Callie choked slightly but maintained her smile. “Are you going to tell me or not?”
The wine arrived, and Jaquan took a sip, smiling. “Threatening me?”
She didn’t know how to respond. This man was sometimes casual, sometimes serious, and she couldn’t figure him out. “If you don’t want to say it, that’s fine. The next time you want to tell me, I might not want to listen, Mr. Scott.”
Her playful yet roguish words didn’t come off as annoying.
Jaquan put down his glass and squinted. “What happened to your neck?”
She was wearing an off-shoulder dress today, looking delicate in the chilly winter, especially with that touch of red on her neck.
“Got into a fight,” Callie said somewhat listlessly.
“Did you win?”
Callie glared at him. “Just drink your wine, Mr. Scott!”
Jaquan chuckled lightly, then his gaze fell on the man who had just walked in. The man’s face was backlit, and he wore a similar smile.
“Jaquan, I’ve been looking for you for half a day, and here you are, hiding out.”
At the sound of this voice, Callie felt a chill run down her spine. She didn’t dare to look back.
Jaquan remained composed and leaned back. “Nelson’s speech was deafeningly loud. It was too lively inside; I had no chance to squeeze in. But fortunately, Mrs. Oconnor was considerate enough to invite me for a drink.”
“Oh?” Nelson approached Callie, placing a large hand on her shoulder, his gaze icy. “How thoughtful.”
Callie turned her head, using a sliver of light to look at him. “I saw Mr. Scott sitting here alone and bored, so I sat down to chat with him for a bit.”
It sounded like she was trying to distance herself from the situation. She was afraid Nelson would go crazy at her again because of Jaquan.
Nelson chuckled darkly but said nothing more. “Well done.”
“Mrs. Oconnor certainly knows how to please me,” Jaquan chimed in, staring at the light and shadow on Nelson’s face. “They say the stock price of Oconnor Group is trending downward and that something is going wrong. I used to think so too, but after tonight, I realize my previous thoughts were quite naive. Nelson, you’re doing well.”
Nelson picked up the glass Jaquan had drunk from and examined it in the light. “I remember you don’t like dry red wine; it’s really not suitable for you.”
“I like it now,” Jaquan replied calmly. “Just like I thought there was no place for the internet in Oconnor Group’s future plans, but didn’t you still go ahead with it?”
Hearing the implication in his words, Callie was somewhat surprised. Oconnor Group had always focused on industry; were they really moving into the internet sector?
Jaquan stood up and whispered as he passed Nelson, “Nelson, I feel sorry for you. Why bother with such people?”
With that, he walked away without looking back.
Callie turned to face Nelson. “What did Jaquan mean by that?”
Nelson’s gaze fell on the glass of wine on the table. For some reason, his left eyelid kept twitching, making him feel irritable.
The fragrance of the woman beside him wafted into his nose. He didn’t answer but asked instead, “Who picked out your outfit today?”
Beautiful as it was, it was a bit revealing.
Callie frowned slightly.
Soon, his coat was draped over her, covering the exposed parts and bringing warmth. He pulled her into his arms; there was no smell of alcohol.
“Why didn’t you tell me earlier that you’d be here?”
Callie helped loosen his tie. “It wouldn’t have mattered if I told you. I’m just a small fry watching you big shots battle it out.”
Nelson grabbed her delicate hand. “Tell me your thoughts on today’s event.”
Callie replied, “There’s always a higher mountain.”
Clearly, she implied something.