Chapter 2
Mike froze in place.
Sophie disapprovingly pulled Mike back to her side and shot me a glare. "What do you mean by that? Is that really how you talk to your own son?"
As soon as she said that, everyone shot me looks, their gazes filled with even more disdain.
"So she threatened Edward with a baby, huh? Can't blame Edward for not wanting to marry her after all that."
"She just has no shame. No wonder she's still single. Smart move on Edward's part to steer clear of her."
I couldn't help but sneer to myself. Somehow, everyone twisted Edward's irresponsibility into him being oh-so-smart for not marrying me.
I wiped the messy food off my clothes, feeling annoyed, and reached for a fresh set of utensils.
A sweaty paw clamped my arm. The guy smelled like gym socks soaked in bottom-shelf vodka.
I shot him a glare and stepped away, disgusted.
He smirked, "Anna, things have been rough since you quit your job, huh? Heard folks saw you working at a bar. Must be tough. So, how much do you rake in for a night?
"Tell you what. If you toast everyone here, I'll throw you some cash. Sound good?
"Anyway, you're single now. If you make me happy, maybe you'll never have to worry about your bills again."
The mood turned rowdy, with someone even whistling suggestively. Edward chimed in, "Jake, Anna's standards are way too high. I doubt 'some cash' is enough to win her over."
As soon as he said that, everyone looked at me with smirks, their eyes full of schadenfreude, all just waiting for my humiliation.
Fuming, I jumped up and tried to get away from Jake. But before I knew it, someone shoved me hard from behind. Off balance, I lurched forward—my wrist smacked painfully against the table edge.
My anger flared hotter. When I turned, Mike was looking at me with that cheeky grin, his hand still halfway raised.
It did hurt.
My voice trembled as I asked, "Did you just push me?"
When he heard me, Mike looked guilty for a split second, then bolted straight into Edward's arms, like he was hiding from trouble.
"Mom, you can't even handle a kid like me, and you still blame me? That's just lame," Mike scoffed.
Edward held Mike in his arms, both of them sporting the same smug, satisfied look.
"Kids like to fool around. You're the adult here—and his mom, no less. You're not really gonna hold this against him, right?" Edward said, almost sounding reasonable.
As if he was rewarding Mike, Edward fed him a bite of pudding, then continued, "Besides, if you hadn't started something with Jake earlier, you wouldn't have gotten shoved for no reason."
Jake acted like he'd totally forgotten he was the one who started all this mess.
"Stop trying to have it both ways. I threw you a way to make some real money, but you turned it down. Guess that's why you're never gonna get ahead," Jake sneered.
Everyone burst out laughing, cracking jokes to lighten the mood.
"Anna, how did you end up entertaining men at bars? You used to act so proud and proper at the office. Look at you now," someone mocked.
"Hey, my cousin owns a diner. How about you work there as a server? It's at least more respectable than pouring drinks for random guys," another scoffed.
Seeing everyone eat up those rumors like they were the truth, I just stood there clenching my fists till they hurt, shaking with anger, and barely holding myself back.
If I wasn't still stuck waiting for my husband, I'd be out of here ASAP.
Everyone was knocking back drinks and cracking up, while Sophie soaked up the compliments.
Suddenly, she chimed in, "Oh, by the way, I heard the Executive Director is making an appearance tonight. That guy's practically a ghost around here. Wonder if we're lucky enough to actually catch sight of him."
She barely finished speaking when someone shouted, all pumped up, "He's here. The Executive Director! He's rolling in with a squad of managers. Talk about making an entrance!"
Right then, everyone at the table started buzzing with excitement.
"Word is, our Executive Director, Jason Reed, took over the family business when he was just 18, and in just five years, he expanded it nationwide."
"And get this—he's supposed to be drop-dead gorgeous. Rumor has it he just got married. I'm dying to see what his wife looks like."
"Wait, is that his kid? Cute, but man, the little dude won't stop crying."
"Hey, he's heading our way."
The air went dead silent. Everyone froze, barely daring to breathe, instinctively stepping aside for the distinguished man who was making his way over.
Seeing the little boy in Jason's arms bawling nonstop, Sophie plucked up her courage and edged closer.
"Hi Mr. Reed, I actually have a ton of childcare experience. It's nothing special for kids to cry. Why not let me help out?" she suggested brightly.
But Jason didn't so much as glance at her. He marched straight toward me, his tone urgent and almost a little pitiful.
"Honey, the baby started bawling as soon as you weren't around," he said, sounding both worried and a little wronged.