"Say yes, please, Colin. I'm begging you."Her words were genuine yet desperate. Indeed, the first to fall in love was often the one who was hurt the most in a relationship. But that didn't mean she deserved the right to wreck someone's relationship. Love only worked if both parties committed to it.I was once desperate like her too. All I ever wanted was for Felix to notice me, to share his life with me. But life taught me that settling for less wouldn't necessarily bring about a good ending or payoff. Felix was an example. What about Colin, then? He had charmed many other women. Would he be the death or boon of Jasmine? A man would take pity on her when he saw how desperate she was. Colin wasn't an unfeeling man. Could he always resist her? Those messages managed to dampen my cheery mood.Had Jasmine only loved him from afar, as a woman, I would have empathized or even pitied her. But she was willing to go to extreme lengths to achieve her goal. She said she didn't want anything
"So, she's the bastard child that the Taylors refuse to acknowledge." Queenie scoffed."Yup." Andrew nodded and added, "Later, the grandmother fell ill. The heir brought Jasmine and her mother to take care of her. It successfully painted a good picture of them. As for Jasmine, she's rich and taken care of. But she's not acknowledged by the Taylors.""Why not? She carries their bloodline, after all," I asked, confused."Luna, there's a hierarchy in this society. The more prestigious your family is, the more they care about their image. After Jasmine's mom gave birth to her, she continued to lead an unruly life. She even dated a gigolo, and that was scandalous."After the Taylors moved to the north, while their former glory was long gone, they wouldn't accept a sleazy woman into their family. She'd bring dishonor. So unless a miracle happened, Jasmine can lead a comfortable life, but she can never get rid of the stigma on her."No wonder none of her relatives came to visit her when
I beckoned with my eyes and warned them to stay away from the door in case they got hurt. They promptly ignored me and continued indulging in their voyeurism. Noticing that he might never catch me, Colin gave up. He stood up and walked toward the kitchen with a stern face.Since he was a lecturer at Jesselton College, Andrew, as a student, knew better than to disrespect his teacher. He rubbed his nose in embarrassment and dragged Queenie back to the stove. They resumed cooking.After joking for a while, Colin sat next to me, unlocked his phone, and typed, "Happy Birthday. I'm busy today but I'll buy you a present. I heard the millefeuille from Lehalle is very good. I'll have it delivered to you."After he typed the message, he showed me his phone with one brow raised, asking me if it was alright. I mulled. While it was satisfying to reject Jasmine categorically like that, it might be too harsh.Colin knocked my head with his. "You idiot, now is not the time to be a saint. With peop
Like a stubborn pest that refused to die, that bitch would come back for the 101st time after 100 rejections. And this time, instead of a seductive scheme, she confessed honestly. She was hellbent on getting Colin.I was mad. Her invitation to Colin to celebrate her birthday together was just the latest entry in her plan to take him from me. She had a naturally meek voice. And together with the heartfelt confession she uttered just now, she sounded vulnerable and fragile.Especially the croaky voice toward the end. It sounded as if she was on the verge of tears. I would have felt bad for her if I hadn't known the full picture. None of the toxic men in the world could resist the urge to protect her.The voice message lasted for around 50 seconds. When it ended, everyone at the dining table reacted differently.Queenie was furious. Unable to vent her fury, she took the bread and bit a huge chunk of it. I assumed she was pretending that the bread was Jasmine and she was tearing her of
It had been ten minutes since I sent the voice messages. Even until we were done with breakfast, we didn't hear from Jasmine again. I could only imagine the expectant look on her face as she clicked on those three messages and the disappointment she felt when she heard my voice.I admitted that I said those words out of spite. I wanted to hurt her. It wasn't my fault. She had it coming for devising various ways to destroy my relationship. She knew Colin was taken yet she tried to take him away from me. It was only natural that I wanted to give her some payback.Everyone moved on from this unsavory event in the morning very quickly. I was an easygoing person and tended to forget whatever unhappy moments I experienced. As I discussed arts with the students, I promptly forgot about Jasmine's invitation to Colin for her birthday celebration.In the afternoon, I left the teaching faculty after I carried out the lecture Professor King told me to. Then, I saw the workaholic, Colin, standin
I couldn't remember how long it had been since we last held hands and walked freely like this. We worked very hard to build our future, and luckily, our feelings for each other remained the same."We're going to pick a present.""What present? What's the special occasion?"Colin froze and flicked my earlobe with his finger. "Do you have a goldfish memory?"I massaged my tingly earlobe and replayed whatever happened these two days in my mind. The incident this morning quickly resurfaced.Right, I was supposed to buy Jasmine a birthday present. We exchanged voice messages. I totally forgot about it. It was hard to remember when she was an insignificant part of my life. But hey, saying I had a goldfish memory was uncalled for. When did Colin learn to mock me? I had to retaliate.I scrunched my nose and imitated the condescending look on his face. I retorted, "She's a nobody. Why should I remember that?"You, Colin White, however, took it to heart. I guess she must hold a special me
I scooped the yogurt into my mouth. The tangy and sweet flavor filled my mouth, making me feel extra refreshed. "What should we do tomorrow if we can't find a suitable gift?"Colin sipped his soda and leaned against the back of the chair. He was sitting against the light. The dusk light cast an iridescent glow on him. The glare from the sun behind him made him squint when he looked at me. He had one hand above his brow. "We have to be there. And we have to bring a gift.""But we can't find any suitable gifts. I don't want to make you look bad.""It's fine. It's a gift anyway. If we can't get her something she needs, we'll get her something that'll look good on her."Something that looked good on her? I had an idea. I'd have more creative freedom as long as it was something that complemented Jasmine.After we had our drinks, we felt much reinvigorated. I dragged Colin with me into the supermarket and spent ten minutes picking and wrapping the gift I brought. Then, we left the super
"Try this first." Colin pointed at the blue dress that drew his attention in the display window.Blue was my favorite color. Regardless of its hue, I loved it. The salesperson guided me to the dressing room. I looked at my reflection in the waist-length mirror in the cubicle. Then, I tied my ponytail into an elegant bun. I tilted my head left and right. If I had matching earrings, it'd be even more perfect.Many people had told me that when I sat down, I looked like a sophisticated woman in a painting. As I admired myself, my plain makeup and classy bun did make me look like a Renaissance beauty. I walked out of the dressing room and stopped before Colin.Perhaps my dress was a bit tight, or perhaps I was feeling like royalty, my gait changed into that of a noble, dainty princess. They often said the first impression was decided by what one wore. And I couldn't agree more with that sentiment."How gorgeous! It's as if the dress is made for you. Miss, you're the only customer I've s