The Rose He Showed Off Is Putting Down Roots in a Garden of Her Own novel Chapter 75

Jasper stared at Zane, who had been completely zoned out all morning, and rolled his eyes. The man was a divorced adult, not some lovesick teenager. What was he daydreaming about? "Boss, you've been reminiscing all morning. Did you finally seal the deal last night?" Zane blinked, snapping back to reality, and shot him a cold glare. "Stop talking garbage." "If you didn't seal the deal, what are you reminiscing about? Regret?"

What was he reminiscing about? Things he absolutely had no business thinking about. "Shut up," Zane snapped. "If you keep slacking off, Boss, I'm going to tell my sister," Jasper teased. "I'm divorced from your sister! She doesn't control me." "But you're scared of her," Jasper pointed out. "You're not just scared of her finding out about Elara, you're terrified she'll find out you spent over an hour alone in that hotel room with her last night." "Get the hell out. You're going to get yourself fired one of these days," Zane muttered in annoyance, flipping open a file on his desk. "I'm just looking out for you, Boss. Get to work."

Jasper was utterly sick of working overtime lately. It meant he had zero time to wander down to the lower floors or visit the employee cafeteria, which severely cut into his chances of running into Seraphina. Truth be told, the only reason Jasper shamelessly stuck around as Zane's assistant was because he had his eye on Seraphina, Zane's cousin and Sebastian's younger sister, who worked in the finance department.

Meanwhile, Caleb woke up believing he had successfully conquered Elara, but he was left feeling rather underwhelmed. The woman seemed so icy and unattainable, but in bed, she was nothing special. He figured that after years of marriage, she lacked the tight innocence of a young girl and the wild abandon of a seasoned wife. Even with the drugs, her reactions had been incredibly mediocre. She was a massive letdown. He assumed his expectations had simply been too high, or perhaps it was because the room had been pitch black. Regardless, he quickly lost interest.

Because Elara had been in a drug-induced haze, she thought the voice she heard in the dark belonged to Zane, but Sebastian's explanation had convinced her she was just hearing things. She didn't dwell on it. Although she had luckily escaped, she vowed to remain on high alert around Caleb. The man was absolute scum. As for why she didn't go to the police—in their social circles, calling the cops was a last-resort nuclear option. If even Sebastian had to save Caleb's face, she certainly didn't have the leverage to go to war with him. She swallowed the bitter pill and quietly carved the grudge into her memory.

Elara thought the nightmare was over, but the situation quickly unraveled thanks to Mrs. Lowery. While having a secret rendezvous with Caleb, Mrs. Lowery eagerly asked if he had succeeded. Fueled by alcohol and enhancement pills, Caleb bragged that he had, but claimed it was completely average. When Mrs. Lowery pressed for details, Caleb smirked and said she wasn't nearly as tight or as wild as her. Thrilled by the confirmation, Mrs. Lowery conveniently slipped this juicy piece of gossip to a local socialite with a notoriously big mouth.

The socialite ate it up and spread the rumor like wildfire until it eventually reached the ears of Julian's mistress. Julian's mistress was Vanessa Quinn, an anchor for a financial news network. When Vanessa heard the rumor, she was absolutely ecstatic. The high-and-mighty eldest Vance daughter had been used by another man, and a loudmouthed one at that. There was no way Julian could keep her as his wife now.

Unfortunately, Julian hadn't visited her apartment in days, and he was ignoring all her texts. Afraid of bothering him during the workday, Vanessa waited until nightfall to send a seductive message. Julian glanced at his phone, tossed it onto the bed, and ignored it, continuing to towel-dry his hair. After waiting impatiently, Vanessa couldn't take it anymore and called him directly, purring that she had bought new toys and was willing to play however he wanted.