An Affair With The Ceo (Natasha and Jared) novel Chapter 225

Chapter 225 A Familiar Face

Chapter 225 A Familiar Face

Natasha said, “I have no clue.”

Jared’s eyes narrowed slightly. “You really don’t know?”

Natasha nodded. “There was no card, not even a signature on the flowers. I thought you sent them to me. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have even asked you just now!”

If she’d known they weren’t from him, she wouldn’t have mentioned it at all.

Jared asked, “If you knew the flowers weren’t from me, would you have kept them?”

Natasha thought to herself. Whether they were from him or not, she didn’t care.

She shook her head and answered honestly, “No.”

If she’d known they weren’t from him, she would’ve tossed them straight into the trash.

She would’ve done more than ignore them.

Jared, delighted, slipped his arm around her shoulders and pressed a kiss to her lips.

“Good girl!” Jared praised her.

Natasha couldn’t help but roll her eyes.

‘Good girl? What am I, a pet now?’

She just wanted to drop the subject. “What kind of party is it tonight?”

“Just a business party. It’s all the old-timers from the company. They come back from overseas at the end of every year to stir things up. Don’t stress about it,” Jared explained casually.

Natasha just smiled and didn’t say anything.

She knew exactly who Jared was talking about. Those so-called “old-timers” were all the company’s veteran directors.

They never bothered with the company’s day-to-day business, just living the good life overseas.

They only flew back as the year was wrapping up to go through the motions of checking on the company.

But honestly, they were just here to collect their dividends and profits.

In other words, Jared was the one handling everything, while those directors just raked in the money without lifting a finger.

No wonder Jared called them “old geezers.”

“Alright, got it,” Natasha said with a shrug.

The luxury car turned off the highway and headed toward a scenic area.

Eventually, it pulled into a place called Artemis Garden Estate.

The estate had been designed by a famous foreign architect, blending Victorian-era garden aesthetics with the natural landscape of mountains and water.

The whole place was peaceful and elegant.

It was the perfect spot for those old geezers Jared mentioned to gather, sip wine, chat, play chess, and maybe try to wash off the stench of money they’ve accumulated over a lifetime.

Natasha and Jared got out of the car and made their way deeper into the tranquil heart of the garden estate.

They strolled through meandering covered walkways, beneath elegant upturned eaves, and crossed charming little bridges over gentle streams.

The buffet party was set up on the top floor, with a killer view.

From up there, they could look out over the entire breathtaking estate below.

That night, Natasha was attending the party as Jared’s date. But that didn’t really mean much.

At such an event, it was expected for men to bring a date.

That date could be a wife, a girlfriend, a subordinate, a coworker, or even just an acquaintance they’d met once.

So, Natasha wasn’t worried that anyone would think there was anything unusual between her and Jared.

But Jared always drew a crowd wherever he went.

1/3

Chapter 225 A Familiar Face

As soon as he showed up, all eyes were instantly on him.

Standing next to him, Natasha could totally feel people checking her out, curious about who she was.

‘Seriously, what’s the big deal?’ Natasha thought.

She was genuinely confused by all the fuss. She thought it was totally normal to bring a date to a party.

What she didn’t realize was that Jared had always shown up solo before. If he ever brought a date, it was always his secretary, Leigh.

But that night, he brought a young, gorgeous woman like her.

That was a total departure from his usual style.

Just like Jared said, the party was full of senior members; people from the older generation.

Jared took Natasha around, greeting each guest one by one.

They were all pretty cordial with Jared, but when it came to Natasha, they paid her no mind.

Natasha wasn’t surprised. After all, she was merely Jared’s subordinate. She wasn’t his wife, his girlfriend, or even his mistress. There was no way those old geezers would bother to show her any respect.

Good thing she couldn’t care less.

“Jared, let me introduce you to a new friend!” Charles O’Donnell, who was chatting with Jared, suddenly said.

Before Natasha and Jared could react, Charles turned and gestured.

Then, they saw Percy in a sharp suit, holding a glass of wine as he walked over.

All of a sudden, Natasha’s eyes flew wide open. For a second, she wondered if she was hallucinating. ‘Percy? What the hell is he doing here?’

Percy furrowed his brows, his shadowy gaze locked onto her as he closed the distance between them.

He stopped right in front of them.

“This is Percy Grosso, the second son of the Grosso family!” Charles introduced him warmly. “And Mr. Grosso, this is Jared

Rundell.”

Natasha suddenly felt an undercurrent of tension flowing between the two men.

They gave each other a once-over, neither one willing to show weakness.

After a long pause, Percy finally extended his hand to Jared, a polite smile tugging at his lips. “Mr. Rundell, I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“The feeling’s mutual,” Jared replied calmly, shaking his hand.

Watching this unnerving scene unfold, Natasha’s heart was racing, totally unsettled.

She was silently praying for this whole thing to be over already.

But it was like the universe wasn’t listening to her prayers at all.

To her dismay, Charles enthusiastically pulled the two of them into a lively conversation.

He even said, “You two are about the same age. You should talk more!”

Natasha felt a headache coming on.

She couldn’t stick around any longer.

She quickly made up an excuse. “Sorry, I need to step away for a moment. I’m going to the restroom.”

With that, she hurried off toward the restroom.

Just as she reached the restroom door, she unexpectedly ran into Lizzie.

“Natasha!” Lizzie greeted her with a friendly smile.

Natasha figured she couldn’t just ignore her after bumping into her like that. So she nodded politely. “Ms. Hopkins.”

Lizzie’s gaze was fixed on Natasha, her expression complicated. “So, you’re Jared’s date tonight?”

Natasha could clearly hear the displeasure in Lizzie’s tone. But she could only bite the bullet and admit it. “Yes.”

Lizzie couldn’t help but question her, “But isn’t it always Ms. Blakemore who accompanies him to these events?”

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify