Chapter 14: Was It Necessary?
I ultimately declined their kind offer.
I knew my body well enough.
After a night’s rest, the burning sensation was noticeably gone when I woke up in the morning. Still, I didn’t let my guard down. When I got back to the office, I made sure to take some stomach medicine.
The investor cared about his sweetie, but I cared about the project. After all, we still needed this game to make big money, so I had to make sure I was in good shape.
While I was taking the medicine, Sean noticed and immediately looked guilty. “Charlene, it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have left you alone to work late.”
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So today, after seven, he didn’t leave the office.
I felt somewhat reassured by this and suggested we order extra food, but Sean stopped me. “No, dinner is on the way.”
I thought he had ordered takeout, but soon. enough, I saw Winston walk in, carrying a square, sturdy box.
There was a thin layer of mist on his glasses, and he looked like he was in a hurry.
I looked at him, puzzled. “Winston, what brings you here?”
“Winston, your efficiency is a bit lacking. Charlene and I are almost starving.”
I glanced between Sean and Winston, finally
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settling on the box Winston was holding. “That wouldn’t be… dinner, would it?”
Inston smirked. “Pretty sharp.”
To my surprise, he had brought a four–course meal with soup.
The food looked great, and steam was rising from the dishes.
Winston explained, “It’s thanks to the thermal box.”
“This steak, which restaurant is it from? It’s really good,” Sean took a bite of the steak and praised, “The chef’s skills are impressive.”
Winston pushed his glasses up and smiled without saying anything. Then, he pushed the already–cut steak toward me.
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Seeing this, Sean rolled his eyes at Winston and mockingly said, “Winston, I want you to cut my steak too.”
Both Winston I
and I laughed at that.
Suddenly, the door’s notification sounded. I curiously looked over and saw Davinal coming back.
Her eyes swept across Winston’s face before landing on the food on the table. With a smile, she said, “Mr. Fleming’s here to deliver dinner to Charlene?”
Winston turned his head, paused for a moment, then politely asked, “Ms. Bates, have you eaten? If not, would you care to join us?”
“No, thank you,” Davina sweetly declined. “I’ll
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just take what I need and go.”
She said that, and none of us pressed further. But once she entered her office, I noticed Winston froze for a second, his expression hardening. His gaze on me became more complicated.
After dinner, I accompanied Winston downstairs and learned that he had taken
the subway tonight.
“During rush hour, I was worried about traffic. Sean mentioned your stomach was bothering you, so I thought it’d be better to bring the food while it’s still warm.””
So, he took the subway because he was concerned about the food cooling down?
Carrying such a large thermal box must have been quite inconvenient.
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I looked at him, feeling a pang of guilt. “Next. time, don’t go through all this trouble.”
“It’s no trouble,” Winston replied graciously. “Teaching can be dull. Practicing my cooking skills, well, it’s a way to apply what I’ve learned.”
He always had a way of making things sound so pleasant.
“By the way,” Winston hesitated, then trailed off. “Ms. Bates, she…”
Before he could finish, a sweet, soft voice. interrupted him.
“Fletcher, have you been waiting long?”
Both Winston and I turned at the same time, realizing Fletcher was standing not far away.
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The first frost of Myslana had left the night air heavy with dew. Fletcher stood beneath a dim streetlight, wearing a gray long coat, like a tall, elegant statue. Tiny droplets of water clung to the ends of his hair, suggesting he had been waiting for a while.
And the young woman he was waiting for came skipping down the stairs, her steps light as she ran to him.
A perfect match, like a couple from a fairytale.
I quickly averted my gaze, turning back to Winston. “I’ll walk you to the subway.”
Winston didn’t object.
But just as I was about to step forward, Fletcher’s voice called out from behind me.
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“Ms. Grande, you’re leaving work early today.”
Under the streetlight, the four of us stood there, our faces neutral, as if nothing was out of place.
Fletcher glanced at the thermal box in Winston’s hand and asked, “What’s this?”
Before Winston could answer, Davina immediately stepped in. “It’s a thermal box, Fletcher. You don’t know? Mr. Fleming knew Charlene wasn’t feeling well, so he specially prepared a loving dinner for her.”
Fletcher shot Winston a glance, then turned to me. “Ms. Grande, you don’t just excel at coding; you’re also quite skilled at managing your relationships.”
His voice was calm, but I could detect a hint of mockery.
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Winston remained composed. “Lena’s been helping me out a lot. She’s been having some stomach issues these past couple of days, so I
Came to check on her.”
It seemed like he was trying to explain on my behalf.
Fletcher scoffed after hearing this. “Last night, it was your period, and today it’s stomach issues? Ms. Grande’s health seems to change on a whim.”
I stared at Fletcher in disbelief.
What was he implying?
Did he think I was faking it?
Davina seemed to catch the underlying tone and quickly intervened, though somewhat
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awkwardly. “Fletcher, you don’t understand. It’s common for other discomforts to occur during a woman’s period.”
Her explanation was as clumsy as it was
necessary.
“Is that so?” Fletcher glanced at me, his smile holding an ambiguous meaning. “Then, Ms. Grande, do take care of yourself.”
His words felt like a sharp slap to the face.
Take care of yourself.
From Fletcher’s lips, it was dripping with
sarcasm.
Suddenly, I remembered his explanation to Davina last night and said calmly, “Of course, Mr. Lynton, you’ve invested so much in our studio. I must take good care of myself.”
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Fletcher’s pupils flickered, a flash of surprise crossing his eyes.
I wasn’t going to waste time on this verbal back–and–forth, so I quickly added, “Mr. Lynton, you go ahead with your business, we’ll be leaving now.”
I shot a quick glance at Winston.
Winston gave a slight nod and walked alongside me.
We crossed the street in silence.
“Let’s stop here,” Winston said, looking at me with concern, clearly hesitant to say more.
I wasn‘
vague either, reminding him, “You’ve got your own work to focus on, don’t go making silly gestures like this again.”
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Winston paused, looked at me, and asked, “Lena, can I ask you a rather blunt question?”
I
urled my fingers and nodded.
“You and Letch…?”
“Investor and project lead,” I replied straightforwardly.
Winston seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, a slight smile tugging at his lips. “Well then, in that case, it’s not a silly gesture.”
Why couldn’t he just let it go?
“Alright, time’s precious, get back to your coding, Winston said, glancing at his watch. “If you’re any later, you’ll miss the last
subway.”
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Winston sure knew how to tease me.
And so, I dutifully returned to my coding.
By the time I got back to the complex, it was well past midnight.
I carried my laptop into the building, and as I looked up, I unexpectedly bumped into Fletcher.
He was still wearing that deep gray coat, the one with the notched collar, the knee–length cut, and the relaxed shoulders–simple but timeless, exactly like the one I had given him years ago.
Probably just a coincidence.
At that moment, the belt at his waist hung carelessly behind him, his whole look
effortlessly stylish and laid–back.
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Fletcher was truly a walking model.
But I only glanced at him for a moment before quietly walking past him.
After a long day, I just needed rest.
“Is this really necessary?”
The low voice came from behind me. I paused, reluctantly turned, and said, “Oh, it’s Mr. Lynton. Sorry, I didn’t have my glasses
on.”
Fletcher fell silent, but his gaze remained fixed on me, making me feel somewhat
uneasy.
“I’m off work now,” I said, exhausted from dealing with him. “Mr. Lynton, if you need anything, we can talk tomorrow.”
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With that, I turned to leave.
“Was it really necessary to delete me from your WhatsApp contacts?” The voice followed me, dripping with mockery. “Afraid Winston might misunderstand?”
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