“Ah, Winnie, are you not staying at home?” Tim was extremely worried.
Winnie gave a little smile, looking calm. “Yes grandpa, let brother, Esther, and Iris keep you company these days. I am really busy, but I will come back often to visit! Don’t worry, grandpa!”
She had a tranquil smile on her lips. However, even though she was smiling, sadness hung on her lips.
She never thought that Hudson would be coming today. She didn’t want to have anything to do with him. She felt the pain deep in her bones, and even though it’s been years since what happened, there were still painful aftereffects. Every pain felt especially torturing. She was finally feeling numb about it, hence she didn’t want to feel any kind of strong pain anymore. If she felt more pain, she might even die from it.
Hudson looked at Winnie with a mixture of emotions, his gaze rested on her face for a few seconds, and said, “Regarding what you mentioned about the procedure, I’ll promise you that. Once you’ve had enough rest, you can go handle it!”
If she really already had a boyfriend, then it’s time for him to let go of her. He couldn’t hurt her anymore. Because of him, this girl had already been hurt tremendously.
“What procedure?” Esther was surprised and glanced worriedly at the two of them. “You guys already met before this?”
Winnie’s brain throbbed. Looking at him, she didn’t answer Esther’s question. She then nodded her head and said, “Alright!”
“Grandpa, Esther, I’m a little tired today, so I’ll not be eating. You guys go ahead, I’ll head back first, I’ll visit another time!” He said slowly, turning his gaze towards Winnie. Winnie, on the other hand, turned her gaze away, not wanting to look at him.
His eyes sparkled and his lips quivered as if wanting to say something. But the words stopped short in his throat. He swallowed, pursed his lips tightly, and swallowed his words.
“Hudson, what will you be eating back home, why not eat here before going back?” Esther asked hurriedly. She knew Hudson had something to say to Winnie, but it was obvious Winnie didn’t want to talk to him now.
About what happened four years ago, Ethel had told her about it before, she understood how Winnie felt. Winnie was hurt too deep, and she was the one who was the main culprit of their breakup. Because of this, she had to help them get back together.
“Esther, I’m alright, I’ll head back to sleep first!” Hudson left, but before he left, he took another final look at Esther. Some words were still left unsaid.
“Winnie, aren’t you sending Hudson off?!” Esther pulled at Winnie’s hands hurriedly.
Startled, Winnie shook her head.
However, looking at him who was turning around to leave, and when he walked out from that door, her heart was in knots, as if she was about to suffocate. She was extremely upset.
“Oh dear, I’ll talk to you later, I’ll go take a look at Hudson!” Esther stomped and ran out.
Winnie frowned and suppressed her sadness, her eyes glistening with tears. She lowered her head, and her tears suddenly trickled down. He had never loved her before, that was clear!
Looking at his granddaughter, Tim gave a long sigh and turned to look at Rio. That fellow was brought back by his granddaughter, but what’s the meaning of all this? He was a Caucasian, and he had no good feelings about Caucasians. It felt that they were a different species. But looking at his granddaughter now, it was obvious that she still cared about Hudson. How did it come to this situation? He realized that four years later today, Hudson was looking at Winnie with a different gaze in his eyes! He was starting to feel something for Winnie, but… Alas…
“Hudson!” Esther chased after him, but Hudson had already walked out and was getting into his car.
“Esther, you go back in first!” Hudson looked unusually tired. “I’ll leave first!”
When he was about to get into his car, a car engine sounded again, and Ethel’s car arrived and turned into the villa’s compound. He got down from the car, and laughingly said, “Brother, you’re here too? Or are you already leaving?”
“Yes!” Hudson nodded. “You guys go in!”
“Why are you leaving? It’s not easy for all of us to meet, I got Philip to come too, he’ll be arriving in a bit!”
Speaking of Philip… Philip’s car arrived. Hudson saw that the car was blocking his exit, five luxury cars were parked there, and there was no way his car could get out.
“Exactly, Hudson, don’t leave, some words have to be said to Winnie on your own. If you don’t tell her, how would she know how you feel? You can’t be like a boring old person and not say anything! This is making me so anxious!” Esther was really feeling very anxious, she hoped that Hudson could be happy.
“Why is no one going in?” Philip was surprised, looking at them standing outside. He looked at Hudson again, “Intending to leave?”
“How dare you leave, go in!” Ethel thought about what happened these four years. This woody brother of his had never taken any actions towards Winnie. He had let her work so hard these years. Only he knew that she was using work to forget her pain. What he didn’t know was that her hurt had to be treated by love.
“Philip, please reverse your car, I’m very tired today, I really have to leave!” Hudson was firm.
Looking at his furrowed brows, it looked like he was really tired, so all of them stopped saying anything. Philip took a look at Esther, when she nodded her head, he went to reverse his car.
Hudson also got on his car, turned on his engine, and reversed his car.
Esther muttered worriedly, “Ethel, help them think of a way to solve this, I’m so tired looking at them!”
Ethel’s gaze fell on Esther, there was a moment of complex feelings, but that faded immediately. “What can I do, if I had a way to help them, they would have gotten together four years ago!”
