Heartstrings on Fire (Agnes and Jared)
Chapter 816

Agnes arched an eyebrow. "Why do you ask?"

Ramona replied, "When you shook hands with him just now, I heard you call Mr. Whitfield by his first name. The look on both of your faces, and the way you said it so naturally... I could tell. Spill the beans, is there something going on between you two?"

Agnes let out a scoff. "What if I told you I'm his elder?"

Ramona's eyes widened, instantly ablaze with the flames of gossip.

"Boss, what's the deal? How do you know all these high-profile people?"

In fact, Ramona and the others were already aware of Agnes' relationship with Jared.

The media had been abuzz with rumors that Agnes was Jared's ex-wife. But they knew that, at present, Agnes seemed to be back with the CEO of the Tim Group.

Although it hadn't been made public yet. Behind closed doors, they would jokingly refer to her as Mrs. Whitfield, and Agnes didn't deny it.

But now another Mr. Whitfield had appeared on the scene - the General Manager of the Thomas Group, and Agnes claimed she was his elder.

Indeed, they both shared the last name Whitfield.

Hans chimed in, "Could it be that this Mr. Whitfield is related to that Mr. Whitfield from the Tim Group?"

Hans and Ramona, being recent graduates just starting their careers at the TV station, weren't fully clued in on the Whitfield family's secret history from four years ago. Especially since Ryder had been abroad all these years, the media hadn't dared to dig into it.

Ben, however, knew all about Agnes' past. In a quiet voice, Ben added, "The CEO of the Tim Group is this Mr. Whitfield's uncle."

While many knew Jared and Ryder were brothers, their public and private personas remained unchanged. Ben's interjection was meant to save Agnes from a tricky explanation. Agnes shot Ben a grateful look.

Hans and Ramona were stunned. Ramona shrieked, "Oh my God, boss, you're Ryder's family!"

Agnes managed a wry smile. "Alright, enough gossip. Let's go eat."

The group packed up their things and left the meeting room. A waiter led them to a private dining area. Upon entering, they were surprised to replace it wasn't just them. The room featured a massive oak round table, already seating about a dozen people.

Agnes and her group paused at the doorway.

Ryder, already seated, glanced over. "Ms. Pritchard, please come in and take any seat." Everyone began to settle in. Starting from Ryder's left, there were four empty seats.

Ramona nudged Agnes towards the spot next to Ryder. "Boss, sit here, please."

Ryder exuded an icy demeanor, the epitome of unapproachability. Though Ramona was smitten, she wouldn't dare overstep her bounds to sit beside him.

But Agnes was his family. It was only fitting that she sat next to him. Without any pretense, Agnes took the seat next to Ryder.

Ryder introduced her to everyone. "This is Ms. Pritchard from the TV station."

Many eyes naturally fell upon Agnes.

Ryder introduced Agnes to the key project leaders present. Agnes greeted each with a warm smile, and the others were exceedingly polite to her.

Agnes couldn't help but feel the atmosphere was peculiar, yet she couldn't quite put her finger on why.