As soon as she heard Alex, Carissa was snapped out of her reverie.She turned and met Alex’s caring gaze, and in an instant, her uneasiness and anxiety disappeared.It was just a trip back home, not a matter of life and death. There was no need to fear it as if she was in danger.Carissa shook her head and pretended to be relaxed as she said, "No need, thanks, Alex. I'm just going home, and not going to a haunted house. I don't need my boyfriend to accompany me for now."She opened the car door but didn't rush to close it."It's getting late. You should go back to the hotel and rest early. Remember to send me a text when you arrive. I will go first. One day, after I have talked to my parents about it, I will take you upstairs.Meeting your girlfriend’s parents was no joking matter.For now, Alex was not merely a colleague; he was Carissa’s boyfriend. If he went up there empty-handed, she wasn’t sure how her parents would react.Moreover, she hadn’t even told her parents she was
It was nine o'clock at night now, and the TV was showing the typical dramas that the older generations usually like.It showed scenes of a mother-in-law causing trouble for her daughter-in-law with a confrontational tone. The mother-in-law was standing on the moral high ground and criticizing the daughter-in-law for not being a good wife. She spoke about how other daughters-in-law served their husbands and criticized the daughter-in-law's actions incessantly.Well, it sounded horrible indeed.Carissa couldn't utter a single word. Because of Gina's words, Carissa came back to have a good talk with her parents. No matter if Gina's words were true or false, it was still bad for family members to have such tension.However, she did not expect things to turn out like this.She hadn't even stepped into her house and was already hurt so deeply.Carissa stood in place and listened to the characters on the television argue incessantly. She felt like she stood out awkwardly in this s
There were two doors at her house, but Carissa still left easily.She closed the wooden door first, and then resolutely shut the iron door, which left no room for second thoughts. The lights in the corridor were turned on by sensors due to the movement. Carissa stayed in front of the door for a while, but there was no response from the room.She took a deep breath and walked slowly downstairs. Moonlight seeped through the corridor window. The dim light went out and didn't turn back on due to her footsteps. She didn't know that the door on the sixth floor was pushed open again after she went down two flights of stairs; only a spot on the floor shone by the moonlight was there.When Carissa reached the second floor, she took out her cell phone. She clicked on an app and planned to hail an e-hailing taxi back to the hotel. At the same time, some embarrassing things were already on her mind. If she were to go back to the hotel, she would bump into Alex. Explaining things to
Carissa released her emotions in Alex's arms for quite some time before pulling away. The pent-up frustration seemed to flow out along with her tears, and when she noticed the large wet spot on Alex's chest due to her tears, embarrassment replaced the previous emotions. It felt like she hadn't cried much since elementary school. Crying didn't seem to change anything. No matter how loud she cried, the food snatched away and thrown on the ground wouldn't miraculously return to her hands. No matter how hard she cried, she still had to go downstairs to prepare dinner alone and wipe away tears while eating. Her parents were always busy, and crying only brought them more trouble. They would look at her with impatience, threaten to take her to the detention center, and scold her for being a crybaby who didn't understand anything. Consequently, when she later sought help from the police, her heart was filled with mixed emotions.It was ironic that those who were there to help her
Carissa felt somewhat discouraged when she thought about it.She went back home due to impulse after listening to what Gina had said.Before that, she had already mentally prepared herself for a long time.Otherwise, she wouldn't have stayed on the other side of the river that night and encountered Rebecca and the others, which had been dramatically captured, posted online and used as so-called evidence of the deals between the two clubs. Carissa didn't know when she would be mentally prepared next time. So, she couldn't figure out which day would be the right time."The right time could be when you lead the team to win a championship, or during the next important holiday, or even … When you are ready to take me back to meet your parents. If all else fails, you can wait until you're ready to marry me." Alex said this very seriously, with a hint of a smile in his eyes.Although he wore his usual easygoing smile, his eyes were extremely earnest as he looked at her. The tone of h
Carissa didn't know, and she couldn't give herself an answer now.Since it was already dark, she decided to go back and have a good night's sleep.She would then think about her concerns tomorrow.After spending some time by the roadside and taking a detour along the riverbank, the traffic on the street had lessened. Alex silently accelerated and quickly returned to the hotel.The official accommodation provided by the event was on the same floor, so Alex conveniently escorted Carissa to her room. He stopped at the door and said, "Get some rest in your room. Don't overthink things. Tomorrow is a day off. If you plan to return to the base early, go with the others. If you don't want to go back so soon and have no plans, how about joining me?""Sure." Carissa, having already calmed down, seriously considered Alex's suggestion. "I'll give you an answer tomorrow morning, okay?"Although she didn't know Alex's holiday plans, the idea of going out with him to unwind and get to know e
Still in shock, Rebecca looked at the time now in Seardale.The time difference was seven hours. It was 11 at night at her place while it was nearly evening in Seardale.Based on Ellen's lifestyle, he might take a nap at noon and start to have fun in the afternoon until night time.Also, there was nothing much in Seardale. Ellen would usually be handling matters with David or scrolling through his social media in boredom.It would be impossible for him to not reply, unless he was busy.If he had to go back to Seardale with injuries …Rebecca had a bad feeling.She immediately video-called David instead.However, he did not answer.Rebecca then put her phone by the side and convinced herself not to overthink.Perhaps Ellen's return involved handling some matters in a straightforward manner. After being away from Seardale for so long, and considering the chaos there, having a central figure to take charge might have been crucial.And Ellen might have ignored her calls because
After a while, David reacted.He looked at Rebecca on the screen and asked, "So, did you call to ask about Ellen?"Rebecca nodded. "Yeah. I called him, but he didn't answer. Isn't he still in the hospital? I saw that he's suddenly back in Seardale, so I got worried for a bit. Just wanted to make sure he's fine."David was silent for a moment before asking, "What about me?""What about you?" Rebecca was confused.David looked down and said in an aggrieved tone. "I am also back in Seardale."He even put behind the Winston Group to rush back here.Did Rebecca not care about him?Rebecca looked at his expression for a moment before realizing what he meant.Then, she chuckled and thought about how childish David was.Was he really jealous of Ellen now?After some thought, Rebecca said respectfully, "Mr. Winston, you're capable and powerful, so I'm sure you'll be perfectly fine. Also, I thought you were still in Fairport, and being in your home country must be safe, right? But sin