Chapter 29: The Vibe
After dinner, Winston mentioned needing to pick up some materials from the teaching building, and that’s when we parted ways with Fletcher and Davina.
As we walked through the campus of Raven University, I suddenly realized that the places I used to avoid didn’t seem so intimidating
anymore.
What surprised me, though, was that Winston didn’t actually take me to the teaching building as planned. Instead, he led me around to the back gate of the school.
I sincerely thanked him, “Winston, thank you for today!”
“It’s nothing” Winston replied quickly, before
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asking, “That chili con carne, you really think it was good?”
I nodded. “It was a bit spicy, but really satisfying”
Winston smiled, his eyes sparkling. “See, Lena? A change in flavor gives you a whole new experience.”
Thanks to him, I discovered the deliciousness of chili con carne.
The next day at the office, I immediately suggested to Kaitlyn that she try the dish.
Kaitlyn responded, “Sure, I’ll give it a try when I have the chance.”
Before I could say anything else, Davina came over, holding a laptop.
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“Charlene, I wrote a small piece of code last night, but it didn’t pass the test. Can you take a look?”
I nodded, taking the laptop from her hands.
It was a simple piece of game backend code, one of those examples you often find in textbooks. After glancing at it, I quickly pointed out where the problem was.
Davina smiled, testing the fix in front of me, but after the test, she didn’t immediately take the laptop back.
I casually glanced at the screen, and immediately saw a close–up photo as her
screensaver.
It was a picture of Fletcher and Davina.
The young girl was leaning against Fletcher,
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flashing a peace sign at the camera, while Fletcher stood behind her, smiling.
His gaze was gentle.
It was one of those moments where it looked like he was enjoying her teasing while she was joking around.
“Charlene,” Davina shot a glance at me, smiling. “You think this one has a good vibe too, don’t you?”
Her bragging was as blatant as could be.
It even had a hint of provocation.
She was still a young girl, and her eyes couldn’t hide a thing.
If you looked closely at the photo, you’d notice it was taken on the campus of Raven
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University.
Clearly, after the four of us parted ways yesterday, Fletcher took Davina for a walk around their alma mater.
Not like me back then, having to coax Fletcher for so long just to get him to change his phone wallpaper to a picture of us holding hands, only to be ruthlessly rejected.
A group photo? That was something I didn’t dare even dream about.
Davina had every right to flaunt.
“You’re a perfect match,” I said lightly, “It would have even more style with a filter.”
“R–Really?” Davina stammered, forcing a smile. “I’ll give it a try later”
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With that, she took her laptop and left.
In the afternoon, Daphne suddenly called.
“Lena, I have a gathering this weekend. Can you help me pick out two suitable cheongsams?”
I knew Daphne’s preferences well–her greatest hobby was shopping. Thanks to her, I’d spent many hours in malls over the past couple of years, so it wasn’t an exaggeration to say I’d always been at her beck and call.
But things were different now.
I politely replied, “I still have work to do. Maybe you could ask Ms. Bates to join you?”
A mother–in–law and daughter–in–law together would be much more fitting than going with me.
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“I don’t want her, Daphne replied, always straightforward, “Just looking at her shy and hesitant expression makes my head hurt.”
I was at a loss for words, and then I heard Daphne lamenting over the phone, “Lena, tell me honestly, are you annoyed with me because I’m too chatty?”
She made it sound like she was the most wronged person in the world.
I rubbed my temples and made some compromises. “How about after work?”
After all, she was the mother of my investor.
Once the call ended, Daphne quickly sent over the address of the shop.
It was an old tailor shop, quite well–known
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among the wealthy women of Myslana.
Before I finished work, I downed a cup of coffee and mustered the energy to head out.
But what I didn’t expect was that Fletcher and Davina were also there.
As the waiter led me over to Daphne, I saw Davina holding up a piece of ornate fabric for Daphne to look at. Upon seeing me, she subconsciously bit her lip.
Fletcher asked me directly, “What are you doing here?”
I was caught in an awkward spot, neither able to leave nor stay.
Daphne turned around at the sound and smiled warmly, “I invited Lena over. You two together can’t understand my tastes as well
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as she does.”
Davina lowered her head in disappointment, tightly gripping the fabric in her hands.
I felt embarrassed, too.
In fact, Davina had good taste. Although the fabric she picked was a bit outdated in design, the color was within Daphne’s aesthetic preferences.
She liked grandeur.
So when she linked her arm with mine, asking me to help choose, I deliberately selected a solid color.
When Daphne saw it, she was a little surprised, but probably to spite Davina, she still gave me a compliment, “See? This is a subtle yet noble design. Lena, you really
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have an eye for this.”
Davina didn’t even dare respond, burying her head further.
I had no choice but to smooth things over, “Daphne, your skin is so fair, any style would suit you. The color Davina picked may be a bit picky, but only someone with your complexion could really pull it off”
Only then did Daphne reluctantly settle on
one.
Fletcher, perhaps unable to stand it, pointed at the row of fabrics and said, “Make one of each color, in Ms. Bates‘ size.”
Davina’s eyes widened in surprise, and she hesitated, “Fletcher, that’s too extravagant.”
Daphne also seemed displeased, “Lena’s
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been running around for me, and you didn’t even say a thank you.”
Fletcher then glanced at me indifferently and asked, “Does Ms. Grande have a preferred design?”
Since he asked, it would be awkward for me to be evasive, so I casually pointed to a beige bamboo–patterned embroidered dress and said, “This one.”
Once the selection was made, Fletcher found an excuse and left with Davina.
Daphne, seeing this, pulled a long face and said, “Lena, you saw that, right? He keeps saying he’s busy with work, but isn’t he just afraid I’ll make things difficult for Ms. Bates?”
I tried to comfort her, “Since Mr. Lynton cares
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so much about her, Daphne, you should spend more time with her and guide her.
After all, she’ll need to support Mr. Lynton in the future.”
Daphne looked at me with frustration, “Lena, if you and Fletcher…”
She trailed off and sighed.
I pretty much guessed what Daphne meant. She probably thought that if Fletcher insisted on marrying a woman from a humble background, she’d prefer it to be me.
But she had forgotten–she had once looked down on me like this.
The phone rang late that night, and it was Fletcher.
“Ms. Grande, you were quite enthusiastic
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today.”
Π
His tone was flat.
I had been holding in my anger, so I responded, “Mr. Lynton, you flatter me. I did receive appropriate compensation, after all.”
Kaitlyn had told me about the old tailor’s craftsmanship, which money alone couldn’t
buy.
“Ms. Grande, you’ve really surprised me lately. Are you after money now?”
The sarcasm in his tone was laced with the arrogance of someone in a superior position.
Suddenly, I thought about the five hundred bucks Miles had slipped me earlier. I paused for a moment before replying, “I just had an epiphany.”
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