Sidney watched as she strutted over in three-inch high heels, swaying her hips with a snake-like motion. She grabbed Jayson's sleeve and sweetly asked, "What a surprise, what are you doing here?"
"I had a gap in my schedule, so I came by." Jayson glanced at Sidney and introduced again, "You've met before, this is Kayley."
Sidney gave a polite smile. Kayley nodded back at her before continuing to drag Jayson into work-related talk. Sidney stood by, uninterested, and noticed how her hands subtly touched his arm, feeling uncomfortable inside.
She casually grabbed a coat and called out, "Honey! How about this one?"
Jayson's attention was diverted to her as she called him. He looked at the coat in her hand, nodded, and pointed for the staff to take it for checkout.
Sidney noticed that she still didn't want to leave, so she walked up, hooked her other arm around Jayson's, and said, "Honey, I'm hungry, let's grab a bite?"
Jayson raised one eyebrow, looked at her in surprise, then nodded. Just as they were about to leave, Kayley followed them. He politely asked, "How about a tea break?"
Kayley feigned busyness, glanced at her watch, and said, "Alright then."
The three of them took the elevator up to a restaurant. They all said it didn't matter and left him to order on his own. He casually ordered a few snacks and three cup of coffee.
Kayley seized the opportunity to continue chatting with Jayson about all sorts of things. He replied half-heartedly. Sidney, feeling bored, stood up and wandered off for a bit. When she returned, she was acting like she was hot, taking off the black scarf from her neck. As soon as Kayley saw her neck, her expression changed.
"That scarf, you bought it at the store just now, didn't you? It's really beautiful," she said slowly, staring at Sidney's neck.
"Yeah! I just bought it because I needed it," Sidney said, pretending to be hot and deliberately wiping the sweat off her neck.
Jayson glanced at the two women on either side of him, his face expressionless. When the coffee and snacks arrived, Kayley took the initiative to pour him a cup, insisting that the coffee was excellent and that he should try the one she had chosen. He took a polite sip and then told her, "We have things to do later. You can head back now."
Though he phrased it as a question, his tone was unequivocally certain.
Kayley looked slightly embarrassed, but still responded sensibly, "Heh! Fine! There are a few things to attend to at Opal Lounge, I'll leave first."
While drinking her coffee, Kayley's eyes were fixed on Sidney, her gaze filled with disdain and contempt.
Sidney immediately sensed the hostility and didn't want to meet her antagonistic gaze. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, turned around, and gave Jayson a gentle smile. "The cookies here are really delicious!"
Jayson nodded and pushed his snacks toward her. Sidney happily ate, waiting until Kayley had left.
"She likes you?"
"Maybe."
"Since you know, why didn't you marry her back then?"
"I know liking her and loving her are two different things. Besides, she's not the ideal choice."
"Oh, right! I almost forgot, you have to calculate everything, even when it comes to marrying someone," Sidney muttered softly.
They were silent for a long time before he spoke again, "Are you jealous?"
"Who's jealous?"
"Then why are you sulking right now?"
"I'm not."
"Don't you realize that your unhappiness is written all over your face?"
"I'm absolutely happy."
"Anyway, there's nothing between her and me. Especially since we have a professional relationship, I know exactly how to keep boundaries," he said, leaning back in his chair, his right hand touching the cufflinks on his left cuff. Today, he was wearing a black shirt paired with white diamond cufflinks.
Sidney also stared at his cufflinks and said, "I went off to do something just now."
Jayson gazed at her, the soft glow of sunlight streaming through the restaurant window, casting a warm halo around her face. The delicate hairs on her skin caught the light, shimmering with a golden hue, giving her an almost ethereal quality—like she was glowing from within. For a brief moment, the word "angel" flashed in his mind, and a quiet smile tugged at the corners of his lips.
Sidney noticed his sudden smile and inched a little closer. "Aren't Mr. Smith and the others working hard? We're out here having coffee while they're still grinding away! So..."
"So what?" he asked, patiently waiting for her to finish.
"So I just ordered some snacks for them and had them delivered, charged to your account," Sidney said, inching closer with a smile on her face. People say you don't slap a smiling face, so he shouldn't be mad, right?
Jayson smiled at her and then extended his index finger, gently brushing it across her face. "My wife really knows how to handle things!"
Sidney giggled, and their noses were almost touching. Without a care in the world, he pecked her lips.
Sidney shyly glanced around, relieved to find that the restaurant was empty.
He wouldn't say that he had already figured out that she ordered the delivery out of jealousy!
