Carter’s face darkened at what he had just heard. “Listen, Jennifer. Firstly, what we have is nothing more than an employer-employee relationship. Secondly, there’s nothing romantic between us. Please don’t say things that might let others have the wrong idea.”
As he said that, Carter stole a glance at Amelia, worried that she might have misunderstood the situation.
“You’re distancing yourself from me for a woman like her?” Jennifer spat as she shot Amelia a dirty look.
Amelia continued to look straight ahead, not wanting to respond. Even when I’m silent, I still manage to stir up drama. So much for saying silence is golden.
“If you’re going to be like this for the rest of the ride, then please get out of my car right now,” Carter replied coldly.
Jennifer said nothing more, but the fury in her eyes was evident.
Amelia cleared her throat in a bid to defuse the tension. “I think it’d be better if I sat this one out, Mr. Scott. Why don’t you attend the lunch appointment with Ms. Larson? I can just go somewhere else for lunch.”
“No, we’re almost there. And besides, I’ve already gotten the hotel staff to prepare a nutritious pregnancy meal for you. It’d be good for the baby,” Carter replied, his voice tender.
“You didn’t have to go to so much trouble, Mr. Scott. I’m not suffering much from morning sickness, and I’m not picky with food. I’m fine with eating anything.”
Jennifer interjected, her voice dripping with sarcasm, “Hey Carter, looks like someone doesn’t appreciate your kindness. Why do you keep throwing yourself at a married woman anyway? Do you really want to be seen as a homewrecker and tear up the happy couple?”
Carter tightened his grip on the steering wheel. He was furious, but he decided against arguing back since they were almost at their destination.
The private dining room that had been reserved was already occupied by five other people by the time they arrived. The two women were both about twenty-five or twenty-six years old. Judging by their good looks and acute fashion sense, it was very likely that they were in charge of their company’s public relations. As for the three men, one of them looked to be in his thirties, while the other two were in their forties.
As the trio walked in, the five of them immediately stood up to greet them. The older-looking middle-aged man spoke up, “Finally, Mr. Scott! It’s good to see you.”
“Sorry to keep you waiting. We were stuck in traffic.”
“Don’t worry about it, we only just got here too.”
After exchanging pleasantries, Carter, Amelia, and Jennifer took their seats.
The man who had just greeted them briefly introduced his team before focusing his attention on Jennifer and Amelia. He was taken aback by their sheer beauty.
The two women he brought along were already two of the best-looking ones in his company. And yet, they paled in comparison in the presence of Amelia and Jennifer.
The pair of women were like diamonds and rubies, respectively. When viewed on their own, everyone would be enamored by them. But if you placed them side by side, the diamond’s glitter would easily outshine that of the ruby.
“Aren’t you going to introduce the two lovely ladies, Mr. Scott?”
“This is Jennifer Larson, our company’s Director of design. And Amelia Winters is one of our designers,” Carter very briefly introduced.
“Who knew that a handsome man like Mr. Scott would also have a bevy of beauties working for him. Here I was, thinking about how pretty our Ms. Taylor and Ms. Lane are. Then along came Ms. Larson and Ms. Winters, who are even more breathtaking.”
“You’re too kind, Mr. Reed. Ms. Taylor and Ms. Lane are both incredibly beautiful. There’s no need for such comparison when they’re all gorgeous in their own way,” Mr. Scott remarked.
Mr. Reed gave a hearty laugh in return. “You know, I’ve always heard that Mr. Scott is a brilliant and well-mannered businessman. They tell me you are a man of reason and that you always keep your word. Now, I see that you also have quite a way with words. I’m really quite impressed!”
“You flatter me, Mr. Reed.”
“Mr. Reed,” Ms. Taylor interrupted. “Our guests must be hungry. Shall we place our order?”
“Of course! Sorry, I was so happy I had forgotten about it.” Mr. Reed beckoned for the waiter and ordered his share of food. Carter ordered three other dishes before asking the waiter, “Is the pregnancy meal that I requested ready?”
“Yes, Mr. Scott. Should I serve it now, or later?”
It was not a decision for him to make, so Carter turned to Amelia. “Are you hungry now?”
Amelia shook her head. “You can serve it together with the other food. Eating with everyone makes it more pleasant.”
“Later it is then.”
With that, the waiter nodded and left the room.
Mr. Reed couldn’t hold back his surprise. “Ms. Winters, you’re pregnant?”
“Yes, I’m five months along now.”
“Your husband must have accumulated a lot of good karma to be blessed with someone as beautiful as you,” Mr. Reed exclaimed. “Hold on, is Mr. Scott your husband? Is that why he’s so attentive towards you? If that’s the case, then I must really congratulate the two of you. You make such a handsome couple!”
Jennifer coughed lightly before smiling. “You sure love to joke, Mr. Reed. Carter is my fiancé, both our families have already met. Scott and Amelia are close because they’ve been good friends since college. And now I’m glad to call Amelia my friend too.” After a slight pause, she quipped, “Word of advice, Mr. Reed? Her husband has a bit of a jealousy streak, so you better watch what you say if you don’t want to incur his wrath.”
After a brief moment of surprise, Mr. Reed laughed it off. “Please accept my sincerest apologies. I do say the darndest things at times. It’s truly Mr. Scott’s fortune to have such a gorgeous fiancée like yourself.”
