Chapter 118
Ever since I decided to start a side hustle, I had been occupied with drawing.
After finishing the draft, I started coloring right away. Once that was done, I uploaded it online. This was the cycle I had to go through. The office door opened with a click. I instinctively raised my head and saw Zane walking into the office.
I was about to bury myself in my work again when he stopped in front of me and asked, “I’m having coffee. What would you like?”
After contemplating my choices, I answered, “Tea.”
Zane prepared me a cup of tea after that. At first, he wanted to make himself some coffee, but the color of the tea in my pretty porcelain cup was just too tempting, so he made himself a cup of tea, too.
He then placed my cup on the left side of my table and sat down on the chair. “How’s work?” he asked.
I took a sip from my cup, enjoying the bitter yet refreshing scent of tea. It made me relax instantly. In response to his question, I told him, “I’m as busy as a bee.”
“Seems like your day was really fulfilling.”
“Yes, and I’m glad.”
When I got divorced, I had doubts regarding my ability to complete the tasks that Zane provided me with. I’d been away from work because I was a housewife for several years and wasn’t aware of the changes in the current job market. At that time, I had no idea what my future would hold. I felt lost and was anxious about the future.
It was totally different now, though. Besides my monthly wage, I got a side hustle that I could potentially make a lot of money from. My future was bright, and I became less weary and more relaxed.
“You’re doing great,” said Zane, his voice soft. “And I’m happy for you.”
He was so thoughtful toward me, and I was immensely grateful to him. I was lucky to have such a kind boss.
“Thanks,” I said earnestly.
“No worries,” he said.
…
The colored lights in a private room in a bar flickered and blinked as Steven sat on the couch in a corner, watching in silence as his friends chatted merrily.
For some unknown reason,
Annalise’s face couldn’t stop
popping up in his mind. He told her he wanted to make it up to her, but she simply told him to pretend like she was a stranger to him in the future.
Even the gift she carefully prepared was for Zane and not Steven himself.
Steven wondered if she really did not love him anymore. With this thought in mind, he poured himself a glass of wine and gulped down the drink.
Noticing that something felt off with
Steven, one of his friends, Gavin Shaw, approached him and asked, “What’s wrong, Steven? Did you get into a fight with Jessica recently?”
“No,” came Steven’s curt reply.
Jessica merely spent some of Steven’s money. He was rich, after all, so he couldn’t care less about that.
Something was bugging him, making him confused. He couldn’t help but ask, “Didn’t you all say that women take relationships seriously?”
“Yeah. What’s the problem?” Gavin asked, puzzled.
Steven proceeded to recount what Annalise had done for the past few days to his friends. In the end, he asked them, “Why is she so ruthless?”
Realization dawned on Gavin, and he said, “Don’t you get it? She did all that because she loves you!”
Steven was somehow glad to hear that, but he thought it wasn’t possible. He decided to listen to Gavin’s explanation before making up his mind about the matter. “How so?” Steven asked, prompting Gavin to continue.
“Because you and Jessica love each other and will eventually marry each other,” Gavin pointed out with an expression that said Steven was clueless about women. “You abandoned Annalise.”
He continued, “Under these circumstances, you might find her annoying if she showed up and pleaded with you to reconcile.”