“But I feel like you would have a way!” Esther took a look at Ethel. They had met a few times these four years, but she felt that he had changed. He looked a lot more mature compared to four years ago, but his cheerful personality still remained, it was pretty funny.
“What you’re waiting for has finally come to you, congratulations!” Ethel looked at her and said seriously.
Esther gave a hearty laugh, “Thanks for your encouragement all this while, and thanks for believing that he is still alive. Without you guys, I wouldn’t have been able to go on!”
Philip drove his car back in and saw Ethel and Esther talking. But when he saw Ethel’s expression when looking at Esther, he was a little shocked. At the moment when babe lowered her head, he saw what looked like love in his gaze.
He paused in surprise. Whether it was or wasn’t love, Ethel had done well, he had hidden it very well.
“Let’s go, let’s get into the house!” Esther entered the house.
Ethel looked at the lady entering the house, bit his lips, shook his head, and his smiling face came back to him. He looked exactly like a playboy.
“Are you not getting married?” Philip asked him from behind.
“Marry? Why should I get married?” Ethel raised his eyebrows.
“Still such a playboy?” Philip also raised his eyebrows.
Ethel stopped in his tracks, his hands in his suit pockets, narrowed his beautiful peach-shaped eyes to look at him, “I think you’re more of a playboy than me? It’s normal for me to be a playboy because I’m single. Aren’t you married? Dumping your wife at home while you have all the fun outside, isn’t that wrong?”
“Am I having fun outside?” Philip retorted.
“Aren’t you?” Ethel pursed his lips, unbelievingly.
“I can only say it’s too bad we are living in modern society, if we’re living in the medieval era, we would be kings that are playing with new women every day!” Philip joked.
“Ha! King, I like that! Women, I love them more!”
Philip laughed and thought about how Ethel was looking at Esther just now. A sly look flashed across his eyes. He knew that some secrets could only stay secrets forever.
The Perry family’s dinner was filled with amazing dishes, the handsome men on the dinner table made it even more attractive.
Iris didn’t care much about all these people, she only ate as much food as possible. Hugo on the other hand heaped Iris’s plate with food and helped her peel her prawns, his care for her was top notch.
During dinner, no one talked about Hudson anymore. Winnie lowered her head and ate her meal, occasionally conversing with Rio, but what they were talking about was confined only to food, and not anything else, for example, discussing how the food was made.
Hudson who had left the Perry family stopped his car on the road in the middle of the mountains. Looking at the city far away, he felt incredibly lonely. Unknowingly, his eyes teared up. What’s happening? He was a man, why was he crying out of nowhere.
However, he really felt like crying out of nowhere. His tears slid past the corner of his lips, it tasted both salty and bitter.
No one knew, he was in fact crying on the highway in the middle of the mountains, with his head buried in his driving wheel. His shoulders were trembling furiously, and he was sobbing profusely…
The second morning, Winnie slept for a long time, it was the first time she hadn’t woken up at dawn. She was woken up by Rio’s phone call.
After coming out from home yesterday, when she arrived at the apartment, she had repeatedly looked at the materials in her hands. She only fell asleep when her brain was exhausted, but she still couldn’t escape her recurring dreams.
The scattered images from her past intertwined to become a messy movie in her dreams. The final image of the dream was still that of a cold night sky…
“Winnie, you don’t have to work today, I’ll give you a day off because of jet lag, let’s have lunch together!” Rio’s voice said with a smile.
Winnie pressed at her temples, “Rio, I only feel like sleeping today, you go eat on your own!”
“Then I’ll head back to cook, I’ll send it over when I’m done! Since we are neighbors now!” As if worried that he’ll be rejected, he added,
“You have to eat something!”
Winnie didn’t know what else to say, replied, “Forget it, let’s go for lunch together!”
Rio’s car arrived at the lobby of the apartment at 11. 30 a. m., she was already waiting on her doorstep. When she got in the car, Rio laughed, “Are you not wearing any makeup today?”
Winnie laughed, “Are my dark circles that bad?”
She had lost sleep last night. Every time she saw Hudson, she would have insomnia, then she would start working, using work to forget him. But she would feel exhausted every time this happened.
“Didn’t sleep well last night?” Asked Rio.
“Yes, I went to bed quite late.” Winnie partially avoided his question.
“Then have a short nap in the car, I’ll wake you up when we are there.” In Rio’s tone, there was a tinge of heartache.
Winnie nodded and thought of something. “Do you know where we can find good food?”
“No idea!” Rio shrugged.
“Heh, then why are you still bringing me. I’m not sleeping, let’s go to N Restaurant! It’s my treat!” She leaned back on her chair. “Go straight, there’ll be a T-junction in front, then make a left turn.”
“Alright!” Rio nodded, but he shot another worried look at her. Looking at her pale and tired face, he gave a light sigh in his heart. Since the first day he knew this girl, he had felt a particular heartache for her.
Her businesses were all with the most difficult clients, but she had worked her way up slowly step by step. He had witnessed her success which hadn’t come easily. It had not been easy at all.