Nicole rubbed her aching shoulders and yelled at Harvey.
"What do you think you were doing?! You were standing far back, and yet you rushed over!"
Harvey felt he was not to blame, and proceeded to explain, ''I thought you wouldn't be able to catch it in
time.That's why I had to come over."
"Jeez!"
Nicole glared at him and issued a sigh.
As the game continued, Carl began showing them all the extent of his athletic prowess by winning one
round after another.
Once they were nearing the end, he and Nicole were the only ones left playing; Harvey and Tia had
both decided to spectate at the sidelines as they were exhausted.
"I'm done playing."
Harvey drank some water and waved at Nicole and Carl.
"I'm just going to sit this one out, as I'm beat."
Meanwhile, Tia, who had left the game earlier on, was now sitting beside Mrs.Riddle Sr.Seeing this,
Nicole turned to Carl and asked, "Want to take a break”
"Sure," he answered.
Following this, the quarter joined Mrs.Riddle Sr.and gazed off into the horizon.
A few days later, after dusk had fallen and the lights had been lit, the Johnston Group's annual ball
commenced as scheduled.
The venue was bright and lively, and every attendee was dressed to the nines for the occasion.
All of them had their wine glasses in hand as they engaged one another with in good spirits, while
several of the company seniors were sitting around, holding discussions pertaining to any future
collaborations and development plans.
Meanwhile, at the entrance, a luxury car had rolled up and stopped.
A tall and slender figure soon stepped out of the car with a gorgeous woman in his arm.
The duo was, of course, Jared and Nicole, and they had turned every single pair of eyes on them as
they made their entrance.
"Wow, Mr.Johnston looks spiffy today!" someone in the crowd said.
"Yeah, Miss.Riddle is stunning too!" the other commented.
Everyone at the ball was lost in admiration for Jared and Nicole.
With eyes on them, they made their way to the center of the hall.
Then, a group of people began to surround and greet the both of them.
"Jared, it has been ages since I've last seen you," a man said.
"Indeed, it has been a while, Mr.Campbell," Jared replied.
"Miss Riddle is pretty striking today.I think you ought to keep an eye on her," Mr.Campbell teased.
Jared flashed a smile as he looked at Nicole.
To him, these people were just envious.
In response, Nicole simpered and said, "Carry on, guys.I'll head over there to check a few things out."
Nicole seized the opportunity to elude the group of middle-aged men who had made her feel
uncomfortable.
At that exact moment, the crowd at the entrance erupted with cheers and applauses again, for Henry
had walked in with Chloe.
Hearing the cacophony, Jared looked over.
'It's the Johnston Group's annual ball.Why did he bring Chloe instead of his wife?"
With every eye in the room set on them, the pair sauntered up to Jared, with Henry saying, "Jared, you
look pretty darn good, you know that?"
Henry's compliment was delivered with a grin, but Jared did not buy into his fake compliment, "Yeah,
I'm fine, I guess."
"Jared."
Chloe eyed Jared, having tried to seduce him every now and then.
"Nicole isn't here with us today, is she?" Henry asked, as she was nowhere to be seen.
"She is on the other side, having a chat with her friends," Jared replied.
Henry turned to Chloe, signaling her to join the others over there.
Then, she shot Jared a glance and said, "Alright, I'm heading over there.I'll leave you guys to it, then."
"Henry, you've finally arrived.We've been waiting for you."
Mr.Campbell approached Henry with a grin.
"My apologies, Mr.Campbell.I see that the evening has just started, and you can't keep all that charm to
yourself already," Henry said, implying that Mr.Campbell was trying was already hitting on the women
at the ball.
"That's hilarious! What can I say? I'm not as swooning as you are, Henry.Look at your plus one.She's
an international star!"
Mr.Campbell laughed, all while his eyes were fixed on Chloe.
"If you're interested, I can always set you up for dinner."
Henry us guffawed.
"I guess I'll have to thank you in advance."
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