"Make a statent! You guys have an awkward ex-relationship, and if you dress poorly, it shows that you’re doing worse after leaving him. Won’t that make him feel smug? But if you spruce yourself up, dress beautifully, and show him with your actions that you’re doing great without him, confident and carefree, it’ll make him regret losing you! Don’t they always say you should hold your head high and smile proudly in front of an ex, so he looks up to you rather than pitying you in your ss?"
"...Very strong, quite fierce. Ariel, does my brother know how devious you are?"
"Your brother and I are like an old married couple, not awkward exes, so he doesn’t need to witness my deviousness and fierceness!"
"...You win." Nicole expressed her admiration for Ariel Morris and admitted defeat.
————
The Seys Family sat around the table having lunch, the atmosphere joyful and harmonious.
Old Master Seys glanced at his long-absent granddaughter and said kindly, "Nicole, are you managing okay in the military? How are things with that Cooper boy?"
Nicole paused her chopsticks for a mont, then replied with a gentle smile, "The military is great, I’ve learned a lot. As for Steven Cooper— we keep in touch occasionally, like friends, it’s quite relaxed."
"That’s good." Dominic Seys bead with satisfaction.
Getting along easily ant there was hope; a granddaughter-in-law was settled, and a grandson-in-law was soon to co. His heart was light, making even his appetite better.
After lunch, Ariel Morris dragged Nicole upstairs, entering her room to pick out clothes from the closet.
"Nicole, you wore this purple dress for Third Haynes’ birthday party, so forget it. I think I’ve seen you in blue too, so what’s left to pick?" Ariel muttered as she searched, finally fixing her gaze on the closet’s only pink dress, and exclaid excitedly, "This one’s great, pink and pretty, suits your complexion!"
Nicole’s eyes glanced at the dress in Ariel’s hand, pursed her lips, and hung it back in the closet, saying flatly, "I don’t like this dress."
This was the dress she wore when she left Jose Floyd, and he bought it. So, wearing it in front of Jose Floyd was out of the question.
"Alright—"
Ariel was about to pick again, but Nicole ushered her out with a gentle smile, making an excuse, "It’s still early, I’ll take a nap. The dinner’s at night, so I’ll rest for a few hours. We have to rise at dawn for morning runs in the military, it’s exhausting."
"Okay then, have a good rest and rember to dress nicely for the evening," Ariel reminded.
Thinking about eting Jose Floyd for dinner that night gave Nicole a headache. She tossed and turned on the bed, her mind in turmoil.
"How should I ask Jose Floyd to et? Things ended so badly between us—"
"Ariel is right; he really helped the Seys Family a lot this ti. It’s only fair to thank him—"
Conflicted emotions surged in Nicole’s heart. Finally, she picked up her phone by the bed, opened the ssage editing page, and added the recipient’s number.
Jose Floyd never changes his number, especially his private one. Fewer than ten people know it, and she’s one of them, along with Camden, Jorge Saxton, Langdon Seal, and a few trusted confidants.
Nicole hesitated for a long ti, typing and deleting ssages repeatedly for half an hour, weighing each word carefully.
Eventually, tired of the internal struggle, she simply edited a ssage: "This is Nicole Seys, are you free tonight? The Italian pasta at Milo’s Western Cuisine is quite authentic, should suit your taste. Thanks for helping the Seys Family." She sent it out....
User Comments
0 comments from readers