Heartstrings on Fire (Agnes and Jared)
Chapter 823

Jared couldn't shake the suspicion that Agnes had been faking her drunkenness last night.

Waking up the next morning with a splitting headache, Agnes found her memories of the evening were patchy at best, leaving her with a disconcerting blank space where last night's events should have been. After freshening up, she made her way down to the breakfast nook, only to be met by Jared's piercing gaze from the moment she entered the room.

Agnes shot him a casual glance and settled into her chair, taking a sip of her milk. "What's got you looking so sour this morning?"

"Agnes, you still owe me a reasonable explanation," Jared prodded.

A flicker of guilt passed over her as she asked knowingly, "What explanation?"

"What exactly did you get up to last night?" he pressed.

Agnes countered, feigning ignorance, "What do you mean? I just had an interview, grabbed dinner, and came home."

Jared scoffed, "You seriously don't remember how you got home last night?"

Truthfully, Agnes didn't remember. But the more serious Jared's expression became, the guiltier she felt inside.

She hadn't told Jared about her interview with Ryder, which in itself wasn't a problem. The issue was that she had also gone out for drinks with Ryder afterward without giving Jared a heads-up.

Agnes had thought it was no big deal. She did have a few drinks last night but had completely blanked on the rest of the evening. She assumed she had woken up at home because a colleague must have called Jared to pick her up. After all, their relationship was common knowledge at this point, and she had indeed woken up in her own bedroom.

But could it be that something else had happened after she blacked out?

Treading carefully, Agnes ventured, "Did I cause some trouble last night?"

Jared's expression remained stern.

Agnes quickly admitted fault, "I promise, it won't happen again. I won't drink out anymore. I just couldn't get out of it last night, you know, the social pressure."

Finally, with a childlike pout, she cooed, "I know I messed up. Can you forgive me just this once?"

It was rare for Agnes to play the coquette, but Jared was a sucker for it. Watching her now, it was impossible for him to stay mad.

He relented, "You're quick to admit your mistakes, yet you never seem to learn from them."

"How can you say that? I promise, I'll change. And you're going to witness it," she protested in return.

Seeing Jared's expression soften, Agnes breathed a sigh of relief and came clean, "Actually, my boss asked me to do a profile interview, and I didn't expect it to be with Ryder."

Ryder wasn't exactly taboo between them, but Agnes knew Jared cared more than he let on. Yet, his feelings were conflicted. Ryder was special to Jared, after all. He couldn't see him as an outright enemy, much less forget the kinship of a cherished protégé he'd once mentored.

"I already know," Jared said curtly.

Agnes continued, "You won't believe how much Ryder has changed. Dressed up in a suit, he was almost unrecognizable. And his whole attitude, it's just colder than it's ever been."

With a heavy sigh, she admitted to herself that Ryder's transformation might be largely due to her actions.

Jared seemed reluctant to dwell on the subject of Ryder any longer. "My sister wants to see Nocturne. Let's head over to the Whitfield Manor tonight. It's been ages since we last visited." Agnes' expression turned serious, "Alright, I'll meet you at the Tim Group after work."