The only thing I could do was to change the topic. I pushed the dessert we had towards her and offered, “Here, have some of this. It’s delicious.”
Emery could only rub her temples in response to my attempt. I awkwardly touched my nose, unsure of how else to comfort the other lady at that time.
Fortunately, Hannah did not dwell on the earlier event. She took a few bites and commented, “It is good. I have been learning how to make desserts recently and have been eating a lot of them. Sadly, I think I’m gaining weight because of that.”
This topic piqued Emery’s interest. Looking at us, she grumbled, “Have you not seen how fat I am now? It must be nice that both of you have already given birth. Your children are already growing up too. Meanwhile, I am not even four months pregnant, and who knows how much bigger I’m going to get in six months.”
Tickled, Hannah assured her, “Don’t exaggerate it. Babies typically weigh around six kilograms anyway. You don’t have to be concern about how much you’re eating now. Instead, focus on nourishing yourself. After you give birth, you can slowly adjust your eating habits again, and surely you will lose weight.”
With a common topic, the two chatted for some time. Meanwhile, I propped my chin on my hand and watched them, realizing how blissful I felt at that moment.
“Scarlett, are you preparing to have a second child with Ashton? Yesterday, I heard that Summer is going to W City with Jared. Aren’t you worried?” Emery shifted the conversation to me.
Shaken from my quiet moment, I replied, “I’m confident that Jared will take good care of her.”
Then, Hannah turned serious, and she stared at me. “Don’t you want to have another child? Summer is already five this year. If you are worried about what she thinks, you can always ask her for her opinion on the topic. Who knows, maybe she wants a playmate too?”
Grinning, I confessed, “Ashton and I plan to discuss it after the year ends. He is too busy now and is under too much pressure. It isn’t the right time to consider it yet.”
The two other women exchanged gleeful looks.
As though she suddenly recalled Cameron, Emery brought her up. “Oh, I almost forgot. When I came back, I realized that Cameron was admitted to the hospital for appendicitis. I should visit her soon.”
“I think she is almost fully recovered after staying in the ward for the past few days,” Hannah said before turning to me.
“After removing the stitches, she can probably discharge, right?”
I responded with a smile. At that moment, my phone rang, and it was Summer who called from Jared’s phone.
She was about to board the plane and called to give me an update.
Soon, the weekend came, and it was Fuller Corporation’s annual meeting. Although Summer had already left K City for a few days, she would call me at night to chat with me.
Despite so, I could not touch nor hug her. After raising her for the past four years, I could not help but miss her after she left.
In the afternoon, Ashton noticed that I seemed absentminded. He reminded me, “It’s the annual meeting this evening. Will you go with me?”
I paused and was about to shake my head when he cut in, “Come on. You will be bored staying at home.”
“You know that I don’t like crowded places,” I chuckled.
“Should I stay at home to accompany you?”
Ah, I should go to the meeting with him.
The annual meeting was at a hotel’s open-air swimming pool. With red wine, yummy food, a grand lobby, and a swimming pool, everyone looked like they were having the time of their lives.
The venue screamed money and elegance.
As I did not have many interests, I did not have much to do besides eating.
Holding onto a plate of pastries, I looked for a quiet place to eat them.
Moments later, Isabelle approached me, but I did not see her coming. If she did not speak, I would not even realize that she was there.
“Ms. Stovall, you sure enjoy having peace.”
I adverted my gaze to her. Like me, she had a plate of pastries in her hand, looking for a place to eat them.
“Some say that aging is delayed for women who enjoy sweet treats,” I pointed out.
She laughed in response and shoved a tart into her mouth. Enjoying it, she mumbled, “How should we define aging?”
I was stumped by her question.
Chuckling, she continued, “To me, aging means to lose the meaning of living. If you have lost interest in the future at twenty, you have aged. Aging may not refer to the physical abilities of a person but the soul. Some people are past eighty, yet they still have a positive outlook on life. Do you think they should be considered old?”
I could only smile as I found it hard to answer her question. “Nope!” I finally uttered.
Afterward, we spent our time chatting on other topics. Since Ashton had to present Fuller Corporation’s performance for the past year, commend the stellar employees and present some surprises, Isabelle had to go.
In the meantime, I finished my food and strolled around the hotel.
Unconsciously, I followed Ashton’s voice and walked to the hotel’s ballroom.
Fuller Corporation had many employees, and the room was packed. They even invited some prominent business figures from K City to join their annual meeting.
He announced that he would be giving some of Fuller Corporation’s AI technology as a token of appreciation. In addition, he also gave Rachel some credit for her contribution.
After all, one could not deny that she was an excellent researcher who deserved to be valued.
