“You seem to like the color black,” I commented. To be honest, I did not want to encounter these negative things again.
She nodded frankly in response. After observing the image for a while, she turned to me again and raised her brow. “Are you a staff of the Fuller Corporation?”
“Yes.” I nodded.
“I see.” Then, she continued, “The man who was sitting beside you just now is your husband, isn’t he? I can see that he treats you well.”
I did not deny her words and pursed my lips.
After a short pause, she lowered her head, looking pensive. “It’s good that he can heal you.”
I kept quiet for a while before saying, “You also know that business is not suitable for you. So, why don’t you do the things that you want to do? The only way to heal us is to seek for the things that make us happy.”
She merely smiled and did not reply.
Just then, Ashton finished his discussion with Rachel and walked over to us. He knitted his eyebrows in confusion when he saw that I was talking with Hailey. Seeing Ashton, she left without saying anything.
I stood there and waited for Ashton to come closer. He asked, “Someone you know?”
I shook my head in reply and changed the topic. “Are you done with your discussion?”
He nodded and asked, “There’s a celebratory banquet tonight. Do you want to go with me?”
Ever since the incidents I had with Tessa, Ashton had been insisting that I stay with him 24/7. I nodded in response and looked in the direction Hailey had left. An indescribable feeling swept through me at that moment.
When a person who had undergone rhinoplasty saw a retracted columella scar on the other person’s nose, he would know that the other person also had a rhinoplasty like himself. The same principle applied to Hailey and me as well. The moment we first met each other, we instinctively knew that both of us were depressed.
Depression could never be cured; the symptoms could only be alleviated or suppressed as time went by. What we could do was to search for the light at the end of the tunnel and fill the emptiness in our hearts with warmth and happiness. Hailey was right; I was lucky to have Ashton in my life. He was the one who healed me and brought me warmth.
However, this did not mean it applied to everyone else. I had no idea what she had gone through in her life, but the emptiness in her eyes told me that she was still struggling in the dark.
At night, we went to the dinner as planned.
I often attended banquets similar to this, so I was quite familiar with the process. Normally, the people involved from the two companies would gather for a dinner together, exchange pleasantries, and get acquainted with each other.
I was rather reluctant to join this banquet as it was hosted by Derek. However, what surprised me was that Dante and Danny were at the banquet as well.
It had been a while since I last saw them. Dante did not change much, except that his skin had turned fairer, probably because the UV rays were weaker in our country.
He was dressed formally with black-framed glasses, and currently, he was raising a toast to Derek obsequiously. On the other hand, Danny was still the same. He was now standing in the corner, enjoying the food on his plate heartily. I guess he is still a foodie.
Seeing that I was observing them, Ashton asked curiously, “You know them?”
I nodded in response. When I was about to go to Danny, Derek came over to curry favor with Ashton. Hence, Dante, who was tagging along with Derek, saw me as well.
He squinted slightly and raised his glass towards me with a smile. “Ms. Stovall, long time no see. I didn’t expect to see you here. Fate has kindly brought us together again.”
Derek was going to toast Ashton, but when he heard Dante’s words, he smiled and asked, “Both of you know each other?”
“Of course. We are good friends indeed. I initially thought that we would never meet again, but look at us now! It must be fate!” He sounded so sarcastic when he said that we were “good friends.”
I pursed my lips and shifted a bit towards Ashton. I really can’t bring myself to smile at a devil.
Just then, Ashton caught my movement and looked at Dante. “May I know who you are?”
Dante was indifferent to my attitude. “You must be Mr. Fuller. My name is Dante. Ms. Stovall and I met each other when we were in Venria, but now she seems to have forgotten about me. My heart is broken.”
At that, Ashton furrowed his brows slightly and exchanged a few more words with them before sending them away. Then, he turned to me and asked quizzically, “He said both of you met in Venria. Is that true?”
I nodded. “He is Abe’s subordinate.” As I replied to Ashton, I looked over to Danny, but he was gone. I glanced around, looking for him, but to no avail.
Ashton seemed to want to ask more questions, but I said, “We’ll talk later. I need to go out for a while.” Without listening to his reply, I immediately went to the corner where Danny was standing just now and walked along the corridor to find him.
I searched around again, but he was still out of sight. However, when I passed by the restroom, I saw Tessa standing at the door. She seemed unsurprised to see me here. She smiled mirthlessly and said, “What a coincidence. We’ve met again.”
