After the divorce, he begged

“Mr. Hanson and Mr. Baker, please take a seat here,” Mr. Hunter, manager of the gdepartment,

enthusiastically said. After all, they were his bosses.

Jeffrey gave a slight nod, glanced at Rebecca, and pulled out his phone to text her: [Do you want to sit next to

me?]

Rebecca replied without hesitation: [No, thanks.]

Jeffrey didn’t push any further. He and Gregory sat down, instantly becoming the center of attention.

As expected, the dinner was a never-ending cycle of flattery. The gdepartment's top brass fawned over

Jeffrey and Gregory, while everyone else buttered up the leadership.

The drinks were already making their rounds before the dishes hit the table.

“Con, let's all raise a glass to Mr. Hanson,” Manager Hunter said, holding up his glass with practiced ease.

“Under Mr. Hanson's brilliant leadership, the Hanson Group has reached new heights.”

Rebecca reluctantly raised her glass.

Rebecca couldn't tell if this setup was Jeffrey’s plan or just bad luck. The only thing on the table besides liquor

was coffee; not a drop of plain water in sight. She had zero chance of faking her way out of drinking.

Ella leaned in close, quietly stuffing a few napkins into Rebecca’s hand and said, “Later, try pouring the drink

onto these, or just take a sip and spit it out; just don’t let it hit the floor.”

The entire floor was covered in carpet. If any liquid hit it, the stain would be painfully obvious.

It was fine for their own team of PrimePlay Technologies crew. But with all these big shots from the Hanson

Group's gaming division and a bunch of tech gurus who were giving them technical guidance, getting caught

here would definitely get awkward.

“Thanks,” Rebecca whispered.

Jeffrey caught every sneaky move they made, but he just played along and kept quiet.

Even if Jeffrey wasn’t drinking, those gdepartment veterans who were used to business socials would still

pull everyone else in for a round; ostensibly to boost company spirit, but really to show off and grab the

spotlight.

Sure enough, after a simple first round, another executive chimed in, “Honestly, in this whole industry, nobody

has the vision and capability of Mr. Hanson. Just for that alone, he deserves another toast. Mr. Hanson, I'll finish

mine; you drink as you like.”

One by one, the department heads jumped in, eager to show their loyalty. The rest of the crowd could only follow

suit. After a few rounds, even with all her little tricks, Rebecca had to drink a few mouthfuls.

“Most folks would kill for a shot to work alongside Mr. Hanson,” the exec from the gdepartment said, setting

his sights on the PrimePlay Technologies crew. “So don’t waste this chance.”

Chapter 148

“Yeah, we understand,” they replied, all smiling just to be polite.

The exec shot them a look, hinting, “Shouldn't you show it, with a toast, maybe?”

The PrimePlay crew just awkwardly stared at each other, speechless.

E55 vouchers

Normally, their get-togethers were no more than department dinners; those who wanted to drink did, and those

who didn’t weren't pressured. Dealing with this kind of formal drinking ritual was a first for them.

Ella stood up and said politely, “Mr. Hanson, on behalf of PrimePlay Technologies, I'd like to toast you. We really

appreciate your support and guidance. We'll give it our all working with you.” With that, she knocked back her

drink in one gulp.

Manager Hunter ignored her mention of PrimePlay Technologies, coughing softly to signal others. The quiet room

let all catch the cue. Soon, the rest of the PrimePlay crew, feeling the pressure, stood to speak politely and toast.

Rebecca didn’t get spared.

Everyone kept clinking glasses, and the drinking went on for more than an hour before people finally started

winding down.

Jeffrey stood up when he saw that Rebecca had nearly reached her limit. He turned to the PrimePlay team and

said, “That's it for tonight. Once you're finished eating, make sure to head back to the hotel and get srest;

we've got work tomorrow.”

“Okay,” they responded in unison.

Jeffrey and Gregory headed out, with all the Hanson Group execs escorting them to the car.

Now that Jeffrey had left, the gdepartment execs becthe top dogs at the table. Like most leaders, they

loved nothing more than lecturing everyone; they kept talking to Rebecca and the others about their past

glories.

The more they talked themselves up, the more they clinked glasses and threw back drinks.

