Chapter 319
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Chapter 319:
Jocelyn leaned back, blinking. On the screen was a trending video on Twitter showing a massive, three-hundred-square-meter LED billboard in Silicon Alley, blazing with nothing but a blinding, toxic neon green background.
“Okay?” Jocelyn said, completely lost. “It looks like a broken screen. What kind of modern performance art is this p>
Bella let out a loud groan of frustration and slammed both hands on the desk.
“It is not broken, you innocent angel! That billboard is directly across the street from Kieran’s office! Do you know what neon green means in the finance world? It means he got cuckolded! The entire Wall Street sector is laughing at him. He has to stare at it every single time he looks out his window p>
Jocelyn’s breath hitched. Her stomach did a sudden, violent flip.
Her mind flashed immediately to yesterday’s lunch — Gaston’s suspiciously radiant mood, his comment about a project “more satisfying than money p>
Jocelyn covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes widening in a mixture of horror and barely suppressed amusement.
“Oh my god,” she stammered. “Did Gaston do this p>
Bella rolled her eyes dramatically. “Who else in New York has the psychotic level of wealth and the petty jealousy required to pull this off? Your husband is a certified madman p>
𝘑𝘰𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘯
Right on cue, Jocelyn’s private cell phone began to vibrate on the desk.
The caller ID read: Gaston.
Bella gasped. She immediately mimed zipping her lips shut, then lunged over and jabbed the speakerphone button.
“Hello?” Jocelyn said, struggling to keep her voice steady.
“Good afternoon, Mrs. Collins.” Gaston’s deep, gravelly voice filled the room, sending a familiar shiver down Jocelyn’s spine. “Are you in the mood for French or Japanese for dinner tonight p>
Jocelyn took a slow breath and ignored the question entirely.
“Gaston Collins,” she said, her tone firm. “Did you buy a giant billboard in Silicon Alley just to project green light into my ex-boyfriend’s office p>
A heavy two-second pause followed.
Then a low, dark, entirely unapologetic chuckle rolled through the speaker.
“I did,” Gaston admitted smoothly, without a trace of shame. “And if he doesn’t like the color green, I can have my people switch it to hot pink by Friday p>
Jocelyn pressed her fingers to her temples. Her cheeks burned.
“You are an absolute lunatic,” she scolded, fighting a smile she was rapidly losing control of. “You are burning millions of dollars on a childish prank p>
Bella could no longer contain herself. She leaned over the phone and shrieked.
“Gaston! You are a genius! I am officially declaring you the best brother-in-law in the history of New York p>
Gaston did not sound annoyed by the interruption. If anything, his voice warmed considerably.
“Thank you, Bella,” he replied. “And thank you for keeping me updated on certain developments. I believe a small token of my appreciation should be arriving right about now p>
As if on cue, there was a polite knock at the door.
Gaston’s executive secretary entered, carrying a large, iconic orange box tied with a brown ribbon. He placed it carefully on the coffee table.