
Jason’s face became even gloomier. Damn it. Estrella was laughing and talking with others right in front of him..
However, Estrella hadn’t done anything outrageous at the moment, and he didn’t wan to
seem petty.
In no time, the pairing was done, and everyone started rolling dice. The one with the highest number could either punish others or ask others questions. The punished person. could choose to drink or answer.
Jesse was usually being quiet and talking less, but when it comes to drinking games, she’s good at it. Every time she rolls the dice, she gets three sixes, always the winner. Tonight, she seemed to be at odds with Jason. Every time she won, she would choose Jason to answer the question.
But Jason didn’t take it. Before Jesse could ask, he would pick up his wine glass and drink.
When Jesse rolled the highest number again, she turned to Jason again. This time, before Jason could even raise his glass, Jesse chuckled and said, “Mr. Jason, this is the fourth time I’ve flagged you down tonight. If you keep drinking, it won’t be any fun.”
“Why don’t you give Jesse a chance to get to know you, Mr. Jason?”
“Jason, if you keep up this drinking, it’s really gonna kill the vibe.”
“Come on, Mr. Jason. Give us an answer, will ya?”
After Jesse threw down the gauntlet, the rest off the bunch chimed in.
The chatter was all over the place, but Jason simply lifted his gaze to meet Jesse’s for a moment, and he didn’t reach for his drink again.
Jesse, with her slicked-back hair looking sharp as ever, sized up Jason and threw out a zinger, “Jason, are you a virgin?”
Pfft! As soon as Jesse dropped the question, Thomas couldn’t help it-his drink sprayed out in a burst of laughter.
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Jason had been married for two years now. Was there a screw loose in Jesse’s head?
But the others looked intrigued. Jesse’s question had layers to it, like a juicy scoop was about to unfold.
Meanwhile, Jason just stared at Jesse with an icy glare, his expression sour enough to curdle milk. If he admitted to being a virgin, it was as good as admitting something was off-kilter with him. But if he said no, he’d essentially be confessing to Estrella that he had indeed strayed.
For over two years, he had managed to remain an enigma to Estrella, never letting her truly see through him.
Jesse’s question was a real piece of work-sharp and loaded.
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