When Jeffrey was present, they held back a little since they knew Jeffrey disliked such drinking-gnonsense.

But with him gone, they dropped their pretense, savoring every moment of being the center of attention and

flattery.

“I always thought the senior execs at the Hanson Group were like Jeffrey; not really into this whole drinking

culture,” Ella muttered in Rebecca's ear. “But turns out they're just like our director.”

Rebecca was already fairly drunk. She could hear Ella well enough, but her mind felt fuzzy and her thoughts

couldn't quite keep up.

“What's going on with you?” Ella asked, noticing something was off. “Are you drunk?”

“A little,” Rebecca replied. Her face usually only turned red after she'd been drinking for a while, so as long as

she kept her composure, no one could really tell.

Just as Ella was about to ask if Rebecca wanted to hit the restroom, the gdepartment execs started another

round of drinking.

Jeffrey had already guessed what was going on. As soon as he got in the car, he told Gregory, “Give those guys a

heads-up; no more of that nonsense in front of Rebecca and her team. Anyone who doesn’t listen gets

demoted.”

Gregory immediately made a call.

Eric Hunter was just about to raise his glass for another round when his phone rang.

Seeing it was Gregory calling, Manager Hunter didn’t dare waste a second. He put down his glass and answered,

“Mr. Baker...”

“It's just dinner, don’t turn it into sbusiness deal,” Gregory said before Manager Hunter could anything, his

laid-back tone coming through the line. “Sip the booze, don’t go crazy.”

“Sure thing,” Eric answered, and forced a smile, shooting a glance at Rebecca.

say

Manager Hunter thought to himself, ‘Gregory had only said Rebecca was someone special to Jeffrey, never what

her deal was. Chances were, she was exactly Mrs. Hanson. But... Why would the boss's wife pop up at PrimePlay

and act like she’s just scasual acquaintance?”

“Once they're done eating, send the PrimePlay team back. They've got work early tomorrow,” Gregory said,

knowing exactly how these guys roll. If Gregory didn’t lay down the rules, they'd turn this into an endless

drinking marathon.

Eric got the hint instantly and said, “Got it.”

As soon as the call ended, the guys around him grabbed their glasses, ready for another round. Manager Hunter

shot them a look and whispered, “Knock it off. Are you looking to get demoted or something?”

The gdepartment execs all stared back, baffled. Just a moment ago, everything was perfectly fine.

“Gregory just called,” Manager Hunter murmured to the others. “If you don’t want Jeffrey calling you out in front

of everyone at the next headquarters meeting, you'd better cool it with the drinking.”

One simple sentence was enough. After that, they never mentioned drinking again, just ate and boasted. The

PrimePlay team finally relaxed and enjoyed their meal. With Ella looking after her, Rebecca managed to eat a

little, even as her head still spun.

It was half an hour later before the dinner finally wrapped up.

Ella hailed a cab and headed straight back to the hotel. She was planning to ask the front desk for some

hangover soup, but as soon as she got out of the cab, someone stepped in front of her, blocking her way.

“Mr. Baker?” Ella recognized him as the top dog who'd been glued to Jeffrey’s side at dinner. “Is there something

you need?” asked Ella.

“Lettake Rebecca,” Gregory said, not bothering with her identity as Mrs. Hanson.

Ella blinked, totally baffled.

Ella instinctively shielded Rebecca behind her, glaring at Gregory like he was about to try something shady,

and asked, “What do you want with her?”

“Mr. Hanson wantsto bring her upstairs,” Gregory explained. “He’s got something important to discuss with

her.”

Ella glanced at Rebecca, who looked totally out of it, and shot back with bare hesitation, “No way, she’s wasted.

There’s no way you can talk to her right now.”

Gregory stood his ground, while Ella refused to back down.

Finally, Gregory retrieved an official document from his pocket, opened it, and held it out for Ella to see.

“Rebecca is Mrs. Hanson. This is their marriage certificate,” said Gregory.

Gregory thought to himself, ‘Mr. Hanson had toldthat if things could be settled with words, there was no

need for this, but with Chloe eyeing both of us as if we were crooks, | had to show this.

AD

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