Before I could say anything, Colin grabbed my shoulder and uttered to Jasmine's retreating silhouette, "Well, Jasmine, you've received our gift. Lulu and I have some other things to do. Enjoy the party and happy birthday. Goodbye."Then, he grabbed me and left without looking back, not giving Jasmine a chance to make him stay. At that moment, he was like my superhero. His broad shoulder shielded me from heavy storms and strong wind.Jasmine grew desperate. She quickly swerved in her wheelchair and begged Colin not to leave. Her wailing came out like a despondent woman crying for help. Colin pretended not to hear anything and left with me in big strides.Amid the actions, I turned back and looked at Jasmine. Sitting in her wheelchair, she bit her lip in disappointment. When she noticed my gaze, her saddened eyes turned scornful as if I were her biggest enemy.In her pursuit of a man that was never hers, she had turned into someone unrecognizable. Meeting her stare, I had an ominous
"Poor Jasmine. But if she's getting married soon, why is she pining over Colin? What if her future husband finds out and slaps her? If she ruins the arranged marriage, Miranda will give her hell too.""Who knows? Maybe she wants to chase after her dream one last time before she gets married. Colin is handsome. I'm into him too, let alone a woman like Jasmine."…"Colin, I feel bad for Jasmine."Colin scoffed. He pinched my cheek and said disapprovingly, "What did I tell you about being too nice to others? Your eyes and ears might fool you sometimes. Just think of what you heard as a story. That's all.""No way. She didn't place those people here just to fabricate this story in front of us." I highly doubted it. Jasmine held the party to seduce Colin. She didn't have to set up another trivial stage to make her look extra piteous. It was pointless."Oh, I see you've become smarter. Good girl." Seeing that no one was looking, Colin leaned in and kissed my lips.I smacked his should
"Mom, do I look prettier now?" I changed the topic forcefully."Of course, you do. You're the pride of the family, so you're the prettiest." Dad's face appeared on the screen. The maturity and handsomeness of a middle-aged man appear in my view.Mom told me that when Dad was younger, he was quite a charming man. Many women approached him and tried to steal his heart.However, Dad had fine taste. He was devoted to Mom and never batted an eye at those women who desperately wanted his attention. He remained loyal to Mom and thus gave birth to the perfect love story. Together, they enjoyed a happy life.Likewise, Colin was just as talented and handsome as Dad. Many women wanted his attention too, but he paid them no mind. However, many more would continue to fall for Colin for the long days ahead. Jasmine was the current example, and I was racking my brain to keep her at bay.Fortunately for me, Mom called me. She was an experienced pro in fending off unsolicited admirers from Dad. I
The dream couple that was my parents always did this. They never cared if I'd get jealous or not—they acted all lovey-dovey in front of me.And they had become even bolder after I moved out for my studies. They flaunted their love life at me, and whenever they called me, they appeared together. They were like two middle-aged lovebirds, and I was just the third wheel. The focus was on them, not their dearest daughter.Colin finally came out from the shower. Noticing that I was lying on the bed with a sulk, he walked toward me, sat down, and dried his hair. Then, he asked what happened and why I had a long face.Why else? My parents, of course. But I was too mad and embarrassed to tell him. "Nothing. I'm going to take a shower now." I went to the bathroom glumly. Once I was done and dried my hair, Colin was already in bed. All lights in the bedroom had been switched off except for the mellow bed lamps. I hung the towel, climbed onto the bed, and tucked myself in."Tomorrow—" Colin
At that moment, my phone buzzed.I grabbed it and saw that Jasmine texted me. It seemed like I had become her latest target now that she had failed to win Colin over. Colin and I exchanged looks. We knew she wouldn't give up this easily."You're with him, aren't you, Luna? Count your blessings now, for Colin will be mine eventually."Colin tilted his head and read the message. Almost immediately, he began to heave out of sheer anger. He grabbed his phone and wanted to call her, but I stopped him."Come on, babe. She's provoking you here. You can't take it silently." Colin waited for my answer. I knew if I told him that I'd let it slide, he would slap me.I wasn't going to take it silently, of course. I was not Mother Teresa. I would retaliate. Among the various rebuttals I could give, arguing with her was the least efficient and the most laborious method. This was a battle between women. All good girlfriends had to know how to defend what was theirs.I rolled my sleeves, and my f
Previously, my rebellious self visited a pub and I was spanked. After that, I learned to behave. However, I often thought that everyone was too protective of me, so much so that I had become overly pampered.That said, to defend my relationship, I learned to stand my ground and fight Jasmine. Learning how to be unyielding was a huge progress. As long as Jasmine continued to pester me, I believed I would grow even stronger.Thanks to her, I had become resilient. I was confident that one day, I would become strong enough to defeat her.The birthday party would take place at 11:30 am in Crystal House. At a quarter past ten, Colin and I drove over there. Even though it was his birthday party and we weren't asked to prepare anything, we figured we should help out.As I hopped into his car, the lack of decorations within reminded me of the present I had yet to give to him. I dashed back to my apartment and dug out the gift I had hidden so well before getting inside the car.Colin notice
"I love them a lot. By looking at them, I can imagine the serious face you had when you were knitting them. Thank you, babe. I love you."My ears turned even hotter. Colin seized the opportunity to confess his love to me again as if I didn't already know his feelings. I was flustered, but deep down, I enjoyed what I heard very much."Happy birthday, Colin. I…" It was so hard to complete the sentence that all I could utter was a few inaudible syllables. I hoped the love in my eyes told him succinctly what I meant to say."What did you say, babe? I couldn't hear it properly. Say it again."Urgh! He was doing this on purpose. How mean! But fine, it was just "I love you." How hard could it be? It was his special day today, so I mustered the courage to say it out loud."I love you too. Do you hear it now?" I pulled his ears closer, took a deep breath, and yelled.His eyes lit up almost immediately. As I took in the mesmerizing beauty of those sparkles, he seized my cheeks and planted
Colin was shocked. It was his first time experiencing everyone's passion and his first time celebrating his birthday on such a grand scale. His movements became robotic, and his smile froze on his face.Even I felt that it was a bit too much, let alone Colin, who subjected himself to a stricter standard because he was their lecturer and senior.After the initial scream, the "porters" looked at each other and greeted loudly again, "And welcome Ms. Luna Lawson, the future Mrs. White!"It was alright at first, but the "Mrs. White" came without a warning. As shameless as I was thanks to Jasmine's training, I couldn't help but blush. Guys, wasn't it too early to call me that?"No need to blush. They're right because you'll be Mrs. White sooner or later," whispered Colin to my ear with a hint of smugness.Even if that was true, they didn't have to say it out loud in front of everyone. "Let's keep a low profile."Colin smiled and uttered something, but the loud cheer that erupted follow