Chapter 71

The instant the man caught sight of Jeremy, the color.drained from his face. His knees buckled,sending him crashing to the floor. His voice shook as he pleaded,"Mr. Graham, I swear-I had no idea she was with you I'm sorry, I didn't mean any harm!"

Jeremy didn't spare him a glance. With a lazy flick of his wrist, he signaled to his bodyguards, who immediately hauled the man away like he was nothing but garbage.

Dewitt strode up to Kayla, his tone threaded with worry. "Kayla,are you alright?"

She managed a steady nod, doing her best to appear unfazed. "Yeah. I'm fine."

Dewitt's jaw tightened. "That's on me. I should've told them you're a friend of mine. I'll straighten that idiot out later-he clearly didn't know who he was dealing with."

Kayla stayed silent, her eyes following Jeremy as he sauntered over and settled beside her, cool as ever.

She lowered her voice, offering a quiet, "Thank you."

The words drifted over. Jeremy's hand stalled,hovering above his glass, but he didn't reply. Around the lounge, everyone had already made the connection. For Jeremy to intervene, Kayla was clearly someone he cared about.

Guests began rising from their seats, drifting over to Kayla with drinks in hand. They assured her that soda or juice was just fine. Nobody wanted to miss their shot at getting on Jeremy's good side.

Left with little choice, Kayla managed a polite smile and lifted her glass a few times, silently wishing the formalities would end.

She barely exchanged more than a few words with Dewitt or his circle before the conversation devolved into business talk that barely interested her.

Seizing the opening,Kayla quietly excused herself and slipped down the hallway toward the restroom. Inside,she lingered at the sink, letting the cool water run over her hands. From the far end of the tiled room,voices floated over-two women gossiping as they fussed in front of the mirror.

Both were dressed to the nines in tight, barely-there skirts, layers of bold makeup, and a cloud of cloying perfume. They crowded the mirror, smoothing on another coat of lip gloss and batting at false lashes.

One woman let out a sharp, theatrical sigh. "Did you catch her tonight? Acting like she owns the place. She really thinks she's Jeremy's wife already."

Kayla froze, hands hovering in the stream, the water rushing over her knuckles.

Her companion, a woman in a striking blue dress,clicked her tongue. "She's always been like that.Remember in school? Always needed to be the center of attention. This gathering is just another excuse to brag about Jeremy. Marley, your man runs a whole company and you don't act like that."

Marley Hayes flipped her hair with a sneer. "That's because we actually have class. She's just an attention -seeking fool."

The woman in blue let out a sharp laugh. "Let's go.Maybe she'll put on another little show for us."

They strode off, heels clicking down the hallway.Kayla stayed at the sink, her face unreadable,but her jaw tightened just slightly.

It didn't take much guesswork to figure out who they were talking about-Zoe.

As Kayla headed out to grab her bag and make a quiet exit, she nearly collided with a group turning the corner.

At the front stood Zoe herself. She halted, eyes narrowing in surprise. "Kayla? What the hell are you doing here?"

Kayla met her stare, taking in the women on either side-recognizing the two bathroom gossips immediately. Their bodies tensed the moment Kayla appeared.Marley's face went pale as she sidled closer to Zoe."Hold up, you two actually know each other?"

Zoe crossed her arms, her nose tilted upward."Know her? She used to mooch off my family until we caught her stealing. We threw her out on the street."

A thin, mocking smile played on Kayla's lips, though her eyes stayed icy. The whole scene dredged up that old memory-everyone had blamed her, but the real thief had been Zoe, twisting the truth with effortless ease.

Zoe's friends whipped around to glare at Kayla, their expressions brimming with disdain. "Are you serious?She's a thief? Zoe, you can't trust someone like her,"one of them sneered.

Zoe let out a sharp laugh. "Trust her? Not a chance."

Unfazed, Kayla cocked her head and offered a delicate,knowing smile. "Or maybe you're all just scared I'll repeat what I overheard in the restroom.Something about Zoe's boyfriend being imaginary and her acting like an attention-seeking fool?"

The words landed like a slap. Marley and her crew went ghost-white, scrambling to cover their tracks."That's a lie! We never said anything like that. She's making it up!"

Zoe's glare hardened as she looked at her so-called friends. She knew exactly what they really thought- none of them believed Jeremy was truly hers. Maybe it was time to finally prove them all wrong.

Kayla let out a soft, almost taunting laugh. "Too bad I didn't catch it on video. That would've been a real treat to play back."

Marley, flustered, grabbed Zoe's arm, her voice desperate. "Don't listen to her, Zoe. You know we'd never talk behind your back."

At that moment, Zoe spotted Edwin heading toward the VIP room. Her face brightened as if she'd found an escape hatch. She turned on Kayla, barking,"Wait here. I'm going to invite Jeremy over."