In the evening, Joy slipped into a sleek black off-the-shoulder gown, reluctantly linking arms with Austin to be his date for the night.

Austin, not one to fuss over his appearance, usually sported a laid-back look with his shirt casually unbuttoned at the top. But tonight, he was all buttoned up and donned a tie, oozing a charm that was hard to ignore.

Upon their arrival at the cocktail party, Joy's gaze wandered, taking in the scene. She noticed that, although there were many stunning dates present, quite a few men were stag, without a female companion in sight.

Baffled, she leaned in and whispered, "Isn't it mandatory to bring a date? How come these guys didn't bring one?"

Austin whispered back, "I never said it was mandatory."

A wave of irritation washed over Joy as she glared at him. "If it's not mandatory, then why did you make me come with you?"

"Just because it's not a must, doesn't mean I can't bring a date," Austin retorted with a mock seriousness. "I'd feel less of myself seeing others with dates and me without one."

Joy was at a loss for words, managing only to mutter, "That's vain."

that?"

Joy replied, "I said that's

cocktail party was, as the name suggested,

strike up a conversation with anyone and charm her

meant Austin barely needed to say

suddenly, a glass appeared in her hand. She turned to Austin, who seemed to enjoy playing the

was off grabbing some snacks, her

teased Austin, "Got a new girl? She's got a

eyes followed to where Joy was standing by the buffet, her silhouette hinting at a strength

my employee," Austin nonchalantly replied while

huh? Didn't you say no office romances to

was demolishing a hefty portion of beef tartare and truffle

lady nearby, intrigued by Joy's enthusiasm, asked if the food was good. Unable to speak, Joy gave

Yet, there she was, engaging in lively banter about which dishes were hits and which were misses, having tasted her way from one end of the buffet to the other. Content

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