I turned on the lights and served him a glass of water. Sitting down on the rattan chair, I tried to sober up.
He stared at me meaningfully and asked, “Have you returned to the family home?”
I hesitated. “Twenty years have gone by. It is probably demolished or completely renovated.”
I did paid the family home a visit when I first came to R Province with Summer. In fact, I like to bring her there and stroll around. Although it has been largely modified, many interior items still remain.
He continued looking at me. “I only replaced what was broken. I didn’t change the rest.”
I was taken aback when I realized he bought the family home.
Except for nodding, I refrained from saying anything. “It’s getting late. Let’s catch up another time, you should go home and get some rest.”
There’s no need for him to stay over since he’s got a house in R Province.
He quietly made his way to the door.
I followed him from behind until we got to the main entrance.
Out of the blue, he turned around and hugged me. I was stunned at first, but calmed down within the next minute.
“I miss you, Scarlett,” he said hoarsely in a childlike manner.
I stood still and patted his back. In a light voice, I said to him, “Summer is already four. Come over and visit her whenever you are free.”
There’s no need to brood over it because time will heal it all.
The next day, John went looking for me at the hotel.
During Ashton’s absence, rumors about Colin and me spread like wildfire amongst the hotel staff.
Some accused him of bootlicking me in order to gain Louis’ favor. Some criticized us for being scandalous albeit having our own families.
I was so used to all these unfounded speculations that I had grown numb to all the talks.
John’s sudden appearance at the office was like the grist for the mill as far as the talk in the workplace was concerned. Immediately, there was a pin-drop silence.
I was busy arranging the files and did not notice that he was there.
I noticed something strange when the girls who were discussing lipsticks and cosmetics quieten down.
I turned around and found a handsome man standing upright before me.
His unannounced presence clearly surprised me.
“You… Why are you here?”
He withdrew his gaze from my computer screen and looked at me. “I’m taking you out to breakfast.”
It didn’t sound like an invitation.
Even though John was not as well-known as Ashton, being a businessman from the Stovall family had earned him some fame.
Those who recognized him were excited to see him in person.
I checked on some pending work on the computer. “You might need to wait for a while, I have to finish some work.”
He nodded and then found a place to settle down. He seemed to be at ease.
With a good-looking man sitting in the office, the ladies were so distracted and started idling.
Someone curiously asked, “Who’s this man? What’s his relationship with Scarlett?”
“I think he’s the president of an electronic technology company, John Stovall, the son of Louis Stovall.”
“So, they are siblings?”
“Seriously? I haven’t heard anything about this before.”
“What’s so strange about it? We didn’t know that Scarlett was Louis’ daughter too.”
Shutting down my computer, I said to John, “Let’s go!” Though the ladies huddled together and talked in hushed voices, they were not entirely inaudible. Disliking what I heard, I left the place quickly.
John sought my opinion once we got out of the hotel. “What do you feel like having?”
“Anything.”
He picked a restaurant. It was not the most fancy one, but it was the best in the province.
We sat opposite each other. “What would you like to eat?”
“You go ahead and order.”
Without further ado, he ordered two steaks and said to me, “You lost weight.”
I chuckled. “Are you here on a business trip?”
“I’m here to see you!” He was very honest. “Uncle Louis told me you’re in R Province, so I came.”
I simply acknowledged and kept quiet thereafter.
Time flies, he’s already in his thirties.
“When will you be going back to K City?” He posted a direct question to me.
“I don’t plan to return.”
He frowned. “What about Summer’s future? She could enjoy a better school and a plethora of resources. Why would you say no to that?”
The weather was very humid. I rubbed my forehead and replied impatiently, “John, can’t we just sit and eat?”
Que sera sera. We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. What’s the use of discussing in advance?
He fell silent at that and watched me eat, but consumed nothing himself. It was a weird habit of his.
I would not step foot into such a good restaurant on my own. It’s too expensive for my limited salary.
As we left the restaurant, I looked up at the scorching sun. The heat was unbearable in R Province, and it could easily make someone snappy.
