I was doing the last painting of the eight-piece composition. The previous seven pieces were completed skillfully, but as the final piece, I put extra effort into the details.When I was engrossed in my work, a sudden bellow surprised me and made me shudder. Fortunately, I was quick enough to lift my brush before it could smear my work, preventing a fatal mistake."What's wrong with you, Winston?" Before I could finish my sentence, he continued to shout into the other end of the line.He was standing upright, and his chest heaved with anger. There was only rage on his handsome face. I didn't know who the caller was or what the caller did, but Winston was shooting flames from his eyes. Never had I imagined that he was this scary when he was mad.I put my brush down and wanted to tell him to calm down. There was nothing good communication couldn't solve. I wanted to tell him that he was at the college and that perhaps he should go take the call somewhere private or at home.But when
This was not her home. I had the right to sit wherever I wanted, live however I wanted, and do things the way I wanted. She could not tell me what to do."How can I help, Jasmine?" I cut to the chase."What would you like to drink?" She ignored my question and asked, swirling the content of her glass with a small spoon. It was fruit juice, but she made it look like it was coffee instead.I looked at our surroundings and smiled wryly. Drinking fruit juice with a small spoon, what combo was this? Did she think the cafeteria was a coffee house or a juice store? Her elegant behavior was incongruous with the setting. I found it hard to admire her gesture."I'm busy. If you invited me to have a drink with you, I'll have to let you down and leave," I uttered impatiently.Jasmine tensed up, offended by my bluntness. But since we were in public, she didn't continue to give me riddles. "You sure are very talented, Luna. I only learned yesterday that you have a project that is on par with th
"I appreciate your concerns, Jasmine. Whether he'll be in a difficult situation or not depends on who his choice is. I'm grateful that you care so much about Colin and I."Since we're friends, let me confide in you something—as long as I still live, I won't leave or break up with Colin unless he falls in love with someone else. If this is your goal, then there's no need to continue this conversation."As I wondered if getting up and leaving would be too rude, Jasmine spoke to me once again. My stubbornness must have riled her up because her expression had twisted into a grimace. Rage and hatred threatened to ooze from her eyes.She smacked the spoon into her glass, producing a metallic clank as two objects collided. The fruit juice spurted out of the glass, adding a few blemishes to her shirt. "Luna, know your place. I'm being nice by coming here to talk to you. When I stop playing nice, you'll be nothing but a rat in my eyes."Stay away from Colin if you know what's best for you.
"Colin will abandon you! He'll choose me!" Jasmine was so enraged that she no longer cared about her reputation or the people around her.After hearing her words, I couldn't help but wonder if she liked Colin to the point of madness. Or maybe she was unwilling to lose to me, who came from an ordinary background.I lowered my head and smiled softly. She would never come to me like this if she was truly confident. Her actions were only a sign of her non-confidence and incompetence.Only dumb women would confront other women. The smart ones would choose to confront men instead.Perhaps Jasmine had considered using her tricks on men, but my boyfriend was stubborn. She found no way to draw his attention. That was why she came to me to declare her unwarranted determination and sovereignty."He would tell me if he really wants to break up with me." With a final pointed remark, I turned to leave, a sense of calm settling over me. Behind me, the abrupt thud of something hitting the groun
My boyfriend should be the one to protect me. But here was Winston. He appeared annoyed with me recently. "How did you know I was here?" I asked, puzzled."Someone told me. Are you alright? Are you hurt?" Winton asked.Winston's tone lacked warmth, but I chose to overlook it since he seemed genuinely concerned about my well-being."No, we only quarreled. We didn't do anything else.""Did you win?" he asked, a quirk in his eyebrow. "I got a small victory. By the way, you still haven't answered me. Who told you I was here?" I persisted. "Does it matter? It was Mr. White. He was out on business when he heard Jasmine come to you. He wouldn't be back for a while and worried you might be hurt. So he asked me to check on you."Winston scowled. It was clear he wasn't thrilled about helping Colin. "He always protects you. What's so special about you?"If Colin were here, he would probably say, "You won't understand how wonderful my baby is."A chuckle escaped me. Indeed, Colin was
Being adored by others should bring joy to a man. However, Colin felt only a dreadful burden. After a lengthy conversation, he was left with the strong sense that a significant amount of work was needed before he could collaborate with Jasmine. The path ahead seemed fraught with confusion and difficulty."Work isn't exhausting when both genders are present. You'll be working with a beautiful woman regularly. That's a win for men. You'll get what others don't. Why are you worried?" I commented, tinged with jealousy. It was his fault for being too handsome.Colin helplessly held my chin and lightly nibbled my lips. "Are you jealous again? If you think she's nice, I'll give her to you.""Tsk, I don't like women. You can keep her for yourself.""I don't want her either. What's the point of keeping such a woman? She may scheme against me until I have nothing left. I'd rather be with you. You only know to enjoy life and draw. That's much safer."His remark was no different from implyi
Jasmine spoke politely and respectfully, yet I couldn't help but detect a hint of pride in her tone.I couldn't help but pout with disdain. It was obvious she coveted a quiet environment, making it easier for her to scheme ways to win over Colin without detection.She spoke grandly, seemingly convinced she could conceal her less-than-honorable intentions."The old campus is far, location-wise. There are barely any visitors except for a few passionate art students, so it's very quiet. "Colin, however, has moved his office there for his college work. Students with academic questions will likely go to him there. It might make your boring office life a little more interesting."Jasmine paused for a moment before responding stiffly with a thank you.Only she knew the rage and resentment simmering beneath her gratitude. We'd fulfilled her request, and any further demands would make her seem greedy and calculating. It would be challenging to justify.After the call ended, I gave Ash a
Over the next few minutes, Jasmine's expression underwent several changes, shifting from pale to flushed with embarrassment and irritation.No matter how cunning she was, this outcome was completely unexpected. Yet, she couldn't find any fault with the setup. Objecting would be unreasonable, and declining the entire office altogether was out of the question.Jasmine had desired a separate office site to work with Colin. This room was large and spacious. Furthermore, it met her request perfectly, as no one else occupied it. It was no surprise that her expression darkened. It was also understandable that she became enraged since she wouldn't have the chance to manipulate or cozy up to Colin; I would keep an eye on her.Ash's plan was nothing short of genius. He'd masterfully thwarted Jasmine's scheme.My earlier blame toward him now felt unfounded. Relief washed over me at the thought of his magnanimity in forgiving me. Otherwise, I would have been too ashamed to face him.The tho