At first, he looked a little shocked but was quick to regain his composure and smiled politely at me as he asked, “Good day, Miss. What can I get you?”
I shook my head and smiled back at him. “I’ll just have a glass of water for now. I’ll order the food when my friend gets here.”
The waiter returned moments later and handed me a glass of water. “Here you go, Miss. Just let me know if you ever need anything.”
With a nod, I thanked him in response.
He began whispering with his colleagues upon returning to the till, and I noticed them occasionally glancing in my direction. Huh… So they’re talking about me…
I pursed my lips and sipped on the water while staring out the window. Ever since Ashton came down hard on White Corporation, everyone’s focus had been on their stock prices which could fall at any time.
I knew that very well, and yet I couldn’t do much about it as Marcus was consumed by his hatred and resentment that had been amplified by the traumatic incident years ago. Although I hoped that he would learn to let go of the past, I had no right to say anything about it.
There’s no way of telling who’s right or wrong in life. It doesn’t matter if Rebecca’s feelings toward Ashton are that of obsession or true love because there’s no going back anymore. Devotion and undying loyalty won’t work on everyone. With certain people, it’s best to just let go instead…
I was snapped out of my train of thoughts when I realized I had finished the glass of water. Then I glanced at my phone and saw that it was already noon, but there was still no sign of Hannah.
Right as I was about to put my phone away, Hannah’s call came in all of a sudden.
She apologized profusely the moment I answered the phone, “I’m so sorry, Scarlett! The baby’s got a fever, and I’m at the hospital right now. I’m afraid I won’t be able to go shopping with you today. I’ll treat you to something next time, okay?”
I nodded. “It’s okay. Don’t worry about it.”
After hanging up the phone, I glanced at the empty glass on the table and decided to order some food now that I was already there.
My phone began ringing again halfway through the meal. It was an unknown number which was calling from K City.
I answered it politely and asked, “Hello, may I know who’s calling?”
“Hey, Letty! It’s me!” The loud and husky voice of a middle-aged man sounded from the other end of the line.
I recognized it as Zachary’s voice almost immediately.
“Oh, hello there!”
Zachary seemed to be finding the right words to say as there was a moment of silence before he continued, “Are you busy? It’s New Year’s Eve tomorrow. Your mother and I are planning on visiting you and Summer so we could do the countdown together!”
This middle-aged man used to be a ruthless business magnate, and yet here he was being extremely cautious when talking to his own daughter. Somehow, this made me feel kind of sad.
I took another sip of my water and said, “Sure, that’d be great!”
He breathed a sigh of relief, sounding like a happy child as he said, “Okay! Your mom and I will come over a little earlier tomorrow. What do you like to eat? We’ll shop for the ingredients and whip up your favorite dish! Oh, and what does Summer like? Should we get her a Barbie Doll? Or maybe…”
He’s being a little too enthusiastic about this… This isn’t like him at all…
I cut him off, “That won’t be necessary. We have everything we need at home, so you two can just come over.”
“No, that simply won’t do! Go ask Summer what she likes to eat, and I’ll make some for her tomorrow.” That was Cameron’s voice, which meant they were right next to each other at the time.
“Like I said, that really isn’t necessary. If we really need anything, Ashton can just get someone to buy it for us.”
I then heard a beep from my phone and saw that it was the low battery reminder. “Anyway, my phone is about to die, so I have to go now!”
After hanging up, I let my mind wander for a bit as I sat there, staring into space.
When we were younger, Macy and I used to swear that we would never get married and that we would both work hard to buy a house of our own where we could both live happily ever after. Well, I suppose we all change as we grow up… When you reach a certain age, having a family is all that matters to you.
For some reason, those thoughts reminded me of Sally, and I quickly texted Ashton to invite her over tomorrow as well.
My phone died right after the text was sent, and the waiter came over with the food I ordered.
When I heard a commotion at the restaurant entrance, I looked up to see Marcus coming in through the door with a group of men following behind him.
He seemed a little pale and worn out, which was probably due to the crisis that White Corporation was facing.
Marcus had always been an aloof person in general, and his slender figure made him stand out from the crowd even more.
Someone must have told him I was here, as he looked right at me shortly after entering the restaurant.
Ugh… It’s probably the restaurant manager standing next to him. Oh, well… We were both victims of scandals, so people tend to talk about us whenever they see us. I should’ve left sooner…
After meeting his gaze, I lowered mine and carried on eating my food.
Thankfully, he just sat down with his group of people without coming over.
