Page 104 of Obsessing Over His Favorite
His profile photo was vague. A girl’s silhouette in shadow.
Her brows furrowed. “An ex? Someone special?” she murmured, trying not to feel that strange pang.
Her thoughts were interrupted by an incoming call from Jacob.
She hesitated before picking up. “Hello?”
“Emily,” Jacob said without greeting, “I have a party to attend tonight. I want you there with me.”
She blinked, thrown off. “A party? Jacob, I… I don’t think I’m cut out for those kinds of events.”
He cut in firmly, “You have a great position right now in the jewelry market. I need you at this party, not as my employee, but as one of the bosses. As my partner. I want you to look around, meet people, see how things work behind the scenes. That knowledge will help you when you’re making big decisions later. This is your business too, Emily—not just the design side. I want you involved in all of it.”
Emily paused for a moment, letting his words sink in. Then she exhaled and nodded. “Alright. I’ll be there. Just need to grab a dress. I don’t have anything party-appropriate, so I’ll pick something up on the way.”
She paused, then added with a smirk, “Anyway, as long as it brings me a shit load of money, I’ll go to the moon if you ask me to.”
Jacob laughed on the other end. “I’ll text you the venue and time. I’ll wait for you. Text me once you’re ready and we’ll go together.”
“Sure,” she said, and ended the call.
Grabbing her things, Emily rushed out of the hotel.
***
By the time Emily arrived at the party, the atmosphere was electric. Laughter, the clinking of glasses, and soft jazz spilled out of every corner of the grand hall. Men in tuxedos and women in glittering dresses mingled.
She entered alongside Jacob, head held high, dressed in a sleek, midnight-blue gown that hugged her curves. They mingled, spoke to guests, and exchanged cards.
She was doing well… until a man leaned in and asked her with a charming smile.
“So... are you single?”
Before she could respond, an arm slid around her shoulders from behind, startling her. She turned—and found Lucas right next to her, his smile calm but unmistakably territorial.
Looking straight at the man who’d asked the question, Lucas said in a warm, possessive voice, “Baby, did you wait too long for me?”
His hand tightened slightly, pulling her closer.
The man who had asked the question blinked, visibly uncomfortable. He gave a small, awkward laugh and quickly disappeared back into the crowd.
Emily spun toward Lucas, glaring. “What are you doing? We already broke up.”
Lucas’s eyes locked onto hers without flinching. “There is no breakup. I didn’t agree to one. You’re still my girlfriend.”
She jerked away from his grip. “Then you can keep imagining whatever you want,” she snapped. “Because to me, we’re done.”
Behind their backs, the whispers had already begun.
“Isn’t that Emily Crawford?” a man asked, lowering his champagne glass as he squinted across the room.
“Yeah,” the woman beside him replied, swirling her drink. “The jewelry designer. She’s stunning… but wasn’t she obsessedwith Lucas? Like—followed him around even when he is with Amelia?”
“I heard she tried to break them up,” another woman added, leaning in closer. “Lucas had to distance himself. She wouldn’t take the hint.”
“But look at him now,” the man said, nodding toward the couple across the ballroom. “He’s standing right next to her. And not just standing—close.”
“They look like a couple,” the first woman murmured, raising a brow. “His hand’s on her back. That’s not nothing.”
