Chapter 5
CHRIS
Dinner was meant to be casual, at least on the surface.
It was a small gathering, just a handful of key players, all of whom were crucial to the next stage of the acquisition I’d been working on for months.
I didn’t mind hosting these sorts of events.
They were an easy way to get everyone on the same page without the formality of the boardroom.
The restaurant was one of the best in Seattle.
Chic, intimate, and private. I’d reserved a closed-off area where we could speak freely without worrying about prying eyes.
My team had set everything up perfectly.
The lighting was dim, just enough to highlight the place settings but not so bright it distracted from the conversation.
The wine list was top-tier, something I knew would impress the more particular guests, and the menu had been curated with dishes that looked impressive but weren’t overly extravagant.
Beth arrived late, which wasn’t surprising.
She hated these things, though she rarely said so out loud.
I could see it in her posture as she walked in, her heels clicking softly against the tiled floor.
Her dress was simple but elegant, a deep navy that suited her, though the way she wore it always made me feel like she was uncomfortable in her skin, as if she would rather be anywhere else than at an event like this.
She greeted me with a quick peck on the cheek, her eyes flicking briefly to the already gathered guests before landing back on me. “Sorry, I got caught up at the foundation.”
“No worries,” I replied, my voice calm and reassuring. “We’re just getting started. You look nice.”
She smiled, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes.
I led her over to the table, pulling out a chair for her like I always did.
It was automatic at this point. The gesture was more about maintaining the image than any genuine chivalry, something that had become increasingly obvious to both of us over the years.
“Chris, it’s been a while.” The voice came from Rick, the chief legal counsel for one of the companies involved in the deal. He was a man who played his cards close to the chest but was always smiling. “You’ve been keeping yourself busy, I hear.”
I laughed lightly, shaking his hand before gesturing toward the chair across from me. “More like trying to keep up with everything. But I’m glad you could make it tonight. This deal wouldn’t be where it is without you.”
Rick chuckled and took his seat, the conversation quickly shifting to business, as it always did with people like him. It was all about numbers, projections, and risk assessments. I fell easily into the rhythm, the language second nature to me after so many years of negotiations and mergers.
Beth sat quietly at my side, sipping her water, her attention seemingly elsewhere.
She nodded politely whenever someone addressed her directly, but she didn’t contribute much.
I didn’t blame her. These talks were beyond her experience, something she had admitted more than once.
I had tried to include her over the years, explaining the complexities of the business, hoping she would develop more interest, but it had never stuck.
She preferred her world of charity events and local outreach programs, something I had long since accepted as simply part of who she was.
Jessica, though, fit right in. She walked in a few minutes later, her presence immediately commanding the room’s attention.
She wore a sleek black dress that hugged her figure in all the right places, her confidence as sharp as ever.
She greeted everyone with that practiced smile of hers, the one that could put anyone at ease while also keeping them just a little on edge.
“Chris,” she purred, leaning in to kiss my cheek before sliding gracefully into the empty chair beside me. “You really do pick the best spots, don’t you?”
I smiled back, a small gesture that felt almost like a reflex. “Glad you think so. I wasn’t sure if you’d make it.”
Jessica waved her hand dismissively. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world. You know how much I love playing a role in these discussions.”
There was an undertone to her words that I was well familiar with.
Jessica thrived on this, on being in the thick of the most critical moments of a deal, steering the conversation with intelligence and charm that made her an asset in these settings.
It was why we had worked so well together over the years.
She knew how to read the room, how to get people talking, how to make the tough decisions sound easy.
The dinner progressed smoothly after that, the conversation flowing as plates of food were brought out one by one.
I kept an eye on Beth, who remained quiet throughout the meal, occasionally smiling when someone said something that wasn’t too far removed from her world.
But it was clear she felt out of place. I had seen that look before, the way her polite smile never quite reached her eyes when she was forced into social situations she didn’t fully understand.
I leaned over, brushing my hand against hers under the table. “You’re doing great,” I whispered, more to reassure her than because it was true.
Beth glanced at me, offering a small smile in return.
“Thanks,” she said softly, though there was a tension in her voice that hadn’t been there earlier.
I let it go, focusing back on the conversation as Rick and Jessica started discussing the finer points of the acquisition, their voices dipping into more technical territory that I knew Beth wouldn’t follow.
It was nearing the end of the main course when I felt it shift.
There was a pause in the conversation, and then Jessica turned her attention toward Beth.
The move was subtle, but I knew what she was doing.
I had seen her do it before when she wanted to assert herself, especially in rooms where she knew she had the upper hand.
“Beth, I heard your foundation did amazing work with the last gala,” Jessica began, her tone friendly but with an edge I recognized all too well. “It must be rewarding, seeing all that effort translate into something so tangible.”
Beth blinked, clearly caught off guard. “Uh, yeah, it is.” She gave a tentative smile. “We were able to raise more than we expected for the women’s shelter, so that’s a plus.”
Jessica nodded slowly, her eyes flickering to me for a split second before returning to Beth.
“I’m sure it’s quite different from what we do.
It’s a lot less cutthroat, I imagine. Much more personal.
” There was a hint of something beneath the surface of her words, something condescending that I didn’t miss.
Neither did Beth, judging by the way her posture stiffened slightly.
But before she could respond, Jessica continued, turning the attention back to herself.
“I’m not sure I could handle that kind of emotional connection.
I prefer numbers, clear outcomes. There’s something comforting about that, isn’t there? ”
She laughed lightly, and the others joined in, their agreement coming too quickly for me to believe it was anything less than performative.
My eyes darted to Beth, who had fallen silent, her expression guarded.
My chest tightened, a flicker of irritation stirring at the way Jessica had maneuvered the conversation, making Beth’s work sound like it was less meaningful without outright saying it.
“Both are important in their own way,” I interjected, trying to smooth over the moment before it escalated. “It’s all about making an impact, whether it’s on paper or in the community.”
Jessica flashed me a smile, one that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Of course. Just different ways of thinking about it.”
The rest of the meal continued in that tense undercurrent, Jessica slipping in comments here and there that subtly put Beth on the outside, framing her as though she were too soft, too naive for the world the rest of us lived in.
It wasn’t anything overt, nothing I could call her out on directly, but it was there, simmering beneath every word she spoke.
Beth said less and less as the dinner went on, her gaze occasionally landing on me, silently asking for some kind of intervention that I wasn’t offering.
By the time dessert came around, the conversation had shifted fully back to business, with Jessica now firmly at the helm of the discussion.
Beth had completely disengaged, staring down at her plate with a distant look in her eyes.
I tried again, leaning closer to her. “Almost over,” I said quietly. “Just hang in there a little longer.”
She didn’t respond, but I felt her tense beside me, her jaw tight as she focused on the small, untouched piece of chocolate cake in front of her.
I couldn’t blame her. I knew exactly what Jessica was doing, but in that moment, I convinced myself it didn’t matter.
This dinner was about the acquisition, about closing this chapter and moving on to the next.
Letting Jessica play her little games was the cost of doing business, I told myself.
It was nothing personal, just the way things were in this world.
Beth would understand eventually. I didn’t want to make waves in front of these people, especially not now when everything was finally coming together.
And deep down, I convinced myself I was sparing her from getting embarrassed in front of a crowd that she wasn’t equipped for, that she was lucky Jessica was even giving her this much attention at all.
After the guests started to leave, Jessica stayed behind, her eyes glinting as she watched Rick and the others exit the restaurant. “I’d say that went well.” Her tone was casual, but there was a satisfaction in her voice that rubbed me the wrong way.