Upon hearing that, my friend turned to me with a piercing expression on her face. Then, she rolled her eyes at me. “Say, what’s playing in your brain all day long, Eve? You’ve got to be firm in some things and yield in others. Life is a gamble. Show your hand when you sense that things are amiss. Conversely, you can’t waver if you think that you can win. Otherwise, you’ll lose everything you have. Do you understand me?”
“Uh… Sabby, I’m a bit lost now that you’re speaking metaphorically with me.” My mind was chock-full of scenes depicting Christopher and Monica’s engagement, my imagination supplying me with resplendent and grand images that I simply couldn’t shake off.
“I mean, you have to be firm when you’ve made your decision. Do you get it now?” Sabrina was rendered speechless at my obtuseness.
Likewise, I was flabbergasted. “Can you please speak English?”
Growing irate, Sabrina thumped the steering wheel hard. Then, she reached out and pinched my cheeks forcefully, only dropping her hands when my face was almost squashed. “How could you have so little confidence in my idol? Is he a shameless jerk like Lyle?”
At that, the corners of my mouth twitched, and I sighed. “Sabby, if I hadn’t known that you like Zachary, I would really suspect that you have a crush on Christopher. How on earth did he brainwash you that you trust him so much? It’s as though you trust him in everything he does.”
“Of course! Zach said that Christopher is honorable and responsible. He’s a man who will never change his mind once he has decided upon something. Zach definitely won’t lie to me, so I’m naturally in favor of my idol getting together with you!”
Flooring the gas pedal, Sabrina drove me to the mall. As she pointed at the throng of women coming and going, she commented, “Look, people bustle and hustle around, but they all seek different things. A simple woman like you, for instance, seeks confidence. Come with me. I’ll take you for a makeover so that you’ll become a woman worthy of Christopher.”
I felt that her words indeed made sense. My lack of confidence in Christopher wasn’t because I didn’t trust him. On the contrary, I didn’t trust myself. Since he loves me so much, why am I so adamant about remaining dowdy?
Thus, I tried on beautiful clothes one after another and bought tons of the trending new styles for every season at Sabrina’s advisement to present myself better. Finally, we went to the cosmetics shop and bought the most popular cosmetics nowadays.
When I paid with my card, it maxed out. I had no way of footing the bill, but Sabrina waved a dismissive hand and said to consider it a gift for my pursuit of happiness. “You owe me a favor, so it means that your man owes me a favor. If there are any good projects in the future, I can ask my idol for them! This investment is undoubtedly worth it! Eve, you’re sure to be my lucky star in due course!”
“Alright, then. I’ll tell him to keep the good stuff for your family business.” I gazed at my reflection in the mirror. I had to admit that I indeed looked good after the makeup artist touched up my makeup; my countenance was delicate and my smile was sweet.
Just when we had exited the mall, Sabrina ruthlessly kicked me out of the car. Claiming that it wasn’t appropriate to have me as the third wheel since she was going on a date with Zachary, she told me to ask her idol out to keep me company instead.
As I choked on the cloud of smoke she left behind, I was gripped by the urge to yell out that we shouldn’t meet anymore since our friendship had now ended.
Trudging across the plaza, I sat down on the bench with a hand propped against my chin. I braced myself to watch the announcement of Christopher and Monica’s engagement once again. Perhaps I might calm down after watching it a few more times. After all, confidence only comes in desperate times.
A while later, Christopher’s handsome countenance manifested on the huge screen. He was sitting on the couch casually in a dark gray suit with a reporter interviewing him at the side. Oh my God, it’s the latest news! Even as I perked up my ears, my eyes remained riveted on the screen without blinking even once.
“Mr. Lane, has a date been set for your engagement with the lady of the Martin family?”
