“You look so beautiful, Mr. Burkhart will definitely like you. When the time comes, you’ll not only have a car but also a house…” Jade kept flattering.
Winifred stopped in her tracks. “Did Mr. Burkhart specifically ask you to come and tell me this?”
Jade felt a bit flustered but seeing Winifred’s expression unchanged, she seemed to allow Jade to continue. Gaining confidence, Jade pressed on, “Mr. Burkhart indeed has his eyes on you. You’re so beautiful; if I were a man, I’d like you too. You managed to win over Mr. Burns, so Mr. Burkhart would be no problem either. Mr. Burkhart asked me to tell you that if things don’t work out there, you can come to him.”
Jade spoke of Liam’s family background, which was a century-old family with deep roots, unlike Leland who rose halfway through.
Liam had many lovers but was generous to each one. For instance, Jade received tens of thousands of dollars in pocket money every month. Since Liam wanted her to show off, he often gifted clothes, bags, and jewelry-enough to buy a house in Peachshire Town.
Winifred found herself wanting to laugh-not at Jade, but at herself. Who would have thought that one day she would be considered a lover and even be solicited?
The thought made Winifred feel sick. Jade wasn’t like her; she didn’t have such strong self-esteem and was very clear-headed and smart. If she were with Leland, she’d definitely be happy.
But Winifred was thinking about how to make Leland dislike her.
Whenever she watched a video where the male lead appeared, Leland would cover her eyes. So what if she slept with another man…
Winifred seemed to see the outcome.
“I’ll think about it.”
Jade looked incredulous. She had only said those words on behalf of Mr. Burkhart tentatively because she thought Miss Dawson wouldn’t agree to such a thing. Firstly, Winifred seemed very proud; secondly, she was already with Leland, who was much wealthier and more handsome than Liam.
Jade recalled Winifred saying that Leland hadn’t given her any money.
Could it be true? Could he be that stingy? But if Winifred and Leland really had a patron-lover relationship and the money wasn’t right, she’d want to switch too. No one should sleep for free!
Jade took out a business card from her bag. “This is Mr. Burkhart’s contact information; keep it.”
Winifred glanced at it-the number was easy to remember-and put it in her bag.
“Does someone like him enjoy picking up after others?”
The words were harsh; Jade didn’t think much of it and assumed “he” referred to Liam.
Jade smiled charmingly at Winifred. “You might not know the rules of our trade. Sometimes we can’t see ourselves as people but as commodities. Once we choose this path, we just follow the money as long as it doesn’t harm life; we’ll do anything for money. Sometimes when negotiating deals, if the client likes you, for the sake of business relations, you have to accompany them to bed. There are even occasions where partners exchange women.”
Winifred frowned; no wonder Liam dared to use Jade as an intermediary.
People like Liam were extremely confident-appropriate confidence is good; excessive confidence is foolish arrogance.
Winifred grew up in this circle and knew well that sometimes people could die without bleeding or even knowing how they died.
Jade accompanied Winifred to the restroom and asked for her name on their way out.
“I’m Jade; just call me Jade. Do you need my phone number?”
Winifred shook her head; she felt there would be no further interaction with Jade after today.
Back in the private room, Leland was drinking wine. The red wine flowed slowly into his mouth as he tilted his head back, staining his lips red.
Seeing Winifred enter, Leland put down his glass and shook her wrist as she approached him, his eyes lighting up like lanterns. “Why did you take so long?”
“Just getting some fresh air.”
“Was it boring?”
Winifred shook her head. “The food here is delicious.”
“If you like it, we’ll come often after dinner; let’s go play.” The hotel had a club-a playground for wealthy heirs-with dozens of indoor games and even an outdoor horse track.
He hadn’t taken Winifred out seriously before.
Winifred wasn’t interested in going out with him; she’d played these games before when she was still a young lady-she excelled at them back then-and frequented high-end places like this with people trying to curry favor with her.
She didn’t respond because suddenly a hand fell on her leg-not Leland’s hand.
After returning, Jade sat on the other side; now Liam was next to Winifred.
Even without Jade’s words, Winifred knew Liam had his eyes on her from the moment she walked in with Leland-she felt his sticky gaze making her uncomfortable.
She could sense it; whether Leland could or not was another matter.
Liam didn’t dare openly steal Leland’s woman but resorted to sneaky moves under the table.
These little actions reminded Winifred of dining at the Reeves family home back then.
Winifred resisted moving away and propped up her chin as if nothing happened while glancing at Liam with a slight smile.
Liam almost lost his soul; in his view, aside from beauty, Winifred had nothing else-no status-and couldn’t fit into this circle except by association with Leland as his lover.
When Jade Seymour returned earlier, she sent a text hinting that Winifred was considering being with him-so it was just a matter of time before she became his woman in Liam’s mind.
It wouldn’t be long before he could taste such a beauty-too bad he would be picking up after Leland.
Leland noticed Winifred smiling at Liam without responding for some time-the smile dazzling enough to make him uncomfortable and regret bringing her out since more people would notice her now.
To him, Winifred was like a treasure he’d sought all his life-wanting both to hide her away forever and show off proudly.
Seeing Winifred smile at another man made Leland burn with possessiveness-how could she smile at anyone else?
When did Liam move next to Winifred?
Unaware of the actions under the table, Leland stood up and switched seats with Winifred-unable to tolerate another man being so close to her.