“I should have known that dad wouldn’t accept without having a secret motive,” Leilani grumbled as she stared at the computer screen.
She winced in pain and abandoned the computer she was typing on before. As she massaged her wrist, she looked up at her brother.
“Mason… I can’t believe you and dad hid this company with mom, Coco and me. Why didn’t you two say anything? Was this what you came to do previously when you informed us you were coming abroad,” Leilani accused Mason who was standing beside her and cross-checking her work.
He snickered, “You didn’t ask and who told you that someone else doesn’t know? See… You made a mistake here.” He moved the mouse to show her where the mistake was.
Leilani didn’t even look at where he was pointing at. She seemed rather stunned at his words. “Someone else… Who is? Is it mom?” She asked him with a sharp gaze.
But before he even had a chance to say anything, she answered her own question, “It can’t be a mom. If it was mom, she definitely wouldn’t die from such an achievement and would proudly boast to her friends. So… Is it Coco?”
Her eyes shot daggers at Mason. The latter’s response was silence and his silence confirmed the answer to the question she just asked.
“Mason… Are you even my brother at all? You told Coco but yet, you didn’t deem it fit to tell me anything,” Mason frowned. She is really annoying.
This is why he’d always loved the cool and collected Coco instead of Leilani. Imagine his shock when his father mentioned his plan to him. He knows that the old man hadn’t planned on letting anyone except him (Mason) know about his secret turf.
So why did he choose now of all times to come clean with Leilani? “It’s not too late to back out,” His answer clearly infuriated Leilani.
“No… I didn’t come all the way here for nothing,” Leilani stubbornly refused. So she is typing. Mason had a smirk on his face. Seems like she will have to learn the hard way.
****
“Well… I did try to warn you,” Chris spoke gently as they walked into the company’s lobby. Scott didn’t say a word while Pearl merely looked straight ahead.
She appeared to be lost in thoughts and seemed not to have heard what Chris said. So Scott reached out and tugged her hand a little to snap her out of her thoughts.
“Huh,” She was startled. She looked up and when she saw that the two of them were staring at her, she asked, “What? What did you say?”
Chris shook his head. Pearl really likes Ryan. He could already see it. Heck, he could even smell it. He just hoped she wouldn’t do anything to Emily or it won’t end well for her.
“He said he tried to warn you,” Scott repeated Chris’ words to her and Pearl faked a smile. She nodded without saying a word in response.
She was slipping back to her thoughts when Chris and Scott suddenly stopped. She was standing behind them and was so dazed that she didn’t realize that they already stopped until she ran into Scott.
“Ouch,” She winced as her head hit Scott’s hardback. “Why did you stop?” She sounded like she was accusing them. Scott exchanged a look with Chris before turning to her.
He sighed, seemingly making a decision. “Pearl, can I ask you something?” He asked her softly. Pearl’s response was a nod as she rubbed the once-before sore spot on her forehead.
It isn’t like it is hurting but she just couldn’t stop rubbing the spot. “Do you…,” Scott hesitated at first. She looked at him and urged him with her eyes while wondering what he wanted to say that he was finding so difficult to say.
“Do you perhaps like Ryan?” Scott finally said and she froze… Is it that obvious?
*****
Ryan shrugged her hand off him gently as he removed her shoes. He could see some red spots on her tender feet so he went ahead and tried to relieve her of the pain.
Meanwhile, Emily couldn’t understand why the Ryan in her dream and the one, in reality, are acting so alike.
Both of them are jerks. This one refused to kiss her even in her dream! She couldn’t accept this so she sat up and pulled his shirt again.
“Why don’t you want to kiss me? Bad hubby,” Her eyes shone with tears… Faked tears. Perhaps the Ryan in her dream will be prone to her tears.
Ryan’s eyes darkened when he heard this. “I hope you will remember what you’ve asked me to do when you are fully awake?” He mumbled silently underneath his breath.
Then he stood up and pushed her down to lay on the bed again. Emily panicked, thinking he was going to disappear like the people in her dreams always do. So she held his hand tightly and pulled him again.
Ryan could have avoided falling off course but he chose not to since this is what she wanted so badly. Emily’s eyes opened fully as she realized something while pulling Ryan.
Why does his hand feel so real? Is she supposed to be able to touch him like this in her dream? When he finally fell, though trying not to exert too much strength on her, her eyes widened as she thought of the possibility that what if… It isn’t a dream like she was thinking!
I think Emily was now fully awake when Ryan brushed the hair strands threatening to enter her eyes away cause she looked stunned. ‘Oh no… Emily, what have you done!?,’ she felt like hitting herself.
The only option left for her is to pretend like she is half asleep like before. But Ryan’s words startled her, “I see, you are awake.”
“Huh?,” How does he know that? She opened her mouth to say something but her voice was muffled by his mouth.
A moan involuntarily escaped her as he sucked her lower lip. His tongue slipped in to thrash her mouth.
.
.
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