Mike and Chris exchanged glances, and in each other's eyes, they saw the same thing — the unmistakable look of defeat.
Just as they were silently mourning their failures, two figures appeared at the entrance to the lakeside barbecue area — a young man in a designer jacket and a middle-aged man beside him, probably his dad or an alumnus dropping him off.
When Meg saw the young man, her whole face brightened. She immediately stood up and waved, her voice soft but cheerful."Hey, Jack! You made it!"
Chris's face instantly sank. Meg had barely smiled at him all afternoon, but one glance at this guy and she was practically glowing.
From the brief snippets of conversation earlier, Chris had already pieced together the situation. Apparently, Meg originally wanted to have this mixer with the guys from the Math Department's Dorm 611, but Julia insisted on inviting people from Engineering Dorm 307, so Meg went along with it.
Now it made perfect sense — Meg's real interest was never in him. It was in this guy, Jack.
Jack gave Meg a polite nod, his expression calm, though there was a hint of distraction in his eyes. He scanned the crowd quickly, clearly looking for someone else.
And then he saw her.
Julia.
The moment his gaze landed on her, his eyes lit up.
He was just about to walk over when his steps froze mid-stride.
Across from Julia sat Jason Carter — comfortably reclining in his chair like he owned the place, sunglasses pushed halfway down his nose. Julia, meanwhile, was handing him a freshly grilled chicken wing. Jason accepted it without hesitation, taking a bite with a grin of pure satisfaction.
Julia watched him with a gentle smile, the kind that seemed to come naturally around him.
Jack's jaw tightened. For a brief second, jealousy nearly boiled over — until recognition dawned.
Jason Carter.
Even Jack knew that name. Last semester, thanks to that whole mess with the Student Council, Jason had gone head-to-head with the administration and won. The guy had connections, money, and guts. In short — not someone to mess with.
So even though Jack's blood was practically buzzing with envy, he didn't dare say a word.
In his head, though, he was fuming.It was they who caused you trouble, Jason, not me! Go ruin his plans, not mine! Why are you swooping in to steal my spotlight too?
What Jack didn't know was that even Holly Larson, the beauty from the theater department who half the campus had a crush on, was already close with Jason.
He clenched his fists, his mind racing.Julia's usually so reserved — always polite but distant. I even offered to sponsor her research project with ten grand, and she wouldn't take a cent. So why is she smiling at him like that? All he ever did was help her with that small student-aid fund — what, maybe three grand tops? That's all it took?
His face shifted through shades of green and red as he fought to keep his composure. Normally, Jack was smooth, confident — the kind of guy who never lost his cool. But now, watching Julia laugh softly at something Jason said, his calm completely crumbled.
Meanwhile, Mike, who had been sulking just minutes ago, suddenly perked up when he noticed Jack's expression. One look at the guy's clenched jaw and twitching smile, and he instantly understood what was going on.
So the mighty Jack is jealous too, huh?
Mike couldn't help the smirk that tugged at his lips. Guess even the golden boy's got competition now.
Across the picnic table, Meg's smile began to falter as she followed Jack's gaze — and saw exactly who he was staring at.
Julia.
Her heart sank.
Of course. She'd always known Jack had a soft spot for Julia — everyone in the department knew it. Hell, the only reason Jack had agreed to this mixer was probably because he heard Julia would be here.
Meg tried to laugh it off, but it came out tight and bitter. She turned away, stabbing her marshmallow into the fire a little too hard.
The flame flared, and the sugary surface blackened instantly.
It wasn't just the marshmallow burning.
Jack stood frozen, confused by what he was seeing. Julia and Meg, who were sitting nearby, also looked stunned.
They couldn't figure out how this man — a middle-aged guy in an expensive jacket with slicked-back hair — knew Jason Carter.
Jason, who had been casually tending the barbecue, glanced at the man and asked mildly,"Do I know you? You in real estate or something?"
He didn't confirm his identity, but he didn't deny it either — and that was all the confirmation the man needed.
The man's name was Robert, a small-time contractor from out of state. The moment Jason spoke to him, Robert practically bent at the waist."Oh, no, sir! I wouldn't dare call myself part of real estate. Just a small renovation company based out of St. Louis — nothing major."
Jason tilted his head, intrigued. "A renovation company from St. Louis, huh? Then how'd you even hear about me?"
Robert swallowed hard, trying to sound casual. "Well, last night I was having drinks with a developer from Chicago. Your name came up — in a good way, of course. The man had nothing but respect for you. I was impressed, so… here we are."
Jason smirked slightly, understanding the situation now. So that's how my name's been making rounds. Good thing it's not spreading too far.
The man probably wanted in on the new tourism development project Jason had quietly been backing — and those projects meant renovation contracts, a lot of them. Even a small company could make a killing if they managed to get a piece of that pie.
Jason shrugged. "I see. Well, if you two have business to talk about, go ahead. Don't let me get in your way. Pretend I'm not even here."
He went right back to flipping the skewers as if he couldn't care less.
Jack exhaled slowly, trying to ease the tension. It seemed like a small interruption — the older guy must've just recognized Jason from somewhere. We can still talk business, he thought, straightening up.
But to his surprise, Robert expression changed completely. His face turned pale, and beads of sweat started rolling down his forehead.
His mind raced. What does he mean, "pretend I'm not here"? Is that a warning? Is he saying I've disrespected him by not greeting him first?
Or worse — does he know why I'm really here?
Robert's gaze flicked toward Julia, who stood beside Jason, her hair catching the late afternoon sunlight. The way she smiled and talked to Jason — it was intimate, familiar. Too familiar.
And suddenly, everything clicked for Robert. She's his girl.
His heart dropped. If Julia's with him, and I came here trying to get close to her for business reasons… then his words weren't casual. That was a warning.
Cold sweat rolled down his back.
Because the truth was, Robert hadn't come all this way just to "help" Julia like Jack had asked him to. Sure, Jack had invited him for dinner and a few drinks, talking about how Julia's family ran a small paint-supply factory and how they'd been having trouble with distribution. Robert saw an opportunity right away.
His renovation company used a ton of wall coating materials, and if he could cut a deal to buy directly from Julia's family at below-market rates, he'd make a huge profit. He could even resell it to his industry contacts, pocketing the difference.
Normally, manufacturers wouldn't agree to something like that. Selling at the base factory price was already doing you a favor. But Robert figured — if he helped "solve" their problems, then everything would be negotiable.
And his plan didn't stop there. Once he got a foot in the door, he'd send a few of his own guys to "help out" at their factory, supposedly to ensure smooth operations — but in truth, it'd give him control over the business.
If everything went smoothly, he could even create a few problems to keep them dependent on him indefinitely.
He'd played this game before. But now, looking at Jason Carter — clearly close to Julia — Robert suddenly realized he might've just walked into a minefield.
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