Chapter 2
Jasper had appeared at the doorway of the walk-in closet without me even noticing.
His tone left no room for argument, so I had no choice but to obey.
When I stepped out of the walk-in closet in the dress, Jasper's eyes lingered on me longer than usual, and he remarked approvingly, "You look good in white."
It was just that wearing white made me look even more like Reina.
I knew what he was thinking.
As soon as we got to the party, Jasper was instantly swarmed by people, so busy that he didn't even look my way.
Bored out of my mind, I was about to slip away for some peace.
But Reina's friends made a beeline for me.
"Wow, you really had the nerve to wear the same dress as Reina? Acting like you're some big deal," one of them sneered.
I acted as if I didn't hear anything, pretending to ignore them.
Reina, on the other hand, smiled gently and stepped forward to greet me.
She said softly, "Are you the one always hanging around Jasper? This dress is rare, only two in the world, and it costs a fortune. Did he give it to you? Guess he really likes you."
She lowered her head, her eyes suddenly misty with tears.
If Jasper were my boss, Reina was the bigger shot, someone I really couldn't afford to mess with.
Besides, I wasn't about to make enemies and end up miserable like last time.
I smiled at Reina and replied, "Ms. Sanford, don't get me wrong. Mr. Howard made sure I wore this dress before leaving. He probably brought me here to make you jealous."
Jasper had never taken me to a party before.
Right after Reina came back to town, Jasper decided to bring me along. Clearly, he just wanted to make her jealous.
I was more than happy to go with the flow and please both of them.
"Stop acting all innocent!" one of Reina's friends snapped.
She shoved me roughly, making me stumble right into a waiter holding a tray behind me.
I managed to stay on my feet, but ended up getting soaked in wine.
Some of it splashed onto Reina as well.
Things got messy quickly.
Only then did I realize how humiliating it was to get into a public fight like this.
Jasper showed up right then, catching the whole scene as it unfolded.
Reina's friends gathered around her, fussing over her and making sure everyone blamed me for what happened.
"So what if Reina wore the same dress as you? Did you really have to ruin hers?" one of them snapped.
Jasper gave me a cold glance and then looked over at Reina.
Her eyes were red with tears, making her look so fragile and helpless as she said in a soft, trembling voice, "Jasper, please don't blame her."
I was not taking the blame for this mess.
"The waiters saw everything, right? They pushed me first. I wasn't the one who started it. Besides..." I shot back.
Then, I pointed at the cameras and added, "The footage will show what really happened."
"But... you were flaunting the dress Mr. Howard bought you, trying to get under Reina's skin!" one of them snapped.
So no matter what, I was always the bad guy.
Everyone turned to Jasper, waiting for him to lay down the law like some old-school judge.
He took off his suit jacket and handed it to Reina.
Jasper said, "Just put this on for now. I'll have someone help you get changed. Sorry for the trouble."
I couldn't help but sigh that love was never fair.
No matter how hard I tried to clear my name, Jasper would always stand up for Reina.
But I couldn't care less anymore.
Jasper looked furious as he dragged me into the car.
Once the door slammed shut, he loosened his tie, irritation clear in his voice as he muttered, "Stay away from her."
Moments like this happened all the time before. How did I handle them?
I would be crying my eyes out, feeling sorry for myself.
But now, I just spoke calmly, "Mr. Howard, you should be able to tell I was the one who got bullied today."
He was caught off guard by how rational and detached I sounded. After a moment, he replied, "I know, but with the Sanford family elders watching, I had to..."
"I understand," I cut him off with a smile.
"But I can't just swallow this humiliation for nothing, right? Why don't you compensate me with that top-tier Super Sandra script?"
Back then, Reina leveled up her career overnight thanks to that drama, and my envy was off the charts.
I'd asked Jasper for it before, but he always shot me down, saying I wasn't talented enough to handle such a major project.
Seriously, Reina was no acting genius or anything.
Reina was grinning ear to ear when she got Jasper's jacket and couldn't even pretend to be upset.
Jasper pressed his lips together, thought for a moment, and then said coolly, "Alright."
I kept the momentum going, gesturing to the ruined dress. "And you should cover the cost of a new one. Just pay me for it."
Jasper might not be the ideal partner, but he was definitely the kind of boss who took care of his people.
He agreed without a second thought.
But his gaze lingered on me, as if he was trying to see right through me.
The ride home was dead silent.
Normally, I'd be talking Jasper's ear off, annoying him until he'd scold me sharply, his brows tightly knit in frustration.
But this time, I was completely lost in my phone, binge-watching those silly clips, not caring about anything else.