An Affair With The Ceo (Natasha and Jared) novel Chapter 284

Chapter 284 He Spiked Her Drink

Chapter 284 He Spiked Her Drink

Natasha was left completely baffled.

Natasha thought, ‘When did I ever make a donation?

‘Each donation is 15 million dollars?

‘There’s no way I have that much money.’

But then it hit her.

It must have been Jared and Nicolas who made the donations in her name.

Nicolas was her boss after all, and he was the one who brought her here this time, so it wasn’t too much of a stretch for him to donate on her behalf.

But Jared was different.

‘What’s his deal?’ Natasha wondered.

“Miss, would you like to donate again?”

The staff member noticed her silence and couldn’t help but ask.

Natasha unfastened her jewelry and handed it over. “I’ll donate.”

The donations made in her name were really their contributions.

She wanted to make her own gesture.

All the jewelry she wore was from her personal collection.

Donating it was her way of helping out with the retirement home’s construction.

As Natasha stepped out of the donation area, she looked up and spotted Jared waiting for her.

He handed her a card. “Donate the money from this card and take your jewelry back.”

Natasha gave him a sideways glance. “No need. I already donated my jewelry.”

The jewelry was hers, so donating it made perfect sense.

‘Why should I donate his money?’ she wondered.

She wasn’t anyone special to him, after all.

With that, she was about to walk away.

But Jared caught her by the arm and yanked her back.

“Why haven’t you been talking to me lately?” Jared asked, his eyes dark and fixed on her.

Lately, they’d barely spoken at all.

It wasn’t that Jared didn’t want to talk to her.

He didn’t know how to reach out.

He was worried she might get upset if he tried to reach out.

But honestly, he couldn’t stop thinking about her, not even for a second.

Natasha shot back coolly, “I’ve been busy lately. Weren’t you the one ignoring me too?”

The last time they bumped into each other at the golf course, he’d been cold as ice, acting like she was some stranger.

She still remembered it vividly.

Natasha grumbled to herself, ‘Why is he acting like I’m the only one ignoring him?

‘He hasn’t exactly been reaching out to me either.’

Now that their friends with benefits arrangement was over, they were supposed to go back to being strangers.

No more meddling in each other’s lives.

No more reaching out.

She felt that it was totally normal.

Successfully unlocked!

Jared’s face darkened. “Do you think I ignored,

what about you?”

Natasha raised an eyebrow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

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Chapter 284 He Spiked Her Drink

Jared’s eyes narrowed, scrutinizing her. “Are you really avoiding me because you don’t want anything to do with me?”

The air between them grew tense.

Natasha’s fingers tightened without her realizing it.

She wanted to retort.

‘No, that’s not true, she thought.

Honestly, she did miss him a bit.

She kind of wanted to reach out to him.

But she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

There was no future for them. Nothing could ever come of it.

So she had to hold back those feelings.

Natasha took a deep breath.

She was about to say yes.

Then, Nicolas walked over.

“Jared, so this is where you are. What are you chatting about with my assistant?” Nicolas asked, wearing a half-smile that hinted he knew more than he let on.

His gaze shifted between Natasha and Jared, sizing them up.

His handsome face was shrouded in mystery, making it impossible to guess what he was thinking.

Natasha took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.

Pretending to be calm, she said, “Mr. Milford, you two go ahead and talk. I’ll head inside first.”

With that, she headed toward the charity event hall.

Nicolas gave Jared a long, meaningful look. “Still hung up on her?”

Jared’s dark eyes stayed fixed on the direction where Nicolas had walked away.

He knew exactly what Nicolas meant.

“Stay away from her,” Jared said, his voice low and serious.

He reminded Nicolas, making sure he got the message.

Nicolas’s eyes, always sly and sharp, narrowed.

He hadn’t expected Jared to see right through him, even though he thought he’d hidden his feelings so well.

“And what if I don’t?” Nicolas replied, a hint of challenge in his voice.

Jared’s handsome face took on a brooding, grim look.

“Don’t push me, or I’ll fall out with you,” Jared warned, his voice low and dangerous.

His piercing gaze locked onto Nicolas, every word laced with warning.

Nicolas stared right back at him, refusing to back down.

The air between them crackled with tension, sparks flying in every direction.

This had never happened before.

They’d grown up together.

They’d always been best friends.

And now, unbelievably, they were on the verge of falling out over a woman.

After a long moment, Nicolas finally cracked a smile.

“Just kidding,” he said, trying to play it off.

He could tell Jared was dead serious.

Nicolas brushed it off with a casual grin, but deep down, he was genuinely caught off guard.

‘Damn, Jared’s really not messing around this time, Nicolas thought.

*****

Natasha returned to the charity event hall.

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Chapter 284 He Spiked Her Drink

She felt restless and annoyed for no reason.

Then, a waiter walked by, carrying a tray loaded with champagne glasses.

She grabbed one and took a sip.

The sharp, fiery taste of the alcohol burned its way down her throat.

“Ms. Whittier, didn’t expect to see you here again.”

A sinister voice suddenly sounded right beside her.

Natasha turned her head and was surprised to see it was Nelson.

She hadn’t expected him to show up at the charity event.

Natasha had no intention of acknowledging him.

She gave him a polite but distant nod.

Without another word, she turned to leave.

But Nelson stepped right in front of her, blocking her path.

“Ms. Whittier, what a coincidence running into you. How about we become friends?” he said, sounding a bit too eager

Natasha had absolutely no desire to be friends with him.

“No need,” she replied flatly.

She shot him down without a second thought.

But Nelson grabbed her arm and wouldn’t let her leave.

“Why don’t you think it over?” he pressed, his voice oily and insistent.

Natasha shook off his hand.

“Don’t touch me. Get lost,” she shouted.

Her shout echoed through the hall.

Everyone in the hall stared at them.

With everyone watching, Nelson’s face turned red and he slunk away, embarrassed.

People started pointing and gossiping about Natasha.

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