Find me in your labyrinth (Stella and Jonathan) novel Chapter 3290

Sara's smile only grew sweeter. "You have such a great sense of humor, Mr. Chambers!"

Simultaneously, she cursed him in her head. *What a petty bastard!*

All she had done was hit him with a few hard truths. Did he really need to hold a grudge and openly target her like this?

Whatever. Given the business setting, she would swallow her pride and play nice.

Mr. Larsen excitedly waved Sara over. "Sara, come sit next to me!"

Conveniently, the only empty chair at the table was right beside him—clearly saved exclusively for her. A dark flicker of annoyance crossed Sara's eyes, but she masked it instantly, walking over and taking her seat with practiced elegance.

Mr. Larsen's gaze dropped straight to the low neckline of Sara's dress, his eyes lingering on her collarbones. He offered a sleazy grin. "You look absolutely stunning today. I'm so used to seeing you in dull business suits; they completely hide your gorgeous curves!"

Sara let out a polite laugh. "I knew I was meeting you tonight, so I made sure to dress up!"

Adrian threw a sharp glare in her direction. Seeing the brilliant smile plastered across her face, he couldn't help but feel a surge of disgust. *How can someone be so incredibly fake?*

Mr. Larsen continued his aggressive charm offensive. "You don't mind that I dragged you out here on your weekend, do you?"

"Any excuse to see you on the weekend is a blessing, Mr. Larsen. I'm thrilled to be here!" Sara purred back.

Mr. Larsen's smile grew even oilier. "I love a woman who knows what to say. Come on, let me pour you a drink!"

Sara didn't hesitate; she tipped her head back and downed the entire glass in one smooth gulp.

Seeing her polish off the drink so willingly stroked Mr. Larsen's ego. Satisfied that she was showing him proper respect, he backed off and stopped pushing alcohol on her.

As the dinner progressed, Sara slowly pieced together the underlying dynamics. Mr. Larsen needed a massive favor from Adrian. Knowing that Ian Decker had strong connections with one of Adrian's vice presidents, Larsen had used Ian as a middleman to invite Adrian to dinner.

Ian, sensing an opportunity to leverage his favor to Larsen, wanted to lock down the next phase of their collaborative project contract tonight. That was the real reason he had dragged Sara out—she was the lead on the project, and Ian heavily favored her closing skills.

By the time Adrian returned to the private dining room, he found Mr. Larsen forcefully pushing more drinks on Sara. He threw them a completely apathetic glance before sitting back down in his seat.

Mr. Larsen was heavily intoxicated. Using his drunkenness as an excuse, he repeatedly tried to grab Sara's hand or slide his palm onto her thigh.

Sara had survived a hundred dinners exactly like this one. She deflected his advances with absolute mastery, making sure Larsen never managed to lay a finger on her.

"Sara!" Mr. Larsen slapped a heavy hand down on her shoulder and shoved a brimming glass of liquor in front of her. "I really like you, and I respect your hustle. Knock this back with me, and I'll sign the contract for the next phase right here, right now!"

As he spoke, he boldly dropped his hand onto her bare thigh.

Sara smoothly stood up under the pretense of grabbing a napkin, easily dodging his groping hand. She laughed brightly. "A drink this important? I need to make sure my hands are perfectly clean before I toast with you!"

Mr. Larsen stared up at her with a lecherous smirk. "If we're celebrating our partnership, let's make it an intimate toast. Arms linked, just you and me! To a beautiful collaboration!"

Sara's smile froze for a fraction of a second, but it quickly morphed into something even more dazzling. Keeping her tone light and playful, she teased, "I couldn't possibly! If your wife found out, she'd claw my eyes out! Whether this partnership works out is the company's business, but my face is my own asset!"