However, she didn’t notice the brief coldness that flickered in Sidney’s eyes.…When Maria woke up, it was already midday. She struggled to sit up, her body sore and tired. Memories of the night before rushed back to her, leaving her momentarily dazed as she sat on the bed. Turning her head, she spotted her phone—and next to it, a bottle of water and a small packet of birth control pills.Maria stared at the packet for a moment before taking a pill and swallowing it. When she walked out of the bedroom, she was surprised to see Sidney still there, cooking in the kitchen."You're still here?" she asked, leaning against the doorframe.Sidney glanced at her briefly, then returned to the stove. "I’ll leave after you eat."She watched his busy movements. "Last night..."Her words trailed off, and he didn’t seem inclined to pick up the conversation either. It was as if last night had been just a fleeting moment of indulgence, something acted on a whim with no strings attached. No need fo
"Hello?" Maria answered the phone, hearing Tiana's voice on the other end."My dear, from the sound of your voice, it seems like you just woke up. Want to go out and have some fun?"Maria stepped out of her room, glancing at the spotless kitchen. Feeling even more pleased, she asked, "Where are we going?"Tiana replied, "My brother’s friend opened a vineyard. We can experience immersive grape-picking. Want to join?"Maria laughed. "Immersive grape-picking? Can we turn the grapes into wine right after?""If you want, I think that can be arranged," Tiana said."Alright."Maria thought for a moment. Since she had nothing else to do, she agreed."Great! We’re leaving tomorrow morning. I’ll send you the address. Everyone’s meeting there," Tiana informed her."Okay," Maria replied.Tiana let out a mischievous giggle.Maria switched to speakerphone, continuing her meal as she said, "If you have something to say, just say it. Stop being so sneaky."Tiana cleared her throat and asked, "Yesterd
Tiana’s eyes lit up at the mention of horseback riding, "We can ride horses?"She turned to Maria and asked, "Do you know how to ride?"Maria shook her head. "No, I don’t."A hint of disappointment appeared on Tiana’s face. "If you don’t know how to ride, it wouldn’t be fun for me to go alone."Maria said, "There are others here, though."Tiana waved her hand dismissively. "Nah, I don’t want to go already."Maria sighed. Alright, if that was what she wanted.Herman, also looking a bit helpless, shifted his gaze to Maria and said, "If you’re interested in learning, I could teach you how to ride."Tiana immediately perked up at that, grabbing Maria’s arm excitedly. "Are you interested? I really want to go horseback riding."Maria gave her a knowing look. It wasn’t hard to see what she was really up to."We’ll head to the vineyard first," Maria suggested. "There’s plenty of time. Who knows, maybe later I’ll want to try riding.""Good idea, vineyard first."Tiana nodded and shot Herman a
Sidney and Diana, along with a few others, were seated at a nearby table, eating. Sidney was sitting sideways, facing away from Maria, so while she noticed him instantly, he hadn’t spotted her.Maria quickly averted her gaze after a brief glance."Let’s sit over there," Tiana said, linking arms with Maria and leading her toward a window seat.Coincidentally, the spot was diagonally across from Sidney’s table.Maria nodded and followed. Once seated, Tiana quickly pulled Herman over to sit next to Maria.Whether by coincidence or design, Herman’s presence perfectly blocked Sidney’s view. Even if he turned to look, it was unlikely he would notice Maria.Maria’s eyes flickered briefly, but she didn’t say a word.Tiana took the seat opposite them and waved for a waiter. This place offered both a buffet and table service.Tiana ordered a few dishes and then turned to Maria. "What would you like?""I’ll take a look at the menu," Maria replied."Alright."Tiana handed her the menu, then immed
"You... what nonsense are you spouting? When did I ever do this on purpose?" Diana retorted angrily.Maria replied coolly, "Oh, so it wasn’t intentional? Then you bumped into me and didn’t even apologize? That’s just bad manners.""You!" Diana was stunned, not expecting this woman to be so sharp-tongued. She had no idea how to respond.Maria crossed her arms and said, "Well? Still not going to apologize? This dress isn’t cheap, you know."The champagne had spread over her dress, and Diana recognized it as a new luxury brand piece, worth thousands. It wasn’t that she couldn’t afford to pay for it but spending that much on a dress seemed unreasonable to her.Just as Diana tightened her grip on her glass, about to say something, a figure approached her and asked, "What’s going on here?"Diana turned to see Sidney. Her eyes immediately reddened, and she spoke in a pitiful tone, "I was just walking by, and this lady suddenly stood up. The champagne accidentally spilled on her dress, but sh
Diana froze mid-sob. "You’re friends with her, of course, you’re siding with her," she said, voice filled with grievance.Herman finally spoke up, "I heard what you said too. This restaurant has good surveillance, and the audio quality is pretty clear. Want to check the footage?"At his words, Diana’s face turned pale."You... you’re all bullying me!" she cried, tears streaming down her face as she let out a shout and ran off, wiping her face as she went, like she’d been wronged in the worst possible way.Tiana watched her go in disgust. "She’s the one who bumped into someone and spilled champagne all over them, and now she’s the one crying?"Maria’s cold eyes followed Diana’s retreating figure before shifting to Sidney. "It seems you two are quite close. Are you going to cover her compensation too?"Sidney’s dark gaze locked onto Maria’s, and after a moment, he nodded. "Fine."Maria’s lips curved into a smile, but the coldness in her eyes only deepened.Suddenly, Sidney leaned in clo
Sidney had texted, "She’s not my girlfriend."Maria shut off her phone without replying and went to change her clothes."Does it even matter?" she muttered to herself.He had defended that girl in public, and it had irritated her. Now, with this half-hearted explanation afterward, it felt completely unnecessary."If she’s not your girlfriend, then why step in?" she thought. He even apologized on her behalf, acting like they were close—what was the deal with that? The whole thing left Maria feeling restless and annoyed. She opened a bottle of wine and began drinking straight from it.With an empty stomach and no food to cushion the alcohol, it didn’t take long for her to feel a dull ache creeping through her stomach. Sitting on the couch, her gaze drifted into the distance, her thoughts swirling.Looking back, she realized how happy she had been before Sidney entered her life. She had gone wherever she wanted and done whatever she felt like doing. When she was in a bad mood, she’d b
Maria stared into Herman's eyes, noticing the sincerity and warmth in them. There wasn’t a hint of deceit. She smiled and said, "Whoever you fall in love with is going to be very lucky."Herman smiled back and clinked his glass with hers. "I think that’s the least anyone deserves. Every person is an individual, free in their own right. Love shouldn’t be something that traps or binds you. It should make both people better, not something that drags them into endless suffering.""Well said!" Maria clapped her hands, downing another glass of wine.Herman watched her, his brows knitting slowly. After a pause, he asked, "That man earlier... you know him, don’t you?"Maria nodded, "Yes. He used to be a designer in my studio. Now, he’s my business partner."She drank a bit too quickly, and the alcohol hit her fast, a rosy blush creeping onto her cheeks."At first, the way things started between us wasn’t great. It was full of calculations and ulterior motives. I thought once everything ended,