bChapter /bb331 /b

    Jared was agitated by my words, choking for a while before finally saying, “Aren’t you with Nathan now? Why are you still messing around with Ryan?”

    I was honestly surprised. Jared hade to terms with me being with Nathan.

    To piss him off, I said on purpose, “Well, I learned this from you. You want someone young, full of energy, and sensible. Plus, keeping as many hot guys around as I can is only good for me.”

    “Victoria…” Jared’s face darkened with irritation. “Aren’t you worried you’ll bite off more than you can chew?”

    I shrugged and smirked. “Well, you are spot on.”

    “You’re hopeless,” he muttered, clearly annoyed. However, he must’ve realized I was teasing him because he calmed down quickly. He added quickly, “Honestly, you should keep your distance from Ryan. Getting tangled up with him won’t do you any good.”

    I was focused on myputer, but I snapped my head up when I heard that.

    Jared gave me a long, serious look and said, “As your ex–husband, I’m just looking out for you. Some people are better left alone.”

    “So, you know about Ryan’s past?” I asked, my curiosity piqued.

    Jared said with a hint of sarcasm, “Wasn’t he the one whonded those government contracts?”

    I grinned and said, “Yep, he’s the one who got that done for me.”

    Jared’s expression turnedplicated. His hand tightened on the armrest before he slowly let go. “You didn’t strike some deal with him, did you? Did he ask for something important in return?”

    I shot him a re. “Ryan isn’t like you, who is always trying to get something out of women.”

    “I am not,” Jared protested, clearly irritated.

    I could tell he was serious, so I mirrored his tone, saying seriously, “Honestly, when Ryan helped me with those contracts, I didn’t even know about it. I didn’t even know his name back then.”

    “He pulled strings with his family for you. Now that you know, what do you think about that?” Jared asked, looking me squarely in the eyes.

    He added, “Honestly, after the divorce, I was quite upset. You turned your back on me so coldly that it really blindsided me. But even so, I don’t want to see you get stuck in something bad.”

    “Is it really that serious?” I blurted, a cold shiver running down my spine. “But Ryan helped the hotel. I can’t just turn my back on him after everything

    he’s done.”

    “You really want to be friends with him? Can you keep it strictly tonic? Maybe you don’t have feelings for him, but can you say he is feeling the same as you?” Jared pressed, raising his voice,

    My mind was a mess, but I forced myself to take a deep breath and said, “I’ll keep my boundaries. I told him straight up to be just friends.”

    Jared let out a sarcasticugh. “Do you really think your word means anything here?”

    I raised an eyebrow. i“/iWhat’s that supposed to mean?”

    Jared stood up, walked over to the blinds, and shoved his hands in his pockets. He turned his back to me and said, “Remember when we went to Shariport for my cousin’s wedding? At my uncle’s house, they wanted me to help with some favors.”

    My heart skipped a beat as a vivid memory of me running into Ryan in Shariport not long ago shed through my mind.

    08:54 Sat, 23 Aug bM /b

    80%

    Jared didn’t look back. He lowered his voice and said. “The family my cousin was desperate to connect with was the Jennings family. And that sick old man? He was Ryan’s grandfather”

    I froze and said stiffly, “So the poor kid your uncle mentioned was Ryan?”

    Jared turned back with a cold, mocking smile on his lips. “Poor? Please. He’s been living in luxury since day one. He was born with a silver spoon in his

    mouth.”

    I was taken aback. It seemed to make sense.

    Seeing the look on my face, Jared went on, “He’s not someone to pity, but his life is pretty tragic.”

    My heart sank as I stared at him, waiting for him to exin.

    Jared looked down at me and said slowly, “Because in his world, he could die at any moment and vanish without a trace. The fight for power among the heirs is brutal.

    “Ryan’s like a prince from ancient times, surrounded by ambitious uncles waiting for him to slip up. One wrong move, and he’s doomed.”

    “Is it really that scary?” I asked, my heart racing. The sunlight outside was blinding, but all I could feel was the chill creeping over me.

    AD

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