After a while, I cooled down and saw Neil still looking at me quietly.
I waved my hand, signaling Ada to leave first.
When only Neil and I were left in the dining room, I calmly replied, "You're overthinking it. If you can give me a 3% stake in Whitmore Co., a company of that size, it would be more than enough for me to live a comfortable life."
"Really?" Neil just asked back and then continued eating without looking at me.
I stopped talking and started eating, afraid that any slip of the tongue would give me away.
After finishing my meal, I went to the music room to play the cello alone.
I didn't know how much progress Neil had made with Bonnie these days. Now that the chemical project was about to start, Bonnie would probably need him soon, right? Because my mind was elsewhere, I played several wrong notes in a row. In the end, I had to stop and wait for my emotions to calm down.
Luckily, Neil went to the office after eating. When I went downstairs again, there was no trace of him at home.
I let out a sigh of relief, sat comfortably on the soft sofa, closed my eyes and rested. My mind was filled with various fragmented images, many of which were comparisons between my past life and this life.
Unconsciously, I fell asleep on the sofa. By the time Ada woke me up for dinner, it was already getting dark outside.
I felt a bit dizzy and had no appetite, so after eating a few bites, I decided to go upstairs and rest. But then Oscar's call woke me up.
"Irene, are you free now? Let's meet up!" Oscar's voice sounded different from usual, as if he was suppressing his anger.
I answered, "Yes. Where are you?"
"I'm at the north gate of Sterling Estates." Oscar's reply took me by surprise.
I quickly changed my shoes and drove to the north gate of Sterling Estates. Sure enough, Oscar was looking around by the roadside. He didn't recognize me because I had changed my car.
I stopped in front of him and rolled down the window, "Oscar, get in. Let's talk about it later."
Oscar looked a bit surprised. He looked at my car, but there was no envy in his eyes, instead, he seemed a bit uncomfortable.
He nodded and got in the car. I asked, "What happened?"
Oscar took out his phone and quickly said, "Irene, I've paid back the two thousand dollars Bonnie owes you. Thank you."
I asked, surprised, "How did you know?"
"She told me everything. She had been working part-time at the Orchid Hotel to pay you back, but then she lost her job," Oscar said, looking down.
"Was she fired?" I asked on purpose.
"No…" Oscar grabbed his hair in frustration, his voice full of anger, "Irene, it's that guy I mentioned to you before. Bonnie promised me she would break up with him, but they're still in touch. That guy must be rich and powerful. Bonnie says she can't avoid him, but she won't tell me who he is!"
I felt a sinking feeling in my heart, "How did you find out?"
"I accidentally saw their messages. I was too angry at the time, I forgot to look at his phone number, otherwise, I would definitely find out who he is!" Oscar replied.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Reborn, Reawakened, Rekindled