13 14. So close, yet so far!

"Madeline!"

Ivy Aretha felt her heart skip a beat and didn't hesitate to rush forward, grabbing the outstretched hand.

Just before the slap landed, Ivy successfully intercepted Sienna Harrison's drunken hand, then directly carried her, apologizing to Jaysen Smith: "I'm sorry, my friend had too much to drink!"

"Who said I drank too much?"

Sienne looked at Ivy with dissatisfaction, and when she turned her head and saw Jaysen, her eyes narrowed: "What are you doing here? Didn't you say you wanted to break up with me?"

Jaysen Smith: "..."

Break up? When had he even started dating her?

Hearing this, Michael Gordon, who had been coldly watching Ivy, looked at Jaysen with confusion. He raised his eyebrows, and then relaxed, waiting for Jaysen to explain with interest.

Michael naturally knew about Jaysen going on a blind date with Sienna. Although it had ended in failure and it seemed like they had no relationship, if they had had something going on that he didn't know about, Young Master Gordon might be unhappy with him.

Upon seeing this, Jaysen immediately raised his hands and surrendered, "I guarantee that I know her, but just know her! I have nothing to do with her, nothing!"

"I'm sorry, she just got cheated on and had her heart broken. She drank too much, don't be bothered by her!" Ivy supported Sienna and prepared to leave. After walking a few steps, she looked back at Jaysen and said, "Thank you for today!"

Broken heart? Jaysen chewed on these two words in his mind. Had that useless Phoenix man finally dumped Sienna? He didn't hear Ivy's words that followed.

Meanwhile, Michael's face darkened when he heard Ivy's words: "Today it was me who saved you, not him. He didn't do anything, why are you thanking him?!"

Jaysen: "..."

Why was Jaysen always the one caught in the crossfire? It wasn't easy to have a fun night with a friend like Michael, who scared away all his peach blossom luck with this attitude.

Hearing this, Ivy stopped and looked from Jaysen's face to Michael's eyes, a hint of mocking laughter flashing in the corners of her eyes.

"Why should I thank you?" Ivy met his gaze, her smile light and her voice sarcastic, "Did CEO Gordon save me? I personally beat those people myself, what does it have to do with Mr. Gordon? If I remember correctly, Mr. Gordon said he wanted to take care of me himself, right?"

Michael Gordon: "..."

Michael really wanted to strangle her right now. He'd bet she was doing this on purpose.

"If Mr. Gordon doesn't want to take care of me now, my friend is drunk and we have to go. Oh, right, Mr. Gordon is here to pick up girls, so you probably don't have time to take care of me now. Please continue, we're leaving first!"

Ivy glanced at Michael, who was visibly upset, then dragged the half-drunk Sienna towards the exit.

Watching Ivy and Sienna leave, Michael's peach blossom eyes narrowed. This stubborn woman, at a time like this, dared to talk back. Wasn't she afraid he'd just deal with her right then and there?

"When did you meet such a special woman?" Jaysen looked at Michael's expression, filled with the urge to tear her apart, and couldn't help but ask.

Michael didn't reply, his eyes still fixed on the direction Ivy had left, his eyebrows furrowed together.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Jaysen shrugged and casually said, "I'll send them home. These two women look too unsafe!"

After saying this, he took one step forward only to be stopped by Michael.

"Which one are you interested in?" Michael glanced at Jaysen and spoke calmly, "The drunk one? Or the sober one?"

Jaysen, confused by the sudden question, smiled and responded with a raised eyebrow, "Which one do you want me to be interested in?"

Jaysen dared to bet that Michael had something going on with this thorny beauty, and he really wanted to know when it had started.

Upon hearing this, Michael's cold eyes swept over Jaysen, giving him the impression that he'd stolen his woman.

"Ahem, don't worry, I'm not into such heavy tastes. I'm not interested in thorny women!"

Jaysen quickly clarified his position, lest he end up chopped up by his friend during their night out.

Heavy taste? Thorny?

These words were indeed appropriate for describing Ivy. But Michael had a heavy taste, and gentle, submissive women bored him.

As Michael looked up, he saw Jaysen's surprised gaze and felt like he'd been caught red-handed. He immediately snapped, "Weren't you going to send them off? What are you still standing here for?!"

Ivy had just stopped a taxi when, before they could get in, Sienna vomited, causing the driver to take one look at the two drunk women and drive away.

Ivy looked at Sienna, who was vomiting against the big decorative tree outside the bar, walked over, patted her shoulder, and sighed, "Miss Harrison, it's just a man. Is it worth getting this drunk? Now even the taxi driver despises you!"

Ivy might say that, but she couldn't help feeling bitter inside. She cried a lot when she was cheated on, too. Men really couldn't be relied on. Remembering her past, Ivy's heart felt like it was stuffed with cotton, making it hard to breathe.

"He's a scoundrel. Ivy, how could I fall in love with such a scoundrel? And for so many years!"

Sienna started crying when she heard this.

"Alright, enough, don't cry. Let's go home first and I'll help you get rid of this scoundrel tomorrow!" Ivy sighed, helped Sienna up, then hailed another taxi but still had no success.

Just as Ivy couldn't find a taxi, a crisp and familiar voice came through. She turned her head and saw Jaysen elegantly waving the car key at them.

It was obvious what he meant: he'd take them home.

"Thank you!"

Ivy quickly helped Sienna up and walked towards Jaysen, not showing any intention of refusing. This surprised Jaysen.

"Aren't you afraid I'll be like those men earlier?" Jaysen helped her support the half-asleep Sienna while raising an eyebrow and asking Ivy.

"People say that appearance reflects one's heart. You look so handsome; how could you compare to those shameless people? Besides, with handsome guys like you, there are plenty of women who will come to you. There's no need for you to take advantage of someone in a crisis, right?"

As Ivy walked behind him and spoke, she figured that since Jaysen was a friend of Michael, the CEO, he must be from a rich family and decent looking. He certainly wouldn't do anything to them.

To her surprise, Ivy realized that she subconsciously trusted Michael to this extent, leaving her shocked by her own thoughts!