?<strong>Chapter 468:</strong>


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    Ken clenched his jaw, and his voice slipped out low and cold. “Get lost.”


    Unfazed, Ferdinand shrugged, settling back into his seat with a faint smile. “Fine, we won’t talk about her.” He paused, then regarded Ken thoughtfully. “But I was actually nning to drop by your office today to discuss that coboration we talked about, only to hear you were ‘unavable.''”


    His eyes narrowed with yful suspicion. “Rumor has it you were off entertaining the Perry heiress.”


    Ken scoffed immediately. “She’s not worthy.”


    Ferdinand arched an eyebrow, smirking. “True. No one quite measures up to Allison, huh?”


    After the silence that followed, Ken’s voice finally came, raw and edged with something vulnerable. “She’s leaving. To her, I’m… nothing.”


    Ferdinand exhaled, setting his ss down with a sharp clink. “Ah, so that’s it. I knew you were off tonight.” For a moment, he sat back, considering his friend. “You know, maybe the problem is you’ve spoiled her senseless. Put her on a pedestal. Now she’s got you wrapped under her little finger.”


    Ken’s gaze dropped. “I don’t mind it.”


    Ferdinand was speechless. He rolled his eyes, fighting the urge to p some sense into him.


    “And that right there is your problem! Look, if you want a woman to feel something, you need to shake things up!” He leaned forward with a frustrated exhale. “Women… they’re always dancing around their feelings. They’ll say they don’t care, but they absolutely do. It’s in their nature.”


    He paused, eyes glinting with an idea. “Here’s a thought—try the jealousy trick. Always works in my book.”


    Ken straightened in his seat, staring hazily at the man. “Huh?”


    “Starting tomorrow, cozy up to Carole, make her think twice. See how Allison reacts when someone else seems to catch your attention.”


    “Dude,” Ken muttered, “you’ve got to be kidding.” He wasn’t having any of it.


    Ferdinand chuckled, unfazed by Ken’s cold re. “Oh,e on, how would you know it’s a bad idea if you haven’t tried? This stuff always works in the movies.” With that, he settled back, clearly pleased with himself despite Ken’s stony silence. After all, he was the CEO of the world’srgest advertisingpany and prided himself on the films he’d studied.


    A scoff escaped Ken, but he fell quiet, swirling his tequ.


    In his mind, Allison’s words from earlier echoed back to him, lingering with a sting he hadn’t quite shaken. “The thrill of uncertainty is addictive, but that doesn’t make it love.”


    Their history had always been a tangled mess of half-truths, fueled by fleeting passions and pleasures— a twisted habit to pass the time. But now, more than anything, Ken knew one thing for certain.


    What he truly craved wasn’t the ambiguity. It was her.


    The next day, in the CEO’s office


    Carole entered with a casual, almost presumptive air, her smile a little too practiced. She gave Ken an expectant nce.


    “Ken, why didn’t you answer my callst night? We were worried, wondering if something had happened to you.”


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