“Hum!” All she could do was to nod her head and there would never be a next time! She had to learn to protect herself now, otherwise it would only be too late to regret anything that happened and she must not let this happen again.
Marley started the car and drove off towards the city.
Sylvie sat there nervously as there was something wrong with the air flowing in the car. She peeked at Marley with some unease before asking cautiously, “How do you know I am taken out by him?”
Marley steered to the right and glanced at Sylvie before saying in a low voice, “It is Tyler who saw you getting into Ernie’s car and called me!”
Sylvie’s heart was warmed and then there was a strong apology, “I’m sorry!”
“Pay more attention next time!” He said. “Just stay away from him! He’s not a good man.”
“Hum!” She nodded vigorously and asked again, “Where are we going now?”
“I’m still having a meeting with someone, so you just come with me!”
“Is it suitable for me to go?” She was a little nervous.
“Wait for me in the hall when you get there, I’ll have to talk to someone for a while and we’ll go home!” He said.
“Are you having dinner with someone?” Sylvie remembered that he said he wouldn’t go back for dinner this afternoon, but then he called her suddenly and rushed here because was he worried about what Ernie would do to her?
She didn’t know why she felt that Ernie wouldn’t really do anything. If he did, why did he say so many things? Wouldn’t it be more effective to just do it than to say anything? But he didn’t, what did he mean by teasing her? To test her or to provoke her? Or to provoke Marley?
“Yes!” His tone was calm.
“Then you just have your dinner with someone and I’ll wait for you!” She said obediently, it was better to behave honestly when she had made a mistake! “Don’t delay business!”
“It has already been delayed!” He frowned, forbidding her from saying more. “Shut up!”
Sylvie immediately pursed her lips and stopped talking.
When the car arrived at a hotel, Marley took her out of the car and went to the hotel lobby. The lady at the reception was extremely excited when seeing Marley, and then she was envious and jealous upon seeing Sylvie. Ignoring others’ sight, he told her, “Go and wait for me on the sofa over there, I’ll come out later and we’ll go together!”
“Alright!” Sylvie glanced at the lounge area, then walked over and sat down.
Meanwhile, a few reception ladies at the entrance lobby watched Marley’s figure disappear at the lift.
It was already dark outside, Sylvie looked down at her small hands and she was a little bored.
At this moment, the lobby turned a bit noisy and she followed up raising her gaze. Someone walked in under the enthusiastic admiration of the reception ladies. A tall man, with his meticulously ironed dark grey trousers, well-made metal belt buckles and the white shirt with dark patterns that was ironed neatly, together with his suit that was held on his wrist. He was in such a casual posture walking up with a smile and a tall beauty was beside him!
Sylvie was dumbfounded as the man was Ryan!
It was the first time she had seen Ryan dressed in this way and he looked like he was returning from a formal event.
Perhaps realising that there were eyes on him, Ryan then turned his head and saw Sylvie sitting on the sofa. He was stunned and he was walking towards her after saying something to the beauty beside him.
He walked towards her and when his footsteps stopped, he looked down at Sylvie who was sitting on the sofa with a smile on his face and Sylvie also raised her head to meet his deep black eyes where there was a smile inside.
“Ryan, what a coincidence!” Sylvie spoke first while returning a smile.
Ryan raised his eyebrows and then with a touch of doting flashed under his eyes as he spoke gently, “Sylvie, what are you doing here?”
“I’m waiting for someone!”
“Is it Marley?” Ryan asked with a raised eyebrow.
Sylvie nodded with surprise, “How do you know?”
“If it wasn’t him, would you be sitting here so quietly? Don’t you say it is a waste of time?”
Sylvie was stunned again and stared at Ryan for a while before she turned embarrassed, “It doesn’t mean that!”
“Silly girl, then what is that?” Ryan raised his eyebrows again.
“You are making fun of me!” Sylvie laughed.
Ryan walked over a little and reached out to rub her hair. “Are you learning to be shy now? Marley is really charming and he has actually made our Sylvie shy!”
“Ryan!” Sylvie whispered coyly!
Ryan withdrew his hand, “I won’t laugh at you!”
Sylvie looked up at him then looked at the beautiful woman in the lobby and raised her eyebrows just like him, “Ryan, are you trying to find a sister-in-law for me?”
Ryan just smiled with complexity in his eyes. He then bowed his head and whispered, “You can guess it!”
“So is that?” Sylvie’s eyes widened in surprise. “Ryan, do you change your sexual orientation?”
Ryan looked at her speechlessly, yet, he was a little helpless and dumbfounded. “My girl, don’t you think the same as your classmates that I am a gay?”
Sylvie’s face blushed as she was embarrassed to be caught in the act again. She immediately gave a smile. “So aren’t our opinions all wrong? Ryan, aren’t you a normal man?”
