Chapter 176
“Were you interested in me for a long time?” Joe asked with a faint smirk.
His words struck Skylar like a lightning bolt, completely shattering her composure.
“Wait—what? Can I still explain?” she stammered, her mind spinning. Her face turned bright red as guilt and panic surged through her.
Right then and there, she swore to herself: I’m never drinking again. Not even a drop of cooking wine!
Joe’s mood visibly lifted as he watched Skylar flounder. Her flustered reaction amused him more than it should have.
“It’s fine,” he said smoothly. “I get it—you were drunk.”
He offered her a warm smile, but Skylar was already spiraling into self-recrimination. She couldn’t stop thinking about what she’d done. I touched and pinched him?! she screamed internally. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t remember a single moment of it.
Does he even have abs? Wait.. of course he does. But that’s not the point!
Just as Joe turned to head downstairs, he paused and looked over his shoulder.
“Oh, by the way,” he added casually, “you also kept saying I was ugly last night. Even tried to help me find a plastic surgery clinic.”
Skylar’s mouth dropped open. She bit her lip in horror, her eyes darting to his annoyingly perfect face.
“Darn it..” she whispered under her breath. If this guy ever actually went under the knife, no other man would stand a chance in the dating world.
Joe couldn’t hold back his laughter anymore. Seeing her so distressed while sober only made her seem more endearing.
As he disappeared down the stairs, Skylar whipped out her phone and checked her search history—just to be sure.
There it was.
“Where is the most expensive plastic surgery hospital in Jipsburg?”
Her eyes widened in disbelief. So.. he wasn’t joking. I really searched that.. Oh no.
Meanwhile, outside the Martin Group building, Annie had been waiting for over ten minutes. She had sent Joe several messages, but none of them were answered.
She clenched her phone tightly. No matter what, she refused to lower herself to contact Skylar. In her mind, Skylar wasn’t worth pleading with.
Joe couldn’t possibly stay interested in someone like her for long, she told herself again and again.
She remembered the conversation from last night with her parents. None of them had expected Skylar to act so boldly—calling Joe right after Annie’s confrontation. It only proved that Skylar had no shame and was taking advantage of Joe’s favoritism.
That realization made Annie’s heart twist. She wasn’t used to feeling so powerless.
Just then, Paul approached from the building’s main entrance. He looked surprised to see her.
“Ms. Silver?” he greeted politely.
Annie didn’t waste time. “Mr. Ziegler, I’d like to see Mr. Martin.”
Everyone close to Joe knew—Paul Ziegler was his most trusted aide. If anyone could get her through to him, it was Paul.
But Paul remained composed and courteous. “I’m sorry, Ms. Silver, but Mr. Martin’s schedule is fully booked today. He has back-to-back meetings and will be leaving on a business trip shortly. If there’s anything urgent, I can relay the message.”
What Paul didn’t say out loud was the truth: Joe had specifically instructed him to reject any attempts by Annie to meet him—indefinitely.
She had crossed the line. Not only had she secretly approached Skylar, but she’d also dared to threaten her—with money, no less.
Joe was done giving her chances.