Shay's POV
I was surprised at how quickly the day had flown by.
The next thing I realized, I was being led into a classy-looking restaurant with Sylvia by my side, while the rest of our co-workers walked ahead of us. Their voices rang in the air, full of excitement. I had never been to a company dinner before, so it was clear that I was a little nervous.
I hadn't said a word to anybody since we arrived. I tried to focus my attention on everything around me, hoping to find something that would spark my interest. My eyes wandered around the hallway, lit with golden lighting, the fancy portraits on the walls, and the beautiful flowers in their vases, standing aligned on each side.
Everything seemed so perfect that it was nearly impossible to ignore the word 'money' screaming from every corner, which was something I was used to seeing all the time.
The front receptionist led us into a private space, away from the rest of the customers dining inside. We were surprised to see Jason already seated at the head of a long, glass rectangular table. A waiter was pouring wine into his glass, and a few waitresses lingered nearby, adding the finishing touches to the meal that had been prepared.
The guys greeted Jason in a polite, friendly manner and started occupying seats near him. Sylvia pulled me toward a chair just three seats away from him. He looked effortlessly handsome, wearing a plain white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms and two buttons undone at the top.
His hair was surprisingly disheveled, and he somehow looked carefree, full of smiles, which was something new that I hadn't seen before.
"Are you okay?" Sylvia whispered in my ear.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Why do you ask?" She looked away and started cutting into her steak.
"You were so quiet that I thought something was wrong with you." I chuckled, shook my head, and stared at the delicious food in front of me.
Everything looked wonderful and delicious, but unfortunately, my appetite didn't agree. I didn't know what was going on, but one thing was certain: something had triggered my recent change in mood, and it was starting to bother me.
Or rather, someone.
Not only had my mood changed, but my feelings were too, and slowly, I was starting to realize that.
Trying my best to avoid looking awkward, I slowly began picking at the baked potatoes on my plate and started a normal conversation with Sylvia. When the second course arrived, I realized I needed something cool to drink, but the only option on the table was wineâwhite wine, to be exact.
And I'm not really a fan of white wine, no matter the brand or how expensive it is.
"Drink, Miss Kellen?" Mr. Samuelsson suddenly asked, holding a bottle of white wine.
Since he was sitting right next to Jason and the others, they were all staring at me eagerly.
"No, thank you, Mr. Samuelsson. I think I'll just stick to water for tonight."
The men around him chuckled playfully, and I hid an embarrassed smile.
"Oh, come on, not a fan of Leroy Domaine?" I shook my head politely.
"You could say that." They all started laughing, and my eyes involuntarily glanced at Jason.
He wasn't laughing with them or smiling. He was just staring right back at me, as if trying to figure me out. My heart skipped a beat when I saw him looking at me, so I quickly glanced at Sylvia to avoid meeting his eyes.
"Waiter, can we get a bottle of rosé for the lady?"
My head snapped up when I heard him speak. I watched in shock as he signaled for the waiter to come over and pointed directly at me. The waiter came to my side and poured the wine into my empty glass before walking away.
I was speechless, unsure of what to do. I slowly reached out for the glass and took a small sip of the pink liquid to ease the dryness in my throat. I finally looked back at Jason and smiled as if to say thank you. He briefly nodded in return and rejoined the conversation with Mr. Samuelsson.
"My mom called me the other day, and she mentioned something about Shanelle accepting that new offer from Dior. They want her to fly over to Paris for the official photo shoot. Does your family know anything about it?" Sylvia asked.
"No, it's not like they care about what she's up to these days. She's free, and she can do whatever the hell she wants. Speaking of Paris, when did this happen?" She shrugged and took a sip of her wine.
"Last week. I think she's leaving on Friday." I chuckled sarcastically and rolled my eyes.
"She may have the freedom to live her life, but there's no way Dad would let her slip away under his watch. He'll probably get his security team to follow her to Paris to keep an eye on her. Who knows what she's really going to be doing there." She nodded in agreement.
"Miss Kellen, have you tried the Italian pasta yet?"
Sylvia and I both looked toward Jason and secretly shared a perplexed glance.
"No, I haven't." I replied slowly.
He smirked and tilted the wine glass in his hand toward the huge pasta dish in the middle of the table.
"You should try it. It's their main specialty. Would you like a refill of your rosé?" I quickly shook my head and smiled.
"No thanks, I'm good." He held my gaze for a minute longer while sipping his drink and then finally looked away.
I let out a low sigh, and when I turned back to Sylvia, she gave me a look before downing her wine in one go. The expression on her face was difficult to describe, but I immediately understood her sudden change of demeanor.
It was all because of Jason's sudden attention on me tonight.