“Hello, nice to meet you. I didn’t hear from Carl that you were getting married, so I didn’t prepare a gift. I’ll make it up to you next time when I visit Mrs. Waters,” Grace said graciously, despite feeling jealous inside.
She acted as if she wasn’t bothered at all and had everything under control.
Nana noticed the way the young girl’s eyes lingered on Carl and felt a hint of suspicion. She had a gut feeling that Grace liked him.
“It’s okay, they haven’t had their wedding yet,” Mrs. Waters said while holding Grace’s hand gently. “I still remember when you used to play with Carl at my house when you were little and said that you would marry him when you grew up.”
Mrs. Waters deliberately brought up this matter in front of Nana.
“That was just kids’ stuff,” Grace blushed slightly and replied calmly, “Now both Carl and I have grown up.”
Grace looked innocently at Carl as if waiting for his response.
“Grace, you’re still shy like you were in childhood,” Carl reminisced about their past together after seeing his long-lost friend again.
Grace saw an opportunity to continue this topic with her cunning mind, “Yes, do you remember our garden wedding? I wore mosquito netting as my veil while walking on the grassy field with your arm around me while someone hummed the wedding march…”
Her sweet smile lit up her face with pure innocence and naivety.
Carl nodded slightly with a faint smile, “Time flies so fast since then; we haven’t been in touch much since your study abroad.”
Watching how engrossed they were in conversation made Nana feel disappointed because she missed out on so many memories shared between them before now.
Mrs. Waters noticed Nana’s disappointment but continued jokingly, “You two are still like childhood friends who can talk endlessly without noticing anyone else around them.”
Mrs. Waters teased Grace making her feel shy once again, “Mrs. Waters, please don’t tease me anymore; otherwise Carl will laugh at me again.”
While speaking occasionally, Grace glanced over at Nana’s reaction secretly.
Taking a deep breath, Nana stood up abruptly saying, “Carl, I’m not feeling well right now. I need some rest.”
After saying this, Nana went straight upstairs without looking back.
“Nana! Are you okay?” Worried about her health condition, Carl quickly followed after her.
“Mrs. Waters, did I say something wrong that made Carl upset?” Grace’s gaze was fixed on Carl’s back as she watched him nervously interact with Nana. The flames of jealousy burned fiercely in her heart.
“How could that be?” Mrs. Waters sighed and secretly became angry at how nervous Carl was around Nana. “Nana doesn’t understand any manners, unlike you, Grace. It’s such a shame.”
She couldn’t understand why her son had fallen for a woman several years older than him. And to make matters worse, she heard that Nana had a previous boyfriend. How could she compare to Grace?
…
Since escaping from prison and being sent abroad by Florence, Queena rented a small apartment with the money given to her by Florence, enough for her to live off of for several years without worrying about food or clothing.
But Patrick and Jane were both well-known figures domestically and internationally; even their engagement ceremony had been reported extensively in the media.
Queena was just casually browsing social media when she stumbled upon news about Patrick and Jane getting engaged. She suddenly felt uneasy. Why was Jane still able to be with Patrick? It should have been her!
Queena gritted her teeth as she scrolled through the comments section filled with well-wishes from netizens. Her jealousy grew until it consumed every part of her being.
Her face visibly darkened as she subconsciously picked up the phone next to her and found Antony’s number in her contacts list.
Patrick had become Queena’s demon; as long as he and Jane were happy together, Queena would never find peace… But since she escaped from prison, Florence would never help bring Queena back home; Antony was the only person who could help.
Her finger hesitated for three seconds before finally summoning up the courage to dial Antony’s number.
After four or five rings, he answered with an aloof yet polite voice, “Hello! Who is this?”
Queena took two deep breaths before mustering up enough courage to speak, “Hey brother… it’s me.”
“Queena?” Antony paused upon hearing the voice on the phone, his annoyance and cold sarcasm evident in his eyes. He thought this woman had escaped from prison, and he believed she would never return.
Antony gritted his teeth as a cold smirk formed on his lips. His forehead even showed a few veins popping out due to impatience and extreme sarcasm. “You’re not dead yet?”
Queena pursed her lips, patiently softening her tone as she carefully said, “I called you today… to ask if you could help me go back to Guavo.”
“Guavo?” Antony’s voice suddenly rose several decibels. The previous suppressed ridicule was now completely gone; he felt that Queena was simply crazy.
If it weren’t for him walking fast enough at the so-called engagement ceremony and having someone take care of everything about Pansy Group afterward, perhaps he would still be in jail with Queena.
“Queena, don’t you think it’s too late to tell me this now?” Antony sneered. “What right do you have to negotiate with me? I advise you not to bother me again; otherwise, I don’t know what I’ll say when I go to the police station.”
Antony was naturally indifferent and had fully embraced the nature of a businessman who sought only profit, even if it meant hurting others.
For pawns like Queena who no longer had any use value left for him, he had exhausted all of his patience towards them. After speaking these words, he hung up the phone without hesitation.
Unexpectedly though there came a sudden voice from within his mobile phone, “Wait!”
“What else do you want?” The man’s icy tone once again came through like a machine with no patience whatsoever, as if ready to curse out loud at any moment.
Queena clenched her teeth tightly while her heart raced nervously with both anger and anxiety. Knowing that if Jane successfully got engaged with Patrick, she would probably live life like an undead zombie forever!
Jane!
Patrick belonged only to her – Queena!