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The private dinner was filled with wealthy and influential people. Nelson ran into some acquaintances and was invited elsewhere to chat. He told me not to wander off and to stay safe. I nodded obediently.
As soon as he left, I headed straight toward a familiar figure. Pretending it was accidental, I ground my high heel hard into his leather shoe. His face twisted in pain as he glared at me through gritted teeth, hissing under his breath: “Taylor James!”
Earlier today, I’d talked to my best friend Sarah on the phone. She told me the entertainment reports about Mall weren’t true. Mall had indeed run into his ex at the hotel entrance, but it was just a coincidence. They’d both just happened to book rooms at the same hotel. Matt had no entanglements with his ex and slept in his own room that night. His ex also had a boyfriend and shared a room with him.
The hug was a goodbye hug suggested by the ex, which Matt refused. But she suddenly embraced him anyway, and Matt quickly pushed her away. Unfortunately, the media caught it and blew it out of proportion. Sarah said she was willing to trust Matt.
I felt bitter inside: “I really don’t get what you see in that playboy.” Even though the misunderstanding was cleared up, I still found Matt infuriating. Stepping on his foot was getting off easy.
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“Matt, which new fling did you bring tonight?” Sarah had gone home today to celebrate her grandmother’s birthday. This dinner required couples to attend, so Matt must have brought another woman.
“I brought my cousin!”
1 let out a cold laugh and continued cursing him: “Scumbag.”
Matt took a deep breath: “Whether I’m a scumbag or not is none of your business. Taylor, stop meddling in Sarah’s and my affairs. I haven’t even settled the score with you for taking her to that club to find male models. Don’t think I’ll keep tolerating your pushiness just because you’re Sarah’s best friend.”
I was furious: “Are you sick? If you’ve got the guts, don’t make tabloid headlines. Sarah and I grew up together–I consider her family. If you hurt her, I’ll interfere.”
Matt looked at me with a nasty smile: “You’re not qualified to interfere. Become my sister–in–law first, then we’ll talk. But you’ll never make it—my brother doesn’t even look at you. The woman he brought tonight is way better than you.”
Following Matt’s gaze, I saw Ben in a distant corner. A woman in a red dress with perfect curves stood beside him. Ben clinked glasses with someone, then suddenly looked over. Our eyes met in midair, but his expression didn’t change at all. He looked away after just one glance.
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An inexplicable frustration welled up inside me, and I walked away.
I wandered alone to a courtyard and found a swing set. Sitting on the swing and gently swaying, I looked up at the crescent moon hanging in the sky. Everyone else had their own families, but I felt like I had one and didn’t at the same time.
After my parents divorced and started their own families, I felt like I was drifting. Sarah and I had known each other since childhood. When other kids bullied me or mocked my family situation, she would fight back for me. Such a quiet, gentle person, yet she always got angry and upset over my troubles. Seeing that I didn’t like staying home, she’d always bring me to her house for dinner. Her parents were very kind to me too.
I’d always thought she was my family, the person I wanted to stay with forever. From elementary school through college, we’d never been apart. But even the best relationships can’t stay unchanged forever. She built her own family. On her wedding day, I felt like I’d lost another family member. I was drifting again, higher and farther than before.
I pursued Ben partly because I wanted to become family with Sarah -closer family in the conventional sense. How wonderful it would be to spend Christmas and holidays together. Unfortunately, Ben didn’t like me. My first attempt at chasing a man–a failure.
Chapter 6
Seeing the woman beside Ben earlier made me feel
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uncomfortable. Somewhat lost, somewhat sad, with unfamiliar emotions stirring inside me. I gazed at the crescent moon and sighed.
“What are you sighing about?”
A familiar, cool voice sounded above me. The swing slowly stopped as I looked up into a pair of eyes like a still lake. Ben was looking down at me, carrying a faint scent of alcohol. Even from this angle, he was devastatingly handsome.
We stared at each other in silence. The moonlight was beautiful, and the breeze was gentle. I felt slightly intoxicated by the alcohol on his breath–otherwise, why would I ask him: “Ben, could you possibly like me?”
My voice was soft, and the lake–like depths of his eyes rippled with layers of emotion. Ben didn’t speak but raised his hand to cover my eyes. I blinked, my eyelashes brushing against his palm as I heard his voice by my ear: “So greedy.”
When he removed his hand, my vision cleared. Just as I was about to ask what he meant, Ben looked toward the second floor and asked: “What’s your relationship with Nelson Defoe?”
Following his gaze, I saw Nelson looking down coldly in my direction. Like a kid caught in puppy love by a parent, I quickly stood up, flustered.
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“You left the club with him and got in his car, and tonight you came as his date. What is he to you?” Seeing me glancing frequently at the second floor, Ben’s expression darkened: “Are you afraid of him? Or do you care about him?”
I began to understand what Ben meant by “greedy.” He probably misunderstood my relationship with Nelson and thought I was playing both sides. I started to explain: “He’s…”
“Taylor.”