“What a bad girl! You should really deserve a beat as you always think that I am a gay all these years!” He made a gesture to knock on her eyebrow.
Sylvie stepped back and leaned back on the sofa while smiling and begging for mercy, “Okay, I’m wrong!”
Ryan also shook his head and laughed. He was not urgent to leave, yet, he was even not worried about the beautiful woman whom he had left there in the lobby.
Everyone was a little surprised, especially the woman who came together with Ryan. She stood there in the lobby and together with the receptionists, they all cast their confused and suspicious eyes towards them.
The pretty woman was in shock when she was looking over here where Ryan was taking to Sylvie with a smile on his face.
The reception lady was also a little surprised as she thought Sylvie was really fortunate when a handsome man had just come with her and now there was another one who went over to talk to her.
That woman was in an elegant purple short dress, with a high bun that was enough to highlight her flamboyant bright features. Yet, it could be a bright scenery when she stood at the lobby with her blazing red lips, a silver glitter handbag and rhinestone high heels.
“Go ahead!” Sylvie glanced over there again, “She is waiting for you!”
“Fine! It seems that Sylvie doesn’t like to see me too much, so I’d better vanish now!” Ryan smiled but still wasn’t in a hurry to go.
“Why don’t you go?” Sylvie asked.
Ryan stared into her eyes and seriously asked in a voice that only two people could hear, “Sylvie, are you happy?”
Sylvie froze and her eyes dropped to stare at her own hands while asking herself, was she happy? But what is the definition of happiness?
Who could define it?
Meanwhile, her voice hovered overhead as if there was something hidden, and after a pause he said, “Sylvie, you must be happy and I am also looking for my own happiness!”
Her heart fluttered and she was a little confused to what he meant. She looked up and noticed that his gaze was looking at herself with intense emotion, even with a hint of pain and entanglement.
Sylvie was stunned for a moment that as she was unable to say the feeling in her heart but she just felt a little weird.
Luckily, he regained the clarity in his eyes for just a moment and looked at her and smiled.
“Ryan, go ahead, don’t let the pretty girl wait for you too long!” Sylvie tried to suppress that moment of weirdness in her heart and spoke.
Ryan once again reached out his hand and rubbed her hair.
And this scene instantly caught the eye of Marley who had just come down from the lift. His eyes turned serious for a moment and he strode towards them with big steps while shouting in a deep voice, “Sylvie!”
***
A single word caused Sylvie’s entire body to tremble.
Ryan’s spine stiffened and when he looked down at Sylvie again, she was already getting up from the sofa nervously.
Exactly, Sylvie stood up from the sofa in a flash and looked at Marley. He had already walked to the middle of the lobby and immediately walked over to this side. He walked past the beautiful woman who seemed to see Marley and opened her mouth but she didn’t say anything as he had already walked past her.
Marley walked over with a grave look on his face.
Sylvie was panicked when she saw his face was serious and she immediately walked over to him with her mosquito-like voice ringing out, “Marley, you’re back? So fast?”
Marley took a look at the messy hair on her forehead with ulterior motives and his eyes flashed as he looked towards Ryan.
Meanwhile, Ryan turned back immediately with his eyes lingering.
Marley looked down and intimately whispered to Sylvie, “Sylvie, introduce to me!”
Sylvie immediately looked up and nervously looked at Marley. His words were right, she should introduce to him, but why his tone was so strange and surprisingly serious?
Marley still kept his demeanour, she guessed, as he was not going to punch the man who rubbed his wife’s hair intimately in the public and he did really have a lot of patience!
“Ugh… Marley, this is Ryan, my friend!” Sylvie immediately introduced himself and at the same time said to Ryan, “Ryan, formally meet my husband, Marley Hughes!”
Ryan just curled his lips up in an arc, “Well, didn’t we meet at the airport last time? Nice to meet you!”
Ryan did not reach out his hand and the same went for Marley. Both of them did not seem to have any intention of shaking hands.
Looking at each other, Ryan looked at Marley who had a perfect figure with an only shirt and a handsome face, his calm and powerful aura was emanated from the inside out in layers, yet, the pair of his deep eyes could instantly bring all the attention around him into his world.
He had a pair of eyes that were deeper and darker than the night outside and the glint in his eyes was like the stars dotting the night sky which was very beautiful.
Ryan sighed as Marley was born with a good skin, but if he was not Sylvie’s benefactor, would Sylvie have married him?
The answer was no?!
Although Sylvie had never said exactly what kind of kindness it was, he knew that she had a benefactor whom she had always kept in the back of her mind, because once, Sylvie had muttered a few words when she was drunk.
She said that she wanted to repay the man who had given her a new life to repay his kindness!