Simon Forrester sohow conjured a small teal velvet box, placing it silently beside Sienna Thornton’s hand.
Sienna was just lowering her head to sip her bean soup when her hand accidentally bumped into the velvet box as she set down her spoon, surprising her. She glanced at the logo on the box and feigned curiosity, asking, "What’s this?"
"Why don’t you open it and see?"
She dabbed the corner of her lips with a napkin and opened the velvet box, finding a Van Cleef & Arpels white mother-of-pearl four-leaf clover bracelet inside.
She didn’t imdiately reach for the bracelet. "Is this for ?"
"If I gave it to another woman, you’d be crying."
"Ugh," she playfully rolled her eyes at him and extended her slender wrist toward him. "If it’s for , then help put it on! What’s the point of getting it if I have to do it myself?"
He laughed heartily, took the bracelet, and personally helped her put it on.
"Hmm, the size is just right. I knew the smallest size wouldn’t be wrong." Snapping the bracelet clasp, he lifted her hand and gently kissed the back of it.
Under the shimring light, she propped her chin with one hand, looking at the way he kissed her hand with clear eyes, finally revealing a genuinely happy smile for the first ti in days.
Withdrawing her hand, she gazed at the exquisite white mother-of-pearl bracelet, her eyes sparkling as she asked, "Do you really like white?"
"It’s alright."
"The flowers were white, and now the bracelet too."
He smiled, "Because white symbolizes purity, which suits you."
"Is that so?" she also smiled, staring straight at him, "Liking white ans you have a first love complex."
There was a subtle hint of discomfort on his face.
Sienna raised an eyebrow but didn’t press further. Instead, she changed the subject, "You’ve tied down with a bracelet, so it’s only fair I buy sothing to tie you down too."
"I’ve been waiting for you to say that."
So, after dinner, they went to a duty-free mall.
They browsed for a while, but Sienna didn’t find anything suitable.
It’s often said that n look at watches and won look at bags. But if she were to buy a watch for Simon, given his status, any watch he wears can’t be less than a million, or at least hundreds of thousands.
However, right now, hundreds of thousands are still quite challenging for her. It’s not that she isn’t willing to buy nice things for Simon, but the finances don’t allow it.
So, she didn’t dwell on this and started looking at other things.
n, unlike won, can’t wear a lot of jewelry. Apart from watches, there are only wallets and belts, so Sienna eventually chose an imported leather belt.
The salesgirl at the counter was enthusiastic, ready to help Simon try it on.
Simon wouldn’t let a stranger try a belt on him, his face darkening as he took the belt and put it around his waist himself.
Sienna was looking at sothing nearby when suddenly her waist was embraced, and soone held her close, intimately saying, "The gift is perfect. I really like it."
She glanced down at the simple and elegant belt on his trousers and reached out, pinching the buckle between her thumb and forefinger and gently shaking it twice, laughing, "Your waist is quite standard."
He laughed too, holding her with one arm, softly whispering in her ear, "Do you want to test its function?"
She laughed it off, pushed him slightly, and turned to pay.
As they left the store, she carried a paper bag with Simon’s old belt in one hand and intertwined her fingers with his in the other.
Walking through the mall’s corridor like a regular couple, they attracted quite a few looks.
She was 1.7 ters tall, slender with perfect proportions, and in high heels, she perfectly matched Simon, who was 1.88 ters tall.
Soone even took a photo of them with a mobile phone and uploaded it to Douyin.
Walking along, she suddenly sighed, "Now it feels like you’re my boyfriend."
"Hmm?"
"Well, emotions need shared experiences to develop. Like today, you sent flowers, picked up from work, we had dinner together, exchanged gifts, and did most things couples do. This way, my brain receives the information from my body and labels you as my boyfriend."
Just then, the elevator doors opened, and by coincidence, it was an empty elevator. Hand in hand, they walked in, and he, without a word, gently pressed down her arms and leaned in for a lingering kiss.
"There’s still one thing most couples do that we’re missing."
She blushed, covering her face, "We’ll talk about that later."
He chuckled, pulling her into his embrace for a gentle hug, but didn’t press further, only saying, "With you, I’ve always had patience."
That night, Simon safely drove Sienna ho, then returned to his place.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to stay with her, but abruptly moving in together was a bit fast for them, having just confird their relationship.
Sienna wasn’t suited for such a fast-paced relationship. Just like he said, he’s always been patient with her.
And so, half a month passed like this.
Sienna now had no pressing work and thus had hardly any chances of working overti. Simon also tried not to bring work ho, so they basically saw each other every night.
What did they do when they t?
They did what most couples do: dinner, movies, walks, workouts, shopping, going to bookstores... The only thing they hadn’t done was that.
But deep down, they both knew, their mature bodies longed for one another, yet Sienna didn’t want things to progress that fast, and Simon waited patiently. To prevent temptation from getting out of hand, they often mingled with crowds, avoiding staying ho together too much.
Every Friday evening, Simon drove Sienna to South Bay.
While Sienna was covering shifts at the front desk, he kept her company.
They would cuddle up and chat, watch movies, listen to music, or deal with their own affairs;
When Sienna had free ti, they’d hold hands and stroll through the garden, by the natural lake, or drive to the nearby market, picking up farm-fresh fruits and vegetables to bring back to The Rockwell for a al.
They talked about the past, the present, yet tacitly avoided discussing the future, as if both were unsure of what role the other would play in their futures.
Sienna no longer ntioned her "non-marriage" stance because she felt it was disrespectful to Simon, and since establishing their relationship, she hadn’t brought it up.
Their feelings ward quickly.
On the third Friday evening of June, Simon once again drove Sienna to South Bay.
Maeve had been fully engrossed in preparing for the upcoming July college concert and hadn’t been around for so ti, so when the three front desk staff took their weekend break, Sienna had to cover for three consecutive overnight shifts.
Simon felt sorry for her and suggested several tis to hire another front desk person so she wouldn’t have to work overnight shifts by herself, but Sienna refused each ti.
First, she planned to leave Vantage at the end of June to work at the inn for a while; second, she intended to bring linda Linton from her hotown to help manage the inn.
Having the plans set, hiring another person would not only an more expenses but would also disrupt her plans.
Seeing her insistence, Simon didn’t press the matter further, but instead, kept her company during her shifts.
On a leisurely Saturday afternoon, they chose an Arican movie to watch, only realizing it was rated R when the restricted scenes appeared, having not noticed the rating earlier.
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