Chapter 6
At that moment, I was already on the flight back to Houston.
The man who came to the hospital with my mom turned out to be my blind date, Paul Harrison, the head of the Harrison family.
The Harrison family was a household name in Houston. As the leading force among the four major families, they had a deep–rooted heritage and a global business empire.
Paul took over the family business at a very young age and managed it brilliantly. The business world considered him a legend.
After my dad passed away in a car crash, my mom kept our family business afloat. We did okay these years, but nowhere near the Harrison family’s league.
Curiosity got the better of me. I whispered, “Mom, did you sell your soul to the Harrison family? Otherwise, why would Paul agree to go on a blind date with me?”
Half of the city’s socialites wanted to marry him. No way he needed matchmaking.
My mom flicked my forehead and said with a chuckle, “What nonsense are you thinking about?
“The Harrison family proposed this blind date. Ask Paul yourself.”
Intrigued by her words, I kept sneaking glances at Paul but I felt too shy to ask him directly.
He saw right through my thoughts, straightened my body, and softly said, “I’ll explain when the time’s right.”
Chapter 6-
Caught red–handed, I felt my cheeks burn and quickly sat up straight.
I missed seeing Paul’s earlobes turn as red as if they were bleeding.
The plane landed smoothly in Houston.
Stepping out of the cabin, I took a deep breath. I felt like waking up from a bad dream.
The car had been waiting for a while. Paul asked the driver to take my mom and me home first.
After a while, we arrived. As I was about to get out, Paul handed me a velvet box. “Open it when you get home. It’s a welcome–back gift.”
I took the box, and a shock went through me when my fingers touched his. I nodded, face still hot.
Just as I entered the house, my phone beeped.
It was a friend request.
I accepted it. It was Paul.
His message popped up: How about meeting up tomorrow?
I sent a nodding cat sticker.
Though it was a blind date, I had to tell him everything about my past with Charles.
If he minded, we’d end it here.
After closing the chat, the pinned profile keeps showing new messages popping up.
There were already 99+ unread messages.
All from Charles.
I blocked him without reading. Out of sight, out of mind.
I couldn’t understand that.
He clearly loved Rhoda so much. Now that I was gone, shouldn’t he cherish his time with her even more? Why’d he keep messaging?
I couldn’t make sense of it, so I was just going to drop it.
I crashed into bed, phone silenced for the first time in three years.
Back in Washington, I never dared to put my phone on silent, even at night.
I was afraid of missing a message from Charles.
This was a rare peaceful sleep in three years.
The next day, I dressed up carefully and headed to the place to meet Paul.
Walking into the coffeehouse, I spotted him sitting by the window at first glance.
He was handsome, and today he really dressed to impress. Many female customers couldn’t help but sneak glances at him.
Noticing me enter, he stood up and pulled out a chair for me.
After sitting down, I took a deep breath and blurted out my whole history with Charles.
There was a moment of silence. Just as I thought he really minded, he spoke in a trembling voice, “Vicki… Did it hurt?”
His words cracked the fragile armor around my heart, and tears streamed down my face.
I had been with Charles for three years, and all he cared about was his own pleasure and happiness.
He never cared about my feelings.
I shook my head.
Paul gripped my hands, looking at me as he made his promise, word by word, “Vicki, I’ll never let anyone hurt you again.”
Seeing his eyes brimming with tenderness, my heart melted. I held his hands.
I never truly understood what love felt like until Paul came into my life.
No matter how busy he was, he would always make time to have dinner with me.
The better he treated me, the louder the question gnawed at my heart.
One day, I finally asked, “Why me?”
Paul smiled knowingly, as if he had expected this question all along.
He cradled my hands, eyes locked on me. He seemed to be lost in a cherished memory.