Jennifer’s smile spread even wider now. “Thank you for your compliment, Mr. Reed. We will most definitely invite you to our wedding. When we do, I hope you’ll attend.”
“I’ll hold you to your word, Ms. Larson,” Mr. Reed beamed. “I’ll be looking forward to that wedding invite. And you can count on me to give you the best wedding gift.”
Jennifer raised her glass in agreement. “Cheers.”
Carter glanced at Jennifer but did not raise any objections to his relationship with her. After all, he had both their families to think of, and it wouldn’t be right to humiliate her in front of so many people.
The food was served just as they got the conversation going. It was a table full of the hotel’s most delectable dishes, everything from the quality of the ingredients to the plating was exquisite. Amelia’s pregnancy meal was also brought to her, and it looked equally scrumptious next to the other dishes.
“This is the meal I got the hotel to specially prepare for you, Amelia. Let me know if it’s to your liking,” Carter said, his voice filled with concern.
Before she could reply, Jennifer interrupted, “Mr. Clinton has repeatedly reminded us to take good care of you, Amelia, especially now that you’re pregnant. That’s why Carter took the trouble of getting you this meal. His company is no Clinton Corporations, after all. if anything should happen to you under our care, who knows what Mr. Clinton might do to us?”
“Don’t go too far, Jennifer,” Carter warned in a low whisper. “If you do, don’t blame me for getting upset with you in front of everyone.”
“Why? Do you feel bad for her?” Jennifer whispered back.
His eyes were filled with unbridled rage as he retorted, “Don’t you dare test my patience, Jennifer. You will not like it if you push me over the edge.”
Jennifer only replied with a cold, haughty chuckle.
On the other side of the table, the blissfully unaware Mr. Reed continued his conversation with Amelia. “Ms. Winters, the Clinton Corporations that Ms. Larson mentioned, that’s the one managed by Oscar Clinton, isn’t it? No wonder I found you familiar! Your wedding may have been four or five years ago, but it was still an event of the century. You have no idea how many women wished they were you,” Mr. Reed chuckled. “I can’t believe I got to meet you. Please send my regards to Mr. Clinton.”
“Thank you for your kind words, Mr. Reed. I’m just an employee in the company, and I never interfere with my husband’s affairs,” Amelia replied politely with a smile.
“Not at all, Ms. Winters. Or should I say, Mrs. Clinton? You’re too modest. Everyone knows Mr. Clinton dotes on his wife, so much so that he gives you everything you want. We’ve been wondering all these years who the woman who had caught Mr. Clinton’s eye was, and now I have the good fortune to finally meet you in person.”
Amelia twitched upon hearing “Mrs. Clinton”. She had grown tired of being called that.
“Please call me Amelia, Mr. Reed. Calling me Mrs. Clinton sounds way too formal,” Amelia said, raising her glass towards him. “I’m representing my company today to discuss our contract, and what’s a business meeting without wine, right? So, I’d like to toast you, Mr. Reed. Cheers!”
Mr. Reed was so flattered by her gesture that he immediately stood up with his glass of wine. “Mrs. Clin… no, Amelia. I love your frankness, and I accept your toast. Cheers!”
Amelia was about to drink her wine when Carter stopped her and took her glass. “Mr. Reed, we wouldn’t want to let a pregnant lady drink, would we? Allow me to have this toast on her behalf. Cheers!”
There was a slight hesitation on Mr. Reed’s part, but he drained his glass of wine anyway.
He then silently observed the trio sat in front of him. Carter was taking the utmost care of Amelia in every way he could, while Jennifer was obviously fuming away. It wasn’t difficult to see that this was a very complicated relationship. This story of how a woman loved a man who loved another married woman would make for such a good drama.
Alcohol had a funny way of making people bolder and friendlier. As if to prove that point, Mr. Reed asked, “How long have you known Amelia, Mr. Scott?”
“We met when she was in university. Which would make it almost eight or nine years,” Carter answered.
“Wow, that’s a long time. I admire you, Mr. Scott. You seem to have it all. You’re from a prominent family, and you’ve got both the looks and the brains. You’re also blessed with a good friend and such an amazing girlfriend. You’ve really won in life, haven’t you?”
Carter replied with a chuckle, “Getting to know Amelia was the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I’m almost thirty and have many friends, but no one is as close to me as Amelia is. If she wasn’t already married, I’d want to marry her myself.”
As soon as he said that, everyone at the table fell into silence. Jennifer especially was seething and white with rage. Her hand that was under the table was clenched so tightly that her nails dug into her palm.
With her other hand, she tried to scoop some food onto Carter’s plate. However, she was shaking so much from anger that it took her a few tries before she managed to do it. “We know you’re good friends with Amelia, but you can’t go round saying things like that, Carter,” Jennifer said, trying to mask the animosity in her voice. “What if Mr. Clinton got wind of this? It may not affect you as much, but others may get the wrong idea about Amelia.”
Carter pinned her with a steely gaze.
Mr. Reed felt the tension rising and stepped in like a hero to save the day. “Hear, hear. I would like to give a toast to Mr. Scott, Ms. Larson, and Amelia. Let’s drink and eat our fill so that we can go on to discuss the contract.”
As the three of them rose to accept the toast, so did Mr. Reed’s team. Everyone clinked their glasses of wine, except for Amelia, who had soda in hers.
