"No biggie!" Sometimes, it was better to keep your mouth shut. "I just feel like you didn't pick the right texture for your foundation. Can I help you choose a better one?"
Roxanne touched Chloe's face.
"There's a makeup technique called the 'no-makeup' look. It makes your makeup look very natural and skin-like, unlike the heavy foundation you're wearing now. I can teach you."
"I really don't get all this stuff."
"It's okay. I can help you."
The two friends might have had their own troubles, but they were still chatting without any hint of awkwardness. After chatting about other things for a while, Chloe steered the conversation back to Roxanne's temporary husband.
The more Roxanne avoided the topic, the more Chloe felt something was off. "Anne, Oliver said your husband is named Harrison?"
"Yeah." Roxanne took a sip of her coffee.
Chloe stirred her cup thoughtfully. "That's an unusual name, doesn't sound like an average Joe."
Harrison had a certain charisma, but Roxanne couldn't quite put it into words.
"He was somewhat famous before he went bankrupt. But after that, he became just an average guy."
"Oliver said he's really ugly?"
"He told you that?"
"Yep."
"Ha!" Roxanne scoffed. "Oliver is just jealous. He's never seen anyone more handsome than him. Suddenly, there's this guy who's not only more handsome but way more so. He must be pissed."
Chloe contemplated this. No wonder Oliver looked so pissed when she asked about Harrison.
"Oliver was the most popular guy at school. How handsome does a guy have to be to outshine him?"
"I'll introduce you to him next time, then you'll know."
"When will you arrange it? I'm just worried you married on a whim and won't be happy."
"No way, I wouldn't just marry anyone. Harrison is Vincent's son, and I've known Vincent as a friend for seven years."
"You were pretty close with Vincent, right? How do you address him now that you're married?"
"I don’t know."
"Well, you'll need to get used to your new relationship."
Roxanne imagined Vincent farming in the countryside. While she and Harrison lived in the city, they wouldn't see him every day. She had thought about bringing Vincent to live with them after they moved into their new house, but that wouldn't be until a year later. She'd deal with that when the time came.
But she didn't expect Vincent would show up at her place that night.
Vincent showed up with a live chicken and a basket of fresh veggies. If he wasn't keeping his identity a secret from Roxanne for now, Vincent would have brought all the most expensive health supplements from home, and maybe even hired a nutritionist for Roxanne.
Seeing her so skinny really broke his heart!
"Harrison hasn't come back yet?" Vincent asked, carrying all his stuff straight into the house.
Roxanne quickly took the basket of fresh veggies from him. Just then, the chicken in Vincent's hands suddenly took a dump on the floor. The freshly cleaned tiles were instantly soiled.
Vincent, a businessman who retired and now spent his days raising chickens and ducks, was used to sudden animal droppings. He quickly squatted down, ready to clean it up with a tissue.
"It's okay, it's okay." Roxanne squatted down too. "Vincent, I can clean it up. You should take a rest, you must be tired from the journey."
City girls would usually steer clear of animal droppings, finding them disgusting, but Roxanne didn't mind at all. She even asked if he was tired from his journey. This was why Vincent liked Roxanne.
When he was going through life-or-death situations with Roxanne seven years ago, he thought how nice it would be if this brave and kind girl could become his daughter-in-law. He even felt he wanted to treat her as his own daughter.
Seven years. His dream finally came true. It was not easy at all.
After cleaning up, Roxanne started cooking.
Vincent insisted on doing it himself. Even though her kitchen was small, Vincent was thrilled. He even thought about making postpartum meals for Roxanne when she had a baby. So, he needed to learn from a nutritionist about how to prepare healthy postpartum meals.
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