The Master Programmer-Chapter 139: Banquet of Masks 3

"Mark, you’re as charming as ever. Pity it never translates to anything substantial." The jab was subtle but effective, and Mark’s grin faltered. Jake was calling him cocky with no balls. It was funny because he was saying that he was impotent. It was even funnier because he was pointing out something Jason knew for a fact. You always want what’s mine. You still haven’t changed.

The friends turned and spoke to each other for a few moments before they left, going to introduce themselves to the other people in their lives. Jason and Emily stood there, entertaining themselves and sharing conversations. Everyone turned to Jason, watching him and Emily get along like that, and they couldn’t help but feel like this couple was pretty impressive.

The evening progressed, the room’s atmosphere a blend of pretence and tension. Jason moved through the crowd with ease, introducing Emily to key figures and ignoring the murmurs that followed them.

His former friends, however, were never far, their eyes lingering with curiosity and malice. They spoke to a few people, talking to them in secretive manners while giving Jason some glances that did not escape his eyes.

Jason acted like he didn’t notice the weird air in the room, merely going around and reintroducing himself. He was looking to make connections with some of these people after all. Well, at least the most impressive of them all.

Finally, as the night’s program began, Jason found himself at a table with Mark, Jenny, Dave, Sarah, and… Amanda. He smiled looking at the nametags on the table. What were the odds? The table had been set on purpose, and they must have told the person to put them there due to their old friendship. Even worse, Emily would have been split up from Jason if it wasn’t for Jason calmly and dominatingly asking Jenny to swap places with Emily.

Amanda sat across from him, her icy grey eyes sharp and calculating. Her blonde hair framed her face perfectly, but the bitterness in her gaze betrayed her. Her eyes would flicker to Emily at times too, with an unreadable glint flashing past them.

"Jason," Amanda said, her voice saccharine. "It’s been a while."

Jason’s smirk returned. "Amanda. It really has been a while… I can’t say I was impressed when I saw you. After all, you haven’t really changed…"

Her expression flickered, but she quickly recovered. "You’re right. I haven’t changed. I am still that girl who wants the best for herself and her future. I merely want to build something with someone with a bright future and a good background... I explained this to you before… but it seems you’re still not over me..."

Amanda sighed as if she had been wronged, her eyes flickering with pity as she gazed at Jason and then exposed another kind of emotion as she looked at Emily. "After all, why would you have reacted the way you did back at the dealership, and today again back at the ice cream place? Now here you are again... stringing along another innocent woman. Women don’t like underdogs. They like Alpha dogs. Some women don’t understand that at first, but they do soon enough."

Emily’s eyes sharpened but she said nothing. Anyway, she did not need to. Jason was there to land the jabs.

Jason leaned back, his gaze steady. "Innocent?" He let out a low laugh. "If you were innocent, Amanda, there would be no such thing as a sinner in this world. And you’re right about women not liking underdogs. But it doesn’t matter to me anyway. Anyway, I’m no dog, nor am I some alpha dog… Dogs can only attract bitches, and that’s exactly what I dont want."

Hearing these words everyone else at the table grew in a breath of air.

Damn. That was harsh.

"Jason, how could you say something like that?" Sarah said a bit too loudly, drawing attention from everywhere. At the same time, Amanda began letting out tears before standing up and then leaving while sobbing. Sarah and Jenny shouted after her and then left with her to comfort her and everyone turned to Jason, looking at the table. What did he do?

Jason narrowed his eyes watching those three women disappear into the restrooms. It seemed she had done this on purpose. They were trying to make Jason out to be some evil guy who bullies women.

"Hey man, I heard that you didn’t have to say things like that."

"That’s right. You call yourself a man?"

"Men never hurt women. What the hell are you doing man?"

"I don’t believe you’re a man." Said someone else turning to Emily. "And you, you’re still with a man like that? How could you be with him after understanding the type of person he is?"

Jason heard all this and smirked. Well then, it seemed the game had begun. He smirked as he turned to Emily and held her hand, squeezing it again and he watched as she immediately calmed down a bit. Mark saw this and realised this was not the desired effect. He stood up.

"Now now everyone. Jason and Amanda have some history. I’m sure you all know this by now. They are pretty special to each other and this is true back then and it will be true this time too. Jason is probably superheated after seeing someone he loved so much after such a long time."

Jason turned to this man, looking at him and frowning. What the fuck was he saying? It made no real sense. Anyway, all Jason knew was that he was being slandered at that moment. And that was not the situation he wanted to see.

Mark’s words seemed to spur people on even more, and Jason kept being slandered but he sat there, calmly, and when everyone saw this they seemed to understand that it was very difficult to shake the man.

