Chapter 1559:

🍙 🍙 🍙 🍙 🍙

Novalee gave a small nod and chose not to question Barry any further. Still, his phone continued lighting up throughout the rest of dinner. Each time he checked the screen, a quiet smile appeared on his lips. He looked openly pleased without even noticing it, and his attention was clearly somewhere else.

Rayna was the one sending him message after message. She had returned to his life only a week earlier. Her company was preparing a huge annual gala and planned to spare no expense. There would be live bands, famous performers, and every detail needed to make the event unforgettable.

Since Rayna remembered that Barry worked as a lighting technician, she recommended him for the project. The arrangement was approved without any trouble.

Barry felt that he should remain friendly with her after she helped him secure the job. On top of that, the project required them to speak often, so their growing number of messages seemed perfectly reasonable and professional.

As their conversations continued, Barry began to truly enjoy talking to her. Rayna was naturally funny and made every exchange feel easy. In comparison, his girlfriend, Novalee, often seemed distant and cold.

Soon, their messages became longer and far more personal. Barry started telling Rayna about the problems in his relationship. He complained that Novalee never gave him any understanding, constantly placed demands on him, and became distant whenever he refused to do what she wanted. Instead of feeling loved, he often felt trapped.

Rayna always seemed to know exactly how to comfort him. She listened, supported every complaint, and told him that putting his family first was the right thing to do. They were related to him by blood, while a girlfriend still wasn’t a wife. According to Rayna, allowing Novalee to cross his boundaries now would only create worse problems later. Rayna made his choices sound completely reasonable, as though he was simply protecting the people and responsibilities that mattered most.

With every conversation, Barry felt himself becoming more attracted to Rayna.

As far as he was concerned, nothing serious was happening between them. They were only talking. He and Rayna told each other about every small part of their day, while his conversations with Novalee had slowly faded until they shared nothing more than a dull goodnight message before going to sleep.

Everything finally came crashing down during a relaxed work party where both teams gathered for the evening.

The gathering took place inside a private room at a bar in the city center. Perfume, alcohol, and the oily smell of fried food filled the air.

𝖲h𝖺𝗋𝖾 𝘆𝘰u𝗋 f𝘢vо𝘳i𝘵𝗲𝗌 𝖿𝗿𝗼𝗆 𝗀a𝗹𝗇o𝗏еl𝘴.𝗰о𝘮

Barry ended up sitting beside Rayna, and her coworkers kept urging him to drink until he gave in several times. Before long, his face had turned red, and even the tips of his ears felt hot.

Her colleagues began teasing them almost as soon as the party started, claiming they looked perfect together. Then someone brought out a Truth or Dare wheel, and after several rounds, the pointer stopped directly on Barry.

“Come on! Truth or Dare!” Everyone around the table shouted while pounding their hands against the surface. Even one of the project supervisors joined in with a broad smile.

.

.

.