One night stand with my president( chapter 178)

 

Chapter 178: Feelings Are Beyond Control

Adeline playfully pinched Joyce and said, "Alright Enough."

"But it's true! The bar is pretty warm inside, and once you take off your coat, you'll definitely be the most dazzling person here," Joyce teased.

Adeline couldn't help but laugh at Joyce's joke.

Spending time with her good friend brightened Adeline's mood, dispelling much of the gloom in her heart.

Joyce said, "Come on, let's go inside. It's freezing out here."

Joyce pulled Adeline into the bar.

It was a quiet bar with a nice ambiance, not too noisy.

The moment Adeline walked in, she drew many admiring glances.

They sat down at a table, and a few men tried to approach Adeline, but they were all polite. After Adeline politely declined, they left without any fuss.

"See? I told you my friend's bar was nice.

The people here are all decent. Otherwise, I wouldn't have dared to bring you here," 

Joyce laughed. "Your pretty face is just too eye-catching."

The bar was warm, so Adeline took off her coat and draped it over the back of her chair. 

"Enough about me, let's talk about you."

As soon as Adeline said that, Joyce knew what Adeline wanted to know and immediately blushed, stammering, "I... Well..."

"Come on, who's the guy you like?"

After what happened with Joyce's ex, Adeline was genuinely worried she'd fall for another bad guy.

"You should know him," Joyce said, her face turning even redder.

Adeline quickly ran through the men she knew in her mind.

She knew quite a few, having been Harrison's secretary for five years and met countless business partners. But they were all work contacts, and she couldn't immediately guess who Joyce might have feelings for.

"Who is it?"

The reason Joyce had invited Adeline out was to talk about this, so she didn't keep her guessing for long. Blushing, Joyce said, "It's someone from the Juarez family."

Adeline murmured, "The Juarez family..."

Something clicked in Adeline's mind, and her eyes widened in surprise.

"You don't mean Sam, do you?"

"Yes, it's him," Joyce said, fiddling with her glass.

"Absolutely not," Adeline said firmly.

Sam was Harrison's childhood friend, so Adeline knew a bit about him.

She knew Sam was the type who enjoyed the company of many women but never got attached to any of them. He changed lady-friends as often as others changed clothes.

Of course, Adeline knew Sam wasn't a bad person, but Joyce falling for someone like him would only lead to heartache.

She didn't want to see her best friend get hurt.

"Oh, I know what you're worried about." Joyce patted Adeline's hand and said, "We're just friends for now. I'm pretty sure he doesn't feel the same way about me."

"That makes it even worse," Adeline said, gripping Joyce's hand tightly. "Joyce, I want you to be with someone who truly loves and cherishes you."

"I know, but Adeline, feelings aren't something you can control," Joyce said, looking at her.

Adeline was at a loss for words.

It was true. If feelings could be controlled, she wouldn't have let herself fall so deeply for Harrison during this time.

Thinking of him again made Adeline's heart ache.

But she had come out tonight for Joyce's sake, so she quickly shook her head, trying to push Harrison's image out of her mind.

"You're right," Adeline sighed. "Feelings are beyond control. But Joyce, I don't want to see you get hurt."

"Don't worry about me." Joyce shrugged. 

"I'm the type to move on quickly. Right now, I just wanted to share my feelings with you. As for me and Sam, I'm going to let things take their course. If he ends up liking me too, great. If not... well, I won't hang onto him forever."

Joyce's straightforward attitude eased some of Adeline's worries.

"As long as you're happy, Joyce. If anything happens, just tell me."

"I will. You know, I feel so much better now that I've told you. Keeping it all inside was tough," Joyce said.

"But how did you two get to know each other?" Adeline asked curiously.

Joyce explained how they had met.

As Joyce talked about that night at the auction, Adeline couldn't help but think of the necklace Harrison had given her.

She had kept it safe all this time.

She might never have a chance to wear it again.

When she resigned, Adeline would return the necklace to Harrison.

The necklace was too valuable, and if she were to leave, she wouldn't feel right taking it with her.

Seeing Adeline lost in thought, Joyce couldn't help but take out her phone. 

"Adeline, you look so beautiful today, especially with the bar's lighting. The atmosphere is perfect. Can I take a few pictures of you? Please?"

"Sure, go ahead," Adeline said with a smile.

It was common for Joyce to want to take pictures when they went out, so Adeline was used to it.

Joyce took out her phone, snapped several photos, and then looked at them on her screen.

"You're stunning, Adeline. Taking pictures of you is such a pleasure. Can I post them on my Instagram?"

"Go ahead."

Adeline had always been indulgent with her.

Joyce carefully selected the two most beautiful photos, which were already perfect without any editing.

She happily posted them on her Instagram, captioning them, "Having fun at the bar with my gorgeous babe."

Meanwhile, Sam was with Harrison.

After dropping Daphne off at home, Sam had gone to have drinks with Harrison. But they hadn't had much. Most of their time was spent chatting.

"Daphne is just the same as always," Sam said.

"But at least she helped you out, so you didn't have to worry about how to approach Ms. Hensley."

Harrison snorted, "I didn't need her help with that."

"Then why don't you just confess to her?"

Remembering Adeline's reaction earlier, Harrison tightened his grip on his glass and took a sip of his drink.

He still remembered his promise to Adeline, which was that he couldn't drink much.

"You..."

Just then, Sam received a message and started * replying, casually scrolling through his Instagram.

He hadn't scrolled far when he suddenly exclaimed, "Oh!" Then he glanced at Harrison.

"Harrison, Ms. Hensley is at a bar right now."