Chapter 140
Chapter 140:
Lunch was served on the upper deck beneath a white canopy — lobster salad and chilled rosé.
Jocelyn picked at her food. Her phone, which had managed to reconnect to a weak satellite signal, was buzzing persistently against the table.
She picked it up. Five hundred notifications.
Pierre had posted a teaser: the dip. His caption read: Love on the High Seas. #CollinsWedding #TrueLove.
But it was the reposts that made her stomach turn.
Anny Douglas had reposted it within minutes. Her caption: Money can’t buy chemistry. Look how stiff she is. #FakeWedding #ContractWife.
Jocelyn scrolled down to the comments.
User123: Are you blind, Anny? Look at his hand. Look at his EYES. He wants to devour her.
NYC_Gossip: I’ve never seen Gaston Collins look at anyone like that. Not even his reflection.
TeamJocelyn: That is obsession. 100 p>
𝘞𝘩𝘢t 𝖾v𝗲𝗿𝘺𝗼ո𝖾 𝗂𝘴 𝗿𝖾𝗮𝗱і𝘯𝗀 𝘰𝗻
Jocelyn felt warmth climb her neck. She turned the phone toward Gaston.
“The internet is arguing about your facial expression,” she said. “They think you’re obsessed with me p>
Gaston took the phone and looked at the photo. He zoomed in on his own face — on the hunger he apparently hadn’t managed to conceal.
“The internet is smart,” he murmured.
“Don’t start,” Jocelyn said, taking the phone back. “You’re a good actor. You should win an Oscar p>
Gaston took a slow sip of his wine, hiding his smile behind the glass. “I try p>
In the Douglas Corp boardroom, the mood was funereal.
Kieran stood at the head of the table, presenting a sales chart with a stubborn downward trajectory.
“We need to pivot to the Asian market,” he was saying, his voice strained.
One of the board members, Mr. Henderson, cleared his throat. “Kieran, have you seen the news p>
“I am presenting, Henderson!” Kieran snapped. “Focus p>
“It’s relevant. Collins stock just jumped three percent in the last hour. Based solely on the wedding photos.” Henderson slid his iPad across the table.
Kieran went still. He looked at the screen.
The photo filled the display. Gaston dipping Jocelyn. The deliberate grip of his hand at her waist. The way he looked at her mouth.
Kieran felt it like a physical blow — a punch to the stomach that drove the air clean out of him.
He remembered holding Jocelyn. He remembered her looking at him with something like adoration. But he had never once looked at her the way Gaston was looking at her in that photograph. He had looked at her like an asset. Gaston looked at her like she was the only water in a desert.
“It’s staged,” Kieran muttered, his face draining of color. “He’s gay. It’s a PR stunt p>
“Doesn’t look gay to me,” Henderson said flatly. “Looks like a man staking a claim p>
Kieran slammed his laptop shut. The sound cracked through the room like a gunshot.
“Meeting adjourned p>
He stormed to his office, snatched the desk phone, and dialed Jocelyn’s number.
Voicemail.
He slammed the receiver down, then pulled out his cell and called Aspen.
“Get me an invite to the Banker’s Dinner on Friday,” he demanded.