Chapter 217

It started off like a mystery and somehow turned into a comedy—though kinda dumb in the end. A clothing industry big shot going bankrupt just because of some woman? Come on, who’d buy that? No way he’s that gullible. Everyone at the gathering was throwing in their two cents, laughing and speculating. Most of them thought Jin Mao was just using the whole “woman ruined me” story as a smokescreen. Whatever really happened, he clearly had something to hide—probably skipped town to avoid the fallout. Grace Thompson caught Maria Lewis sitting quietly in the corner, head down. Her smile faltered a bit as she leaned in and asked gently, “Maria, are you feeling okay?” Maria batted her lashes and put a hand over her stomach, seizing the chance to slip away. “My stomach’s acting up. I probably haven’t been eating right these days. I’m gonna head home and rest a bit. You all keep hanging out.” The room fell silent for a moment, everyone turning to look at her. “I’ll drive you,” Grace offered. “No