The three women soon came back with Amanda’s cheeks looking a bit more flushed. She had reapplied her makeup. Jason inwardly chuckled. Pfft, what a simple thing to deal with this type of thing. He had no real complications with dealing with this kind of situation. As long as he showed he was unbothered, then they were not going to continue after all their main intention was to get some entertainment from the thing.

If they wanted to kick Jason out for bad behaviour, Jason had no problem leaving. Why the hell would he stay with a bunch of pricks like them anyway?

As dinner was served, the conversation took a darker turn. Mark leaned forward, a sly grin on his face. "So, Jason, tell us… how does a dropout like you land a job as a director? Surely there’s a story there."

"Hehe… surely he did it by hopping in the bedroom with a few women," David said with a smirk, making Mark grin.

"Hey, if I can land a director position at an eight-figure company then I would do it too, especially if I can get it by being in bed with that sexy woman," said a guy, making grasping motions in the air as if he was grabbing a pair of saggy old titties.

"But isn’t she old?" said a woman from the surroundings, someone Jason recognised as being an old friend of Amanda’s

"Haven’t you heard? The blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice!" said another man, his voice leering out like some old pervert.

"Eww!" said Jenny shaking her head, not at Mark, but at Jason.

"I know right," said looking at her and then looking at everyone else. "I don’t believe Jason is that type of person. Are you Jason??"

Jason met these people’s gaze, unflinching. So this was the play... Humiliation. "How did I get the director position so fast? Hard work and vision. Something most of you wouldn’t understand."

The jab wasn’t lost on them, but Mark wasn’t deterred. "Oh, we remember your vision. Contesting your parents’ will, wasn’t it? Didn’t quite work out... After all, you got kicked out and made a fool of. And then you worked in a convenience store for like 3 months. Who knew you would use your bedroom skills to rise in the world again…"

The room grew quiet as others turned to listen. Jason’s smirk faded, replaced by a cold, calculating expression. He stood slowly, his presence commanding.

"You’re right, Mark," he began, his voice measured. "It didn’t work out. But failure… failure is the greatest teacher. And look at me now. A dropout, an orphan, and yet here I am. While you…" He gestured around the table. "…still cling to past glories, mocking others to feel superior. What do you think that says about you?"

Jason’s words hung in the air words, cutting deep. Mark opened his mouth to retort, but Jason silenced him with a raised hand. "No, don’t speak. Let’s let your actions speak for you. Come on, why don’t you expose your plans for all of us to see and understand? I know you must have planned an expose that would last the whole night, but here I am. Give it to me. I don’t have all night."

Evelyn, seated at a nearby table, finally stood, her expression a mix of disgust and admiration. "Enough," she said firmly. "This isn’t a reunion. It’s a spectacle. And I’ve had enough of it."

Her words brought murmurs of agreement from others in the room. Jason turned to her, his smirk softening into a genuine smile. Evelyn had a bit of influence in this circle. She was using it again to make sure that Jason was okay. Jason wanted to get a connection with her before the night ended.

Jason’s attention shifted at that moment. From the corner of his eye, he noticed a man approaching their table, a man he didn’t recognize but whose presence sent a ripple through the room. The man leaned down, whispering something to Amanda, whose expression turned pale.

She stood up and left the place immediately leaving everyone there watching.

What the hell? She was just going to leave just like that? They were in the middle of a plan here. And it was her plan too! After all, they were doing this because of her and Mark! Why was she leaving?

"Amanda!" Mark called out as she left, but she didn’t even turn back. Jason merely looked at her, and then at Mark, smirking in interest. What was this? This guy had a crush on a girl like her? Or was it that thing where he just wanted to take everything Jason had since Jason wasn’t there to keep it for himself?

Jason’s smirk returned, but this time it was tinged with curiosity. "Interesting," he murmured to himself. Evelyn also stood up at that moment, saying something about leaving this shitty party before literally leaving. She turned to Jason smiling at him as she walked out.

Jason figured this charade was over already, so he spoke to the rest.

"I might never see you again, but you all will surely see me once more. Don’t be surprised or regretful when you do." After saying those words, he left, taking Emily’s hand. Emily followed him out, not even looking back. Jason had handled that so perfectly, first confronting their attempts to shake him and then taking the step forward daring them to expose all the plans they had for him.

Emily tugged on his sleeve. "Jason, what’s happening?"

He placed a reassuring hand on hers. "Nothing, my dear. Just the beginning of something... intriguing." Jason’s memory was different from what it was before. He could remember now... He had seen that man before.

This content is taken from fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm.

That was the same man who was outside their place, their hotel. Back then he had looked like a normal man who was looking around, casually smoking a cigarette. But now it seemed there was more to the story. Something interesting was happening for sure.

As Jason and Emily exited the venue, the man who had whispered to Amanda stood in the shadows, watching them. He pulled out a phone, speaking in a low voice.

[He’s here.]

[That’s right… it’s him.]

[It’s Jason Cross.]