He froze for a moment, clearly surprised by her response.
In the past, she would never have given up an opportunity like this to someone else.
Then, realization dawned on him—she was playing hard to get. He smirked. Who knew what kind of trick she was trying to pull this time?
After all, a person’s nature didn’t change overnight, especially not someone like Carrie, who had once been willing to go through fire and water for him.
"You still need to come as my date," he insisted. "We don’t want people gossiping about Karin. It wouldn’t be good for her reputation."
Carrie laughed inwardly. He was really careful when it came to protecting Karin.
She shot back, "Aren’t you planning to marry her anyway? This would be the perfect chance to make an official announcement."
Maybe she could use this as an excuse to leave early, finally escaping this place where she could no longer bear to stay.
Jared’s tone was cold. "Carrie, I need to make sure you don’t harm Karin. That’s the only reason I’m bringing you along. Don’t fool yourself into thinking it’s anything else. Know your place."
Anger flashed through her eyes, but she didn’t argue. Instead, she turned and stormed back to her room.