The next second, Valerie barged in.
Nathan pursed his lips unhappily, but he didnât bother to look up from his desk when he said, âMiss Garrett, donât you know itâs rude to enter someoneâs office without permission? As the âbestâ actress in town, youâve been to many events before.
Is this how you normally behave?â
âItâs indeed my fault to break in, but you started it!â Valerie shot back angrily.
Nathan frowned and finally looked up at her, but he didnât say a word.
He didnât want to waste his breath on her.
Feared that the secret might be exposed, Sonny cleared his throat and spoke up quickly.
âTh-this must all just be a misunderstanding.
Miss Garrett, weâre very busy right now.
How about you follow the assistant out first?â
âI wasnât talking to you!â After casting a sarcastic glance at Sonny, she turned to Nathan and said, âI was talking to him.
I want him to give me an explanation!â
The disgust in Nathanâs eyes didnât fade away.
He leaned back in his seat, took a sip of his coffee casually, and asked, âWhat did I ever do to you?â
Valerie strutted over to the chair opposite him and sat down.
âMaybe I said something wrong last night or maybe I inadvertently offended you, but whyâd you suddenly terminate our contract? My fans are now fighting each other on the Internet because of this and Iâve lost my best resources.
Donât you think itâs a bit much?â
âNot at all,â Nathan replied dryly.
âYou know I have a fiancee, yet you dared to set me up to make her misunderstand me.
Since you did something so despicable, I only responded in kind.
â
âWhat?
What on earth are you talking about? You asked me to go, and I left.
I just exchanged a few words with Miss Simmons at the door of the bar, but I know my place and didnât say anything offensive to her, â Valerie confusion written all over her face.
⦠protested, Of course, since she knew she was innocent, she was unwilling to ta
ke the blame for a crime she never committed.
âSince I started my career, Iâve never associated myself with a male star nor have I done anything shameful to gain clout.
Ever since I became the spokesperson of your company, Iâve been following all your rules to a tee.
Mr.
Payne, if I really wanted to set you up, I wouldâve done it in a smarter way.
Last night wasnât the right time or place to âstrikeâ.
I donât know why youâd think it was me who did it!â
Her reasonable explanation made Nathan fall into deep thought.
Indeed, last night, he was too drunk and too paranoid to think rationally.
Now that he looked back, he realized that many details of last night were still too fuzzy.
His sharp gaze shifted from Valerie to Sonny.
With his head down and his eyes wavering, Sonny quietly inched towards the door in an attempt to escape.