Chapter 277
At the celebration dinner, as the lead designer of the project, Lucy was inevitably pressured to drink by everyone around her.
Evie Sherwood was also there. Seeing this, she and Emma stepped in, expertly deflecting the toasts and taking the drinks on Lucy’s behalf.
Before the dinner concluded, Lucy found an excuse to slip outside.
After the cold wind blew past for a moment, clearing away some of the alcohol haze, Evie walked over with a bottle of water. “Lucy,” she called out softly.
Lucy took the bottle but had no intention of drinking it. She had been through too much, and she had to stay guarded against anyone trying to set her up.
Evie seemed to see right through her hesitation. “Don’t worry, it’s not spiked,” she said calmly. “If I drugged you, Kingsley would kill me p>
Lucy twisted the cap, confirming the seal was unbroken before taking a few sips.
“Are you heading back tomorrow?” Lucy asked casually, as the project discussions were completely finished.
Evie stood shoulder to shoulder with her and nodded. “Yeah, I’m flying out with the team tomorrow. If fate allows, we’ll see each other again p>
As she spoke, she pulled a gift from her pocket. She had prepared it especially the night before.
“This is for Seven. Just a little something from an aunt who adores him p>
Lucy glanced at the gift, her expression impassive and her tone distant. “That’s not necessary. You don’t need to go to the trouble p>
Evie didn’t push it and pulled her hand back.
She now understood that respecting someone’s boundaries was the only proper way to maintain a relationship.
The two stood in silence for a moment before Lucy turned away first. She was the guest of honor, after all, and it wasn’t appropriate to disappear for too long.
When she returned to the private room, Jules had already drank quite a lot.
Emma immediately sidled up to her, lowering her voice. “It’s a good thing you went out to hide. Their team can seriously hold their liquor p>
Lucy gave a distracted nod. “Can you order a pitcher of lemon water for the table On it,” Emma agreed, hopping up and hurrying out.
Meanwhile, Evie lingered outside for a long time. When she finally headed back inside, she happened to r into Kingsley, who had just finished a business dinner of his own.
A faint smile touched her lips, and she greeted him first. “Kingsley, what a coincidence p>
Kingsley paused, an overcoat draped over his arm, and let his gaze fall on her. “Entertaining clients p>
“It’s a celebration,” Evie replied, adding, “We finalized the design plans for the collaboration with the Holt Group p>
Kingsley gave a slight nod. “Do you need a ride back?” he asked casually.
Evie shook her head. “No, it’s fine. I’ll just grab a cab back to the hotel with my colleagues later p>
“Alright, I’m heading out,” Kingsley said, nodding before stepping forward to leave.
Evie stared at his broad back. Her lips parted, but she swallowed the words she had wanted to say.
She watched his silhouette disappear at the end of the hallway and muttered to herself, “Was I not obvious enough p>
Half an hour later, the celebration dinner came to an end.
Ine
Jules and the partner’s director were completely wasted. Fortunately, their assistants had stayed by their sides the entire time, keeping things under control.
After Lucy said her goodbyes to everyone, she and Jules’s assistant helped him up and led the way out of the room.
The group made their way to the parking lot. Just as they were shuffling toward the car, a tall, imposing figure suddenly strode over.
Kingsley marched straight up and violently shoved Jules’s arm off Lucy’s shoulder.
Jules stumbled wildly. Had his assistant not caught him just in time, he would have crashed straight into the pavement.
When Lucy saw who it was, her brow furrowed instantly. With Seven not around, she had no reason to hold back Kingsley, are you out of your mind?” she snapped