The milk tea was empty, and Audrey Sutton felt a bit sleepy, wanting to take a nap.
She went to the bathroom to wash her face and wake up, then ordered a glass of iced lemon water.
Chewing on the straw, she stared out the window and saw a black business car stop at the hotel entrance.
The car door opened, and upon seeing the person who got out, Audrey quickly put down her drink, squinting slightly to confirm it was indeed Shane Warner.
The distance across the road was still a bit far, so she couldn’t see very clearly. Audrey took out her phone, opened the cara, and used the zoom function as a telescope.
After seeing Shane get out of the car, he walked around the vehicle and opened the door on the other side.
This gesture was familiar to Audrey; it was the first ti she observed his gentlemanly behavior from an outsider’s perspective.
And from his action of opening the car door, Audrey vaguely sensed that he was welcoming a girl.
The string in her heart suddenly tightened; the feeling of unease grew stronger.
With the car blocking the view, she could only see Shane’s upper body, and a few seconds after he opened the car door, she saw another person co out of the car, supported by Shane.
It was a woman.
Audrey’s heart at that mont felt colder than the iced lemon water in front of her.
The woman was quite tall, reaching about the level above Shane’s ear. As she got out of the car, Audrey only caught a glimpse of her side face; she was wearing sunglasses, so Audrey couldn’t see her clearly.
She had chestnut-colored wavy hair, wore an olive-green camisole dress, and her skin wasn’t fair—more like a deliberately tanned wheat color. She seed like a very cool and distinctive girl.
After the car drove away, Audrey saw the full back view.
The girl wasn’t particularly tall, but her heels were about ten centiters high.
When they walked into the hotel, Shane also thoughtfully extended his hand to support her.
Upon seeing this, Audrey felt a sourness at her nose, her heart a ss of emotions.
Suddenly, she regretted coming over; wouldn’t it be better to just stay ho and wait for him to co back?
Watching them walk into the hotel, Audrey’s gaze lingered. Internally, she comforted herself, thinking Shane supported her because her heels were too high.
He was always such a gentleman, just his mannerisms, nothing else.
Returning to the hotel, surely they wouldn’t be staying in the sa room; even if it’s the sa room, it must surely be a twin room. Even... even if it’s the sa bed, they must be just sleeping...
Deceiving herself in this way, Audrey’s eyes couldn’t help but mist up.
Withdrawing her gaze, she stayed motionless for a few seconds.
Her hand holding the phone slightly trembled.
She called Shane.
"Beep—beep—beep—"
After three rings, she heard his soft and slow voice: "Have you eaten? You’re not ordering takeout at ho again, right?"
Audrey tried hard to keep her voice steady and normal, asking him, "Where are you?"
"Still in Orvelle, probably won’t return until the day after tomorrow."
"...Still out on business?"
Without any hesitation, he said flatly, "No, just got back to the hotel. Why are you suddenly interested in my schedule?"
"...Just asking casually."
"What about you? What are your plans for the weekend? Going out with your best friend again?"
She could hear the faint sound of running water, like pouring water into a glass.
Besides that, there was no other sound.
And he didn’t seem in a hurry to end the call; does this an he wasn’t with that woman right now?
"Hmm? Why aren’t you talking?"
Audrey suddenly snapped back to reality, vaguely answering, "...Just staying in the dormitory."
"I don’t believe you’re that well-behaved. Still, the sa thing: feel free to go out and play—if money is tight, you can ask for so—but don’t drink alcohol."
"Got it. Alright then, I’m going to take a nap."
After hanging up, Audrey’s heart was still pounding.
From the phone, it seed there was nothing unusual on his side; he hadn’t lied to her either.
However, images of him entering the hotel with that girl kept popping up in her mind.
What was their relationship? Was it really like Seraphina Vaughn said, his romantic sanctuary here?
Audrey paid the bill and left the café; after returning to the hotel, she didn’t dare roam around for fear of being discovered that she’d sneaked over.
She locked herself in her hotel room, lay on the bed, and fell asleep while dwelling on her thoughts. When she woke up, the sky outside was already dark.
She was very hungry but didn’t feel like eating.
Reaching out, she touched the bedside lamp switch, illuminating the room.
She picked up the phone beside her pillow, saw a ssage from Shane on WhatsApp.
There was a picture attached, showing shelves full of various plush toys, seemingly taken in a shopping mall.
Below the photo, he asked: Is there anything you like?
Audrey checked the tistamp—it was sent half an hour ago.
If it were usual, Audrey’s first reaction would be to zoom in on the picture and choose the plush she liked for him to buy, but instead, she asked: You still have ti for shopping? Who are you with?
Perhaps he hadn’t seen the ssage; a few minutes passed without a reply.
Audrey’s mind couldn’t help but wander again, and then she zood in on the picture to scrutinize.
Upon closer inspection, she noticed the store’s logo on the shelf tag and imdiately searched for its location on the map.
Not knowing if he was still over there, she didn’t hesitate to grab her bag and head out, catching a cab at the hotel entrance: "Please, driver, to Lakeshore Park."
As the car neared the destination, Shane replied: With a friend, got you a bunny.
Following this, he attached a picture of himself holding the bunny plush by its long ears.
It was Blanc from "The Secret Life of Pets," and the way he took the picture along with Blanc’s expression was quite amusing.
Audrey couldn’t help but smile, then thought, would he also get the sa or even better things for that woman?
Knowing she was easy to please, perhaps he just randomly grabbed this one from the pile of plush toys.
Thinking this, Audrey felt the Blanc in his hand wasn’t that cute anymore.
When the car stopped, Audrey paid and got off, glancing around the street.
At seven or eight o’clock, the street was bustling, surrounded by people coming and going.
Audrey spotted the store she was looking for across the road, imdiately crossing the street and diving into the shop.
The store was large, with two floors, and sold all kinds of plush toys, feeling like a trendy spot with plenty of custors inside.
Going through rack by rack, while others looked at toys, Audrey was searching for soone.
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