After he got off the car, he went over to the passenger’s seat and opened the door before he escorted a lady out. I was totally not expecting him to bring a woman—an elegant woman, to be precise. I thought he would come with Jackson.
I lost myself for a second, looking at the lady.
But I quickly collected myself and went ahead to greet them. “It’s been a long time, Nick. You’re still as dashing as ever.”
Nick smiled back at me politely. The childishness in his manner was long gone already. “It’s been a long time. You’ve gotten thinner.”
“Aren’t you going to introduce your friend to us?” I asked, looking at the lady beside him.
He nodded and held her hand. “This is Rose, my girlfriend,” he said, before turning toward the woman. “Rose, this is my sister, Scarlett.”
Sister! The word really sounded stiff and distant coming from Nick.
Rose looked at me and put on a sweet smile. “Nice to meet you, Scarlett. You’re just as beautiful as Nick described.”
“He must have exaggerated. Come on in. Lunch is almost ready.”
I ushered them into the house and asked them to take a seat. There were some burning questions I wanted to ask, but I did not. I wanted to know what happened to Jackson. I wanted to know if Nick intended on marrying this woman since he brought her home.
I never asked Nick about Jackson since I figured their relationship was not as simple. I thought both of them would continue seeing each other, but it turned out that was not the case.
When mom was finally done cooking, dad had reached home after work. Everyone sat at the table and Nick introduced Rose to everyone. “Mom, I’m planning on marrying Rose. This is why I brought her with me today. Her family’s from K City, so I guess it’ll be easier if we let you take charge of our engagement since you know this place best.”
Cameron was taken aback by Nick’s direct statement, but it was not like she did not see this coming. “I’m glad you’re finally settling down. I’ll make sure the engagement ceremony turns out perfect. Let me know if both of you have any preferences.”
Nick smiled warmly and shook his head. “We don’t have any preference, mom. Something simple will suffice. Maybe just get the two families together for a meal.”
A satisfied smile broke out on Cameron’s face as she listened to Nick. She was glad to see her children finally settling down and getting married. This was what every parent hoped for their children.
Everyone had a good talk over lunch. I could not help but realize there was something off between Nick and Rose. They looked so rigid and polite around each other. If someone had not told me they were a couple, I would not have thought so.
After dinner, Cameron brought Rose upstairs. I figured she must have a gift for Rose.
As for me, I went outside and saw Nick in the backyard with his face downcast. “I heard mom said you’re moving the company to K City? Are you planning on staying in the city in the future?”
He turned around and nodded. “Mom asked me to come over and manage Anderson Corporation with you. I thought that’s a good idea. After all, it’s always better to be around your family.”
I nodded and hesitated a little before I continued, “Did Jackson come to K City with you? I still can’t reach him after such a long time. Did he change his phone number?”
Nick froze at the mention of Jackson, but he quickly recollected himself. “I’m not sure. We haven’t been in touch for some time already. He probably went to M Country. He’s spent some time there before.”
“What happened? Did you get into a fight with Jackson?” I felt something was obviously wrong.
Nick stopped for a while before shaking his head. “We’re good. There’s nothing to be worried about. How have you been? I haven’t heard from you for such a long time. I heard from mom that Summer was sick some time ago. How is she now?”
Jackson and Nick took care of Summer for quite some time. If Nick were asking about a random child, I would have understood his casual tone, but it was Summer we were talking about. He and Jackson took her as their own daughter. There was no way Nick would talk about her in such a detached manner.
“Nick, I know what happened between you and Jackson is your privacy. But I’m your sister, and I’m also Jackson’s friend. You have to at least let me know what’s happening. Do you have any idea how sick Summer was? She had acute leukemia, and she almost died because of it. I have no idea what happened between you and Jackson. I texted and I called, but none of you picked up. If both of you still take me as a friend, you will let me be in the know. I don’t understand why you guys are suddenly so cold to Summer and me—so much so that you would ignore us when we needed you all the most.”
