Elliot, being the perfect gentleman, accepted her kind gestures graciously while maintaining a respectful distance from her.
Their lukewarm exchanges did not escape Marshall, and he involved me in the conversations. I deflected them all by playing dumb.
As time went by, Elliot started to ignore the passionate gazes from Katharina as his vision fell on me overtly.
Sensing he was about to say something from the corner of my eye, I stood up abruptly. “Excuse me, I’m going to the washroom.”
I moved my chair, strode purposely, and bumped right into Ashton and Thora when the waiter opened the door. My feet were suddenly glued to the ground.
Of all days, Lady Luck has to choose today to let me stumble upon all these people that I’ve been avoiding!
“Ms. Stovall, you live such a busy life. While holding on to your ex, you’re also flirting with.” Thora made a snide comment after she noticed Elliot in the room.
Ashton glanced at me briefly before he shifted his piercing gaze around the room. His vision fell on me again as I caught an inexplicable yet meaning look in his eyes.
Hold on a second. I did nothing!
I instinctively balled my hands into fists and tried to explain myself. However, before I could utter a word, a figure zoomed past me from behind and stopped next to Ashton. “Mr. Fuller, what a pleasant surprise to see you here! I have missed you so many times trying to secure a meeting with you at your office. Now that you’re here, please join us. And I’m not taking no for an answer this time!” Marshall said cheerfully, while holding onto Ashton’s arm.
“Such an honor to meet you too, Ms. Ziegler. Please come in. This must be my lucky day!” Marshall was so all over himself he had completely failed to comprehend the complicated relations between the few of us.
The next moment, a sense of despondent overtook me as I watched Ashton and Thora sat down together.
What’s this? The Last Supper?
As though he was in a contest with Elliot, the expressionless Ashton’s mere presence exuded the demeanor of a victor.
Resigned, I reluctantly returned to my seat at the table.
Emery was the only person who found the whole situation amusing. She stifled a chuckle and muttered, “Things are about to get really interesting.”
“Just zip it.” I rolled my eyes and poked at her arm as a warning.
“Mrs. Fuller,” an oddly familiar male voice called. I turned around in surprise. A third person was with Ashton and Thora.
The bespectacled man was now smiling ambiguously at me, suggesting he knew me well.
“Do we know each other?” I gave him a mental thumbs up for openly addressing me as ‘Mrs. Fuller’ in front of Thora.
The man then removed his sunglasses and stared into my eyes merrily. He had a burly man with a crew cut. After a few seconds, his identity finally struck me.
He was Joe Quinn, the person who used to pull out all the stops to sabotage my relationship with Ashton, was now calling me “Mrs. Fuller” so intimately.
I was astonished. “When did you come back?”
Joe had distanced himself from Ashton after he got married. I took it as a sign that he wanted to retire from the corporate world. His sudden appearance caught me by surprise.
The man said sullenly, “I never left K City, Mrs. Fuller. It’s sad enough that you and Mr. Fuller didn’t come for a visit before. Now it’s just plain hurtful that you think I’m no longer living in this city.”
It was rather amusing to see a man in his thirties with manly stubble on his chin to pout like a teenage girl.
Is this still the Joe Quinn that I used to know?
“Um…” I was at a loss for words.
“Mr. Quinn, I believe today is an important day for Ms. Stovall. You should leave your reunion for another time.” Thora chimed in. “It’s great to see that you are finally letting go of your failed marriage and started dating again. Your effort is really commendable, Ms. Stovall.”
The woman paused for effect, then turned to Elliot. “Mr. Jacobson, you made the right decision to go out with Ms. Stovall. Everyone in K City knows all the virtuous qualities she possesses.”
