Find me in your labyrinth (Stella and Jonathan) novel Chapter 3297

"Carson!" A woman in a strapless gown sauntered over, wrapping her arms around his bicep. She eyed Norah with thinly veiled hostility. "Running into friends?"

Norah instantly recognized her as Carson's date for the evening. Surprisingly, it wasn't Marina Evert.

Norah blinked in mild surprise but offered a polite nod in greeting.

The woman leaned heavily against Carson, practically marking her territory. "You see a pretty girl and forget all about me," she pouted.

Carson glanced down at her, his smile fading a fraction. "Let me introduce you. This is Norah Lamont."

"Ms. Lamont," the woman drawled, completely missing the weight of the name. She lazily extended a hand. "I'm Una."

Norah's smile remained perfectly placid. "Sorry, my hands are messy from the sushi."

Una awkwardly withdrew her hand, feeling snubbed. Her tone sharpened. "Is the sushi at these banquets actually edible? I assumed it was just for display. I can't believe people actually eat it."

"If everyone thought like you, there'd be more good food left for me," Norah quipped effortlessly. Her tone was light but distinctly aloof. She turned her attention back to Carson. "I just told Charlie to bring Emily and Kya over this weekend. You and Marina should come, too!"

Carson's smile didn't waver. "Sounds great. I'll let Marina know. I won't keep you from the food—if you want anything specific, just tell me, and I'll have the executive chef prepare it for you."

"Thanks, Carson!"

He gave a slight nod and walked away with Una.

Once they were out of earshot, Una glanced back at Norah with a sneer. "These little girls try so hard. Acting all innocent, casually dropping names. It's so tacky."

A cold, thin smile touched Carson's lips. "Do you know who that girl is?"

"Who?" Una asked, blinking innocently.

"The eldest daughter of the Lamont family. Mr. Lamont's niece. Do you see a problem now?" he asked dryly.

Una froze. The color drained from her face.

She finally realized why Carson had made a point of introducing Norah by her full name. But there were so many people in J City—it simply hadn't clicked.

"Stop acting like a child," he warned, his voice low.

"Then let me go."

"No."

His voice was hoarse. He gripped her hand tighter.

Norah caught a heavy whiff of alcohol. "Gonzalez, are you drunk?"

"No. Though I wish I was. If I were drunk, I could throw caution to the wind and come find you."

Hearing the raw, restrained ache in his voice made Norah's heart skip a beat. For a second, she forgot to struggle.

"Let's find somewhere quiet," he said, already pulling her forward. "We need to talk."