He leaned in closer and whispered, "And afterward, how about we head to the hotel?"

With a glass of wine in hand, Jessie slowly turned her head to look at him. After a long pause, she asked softly, “Are you aiming to marry me or just looking for a fling?"

The man chuckled awkwardly. "I'd love to marry you but, let's face it, reality bites! Remember, I've got a wife already. She's pretty strict. So, let's keep it casual, just a few rendezvous here and there. If it happens too often, she'll catch on. How about it? A multi-million dollar deal in exchange for a couple of outings. Seems like a fair trade, doesn't it?"

In reality, Jessie had encountered plenty of guys like him before.

It was just surprising that even folks from the same social circle were pulling stunts Like this.

She raised an eyebrow and grinned, "Sure thing! But I'm going to have to pass. Find someone else!"

Patrick didn't expect to get shut down like this.

Instantly, he got ticked off. “Jessie, quit acting all high and mighty! You think you're still some noble lady? How deep in the red is the Green family, huh? And you're no angel! You've been with Albert for ages, haven't you? You ran off to Heron with him. But guess what? He didn't want you and marry someone else! Do you really still think you're something special?

Well, tonight you're drinking that wine, whether you like it or not!

Get off your high horse!"

Jessie splashed the red wine right in his face. "Watch your mouth!"

Patrick wiped his face.

He glared at her and snickered, “Haha! Who do you think you are?

You're just some cheap thing Albert played and tossed aside!"

Coincidentally, James, Marcus, and Melissa were heading upstairs together when they bumped into Albert.

He had some business here tonight, and as they exchanged pleasantries, they overheard the commotion from the room...

Albert winced as he heard someone else talking about Jessie like some disposable fling!

He'd never thought of her that way.

Even now, he wanted to take care of her, afraid of tarnishing her reputation.

Melissa shifted but Marcus held her back.