"Oh, so you’re helping him... choose a ring for ?" Penny asked as Zoren slid the catalog across the table. "Mr. Pierson, did he tell you I rejected his marriage proposal and still plan to reject him?"
Zoren nodded. "He did, but you might as well help him."
"Penny, my next marriage proposal is going to be grand!" Ray exclaid proudly. "You can’t say you’ll reject it next ti. You’ll be shocked."
"I’m already speechless right now."
"It’ll leave you in tears," Ray reassured her with a nod. "But my cousin is right. Help pick the ring you prefer. It’s easier that way."
Ray cupped his face, smiling happily as he coquettishly batted his eyelashes at her. Penny shook her head and dragged the catalog in front of her, flipping through the pages carefully, checking each ring.
"Are they pretty for your taste?" Zoren asked after several minutes of silence. "Or are they too simple?"
Still not catching on, Ray tapped the page she was staring at. "Do you like this one, Penny? Don’t worry, you can choose more than one. I’ll buy them for you."
"I might have ten fingers, but not all of them need a ring," Penny remarked, refocusing on the catalog. "These rings... I don’t like them."
"But Penny, this is a catalog from the best diamond shop in Anteca."
"Mhm," she humd, cupping her face as she flipped the pages with disinterest. Despite Ray’s enthusiasm, she could feel another pair of eyes watching her. She glanced at Zoren, only to see him focused on the catalog in front of her.
’He asked to help his cousin choose a ring, but he looks like the one who wants to buy one,’ she thought, chuckling to herself before turning to the next page. ’Oh, Renren. Who would have thought?’
In retrospect, if Zoren had been willing to give out Penny’s na to Ray—or anyone—he would’ve known there was a connection between them. Zoren had only told Old Mrs. Pierson about Penny’s na so they could find her. Otherwise, he would have kept her na his little secret forever.
Because of that, Ray mimicked Zoren’s selfishness and didn’t ntion Penny’s na either. Over the years, not sharing the na of the girl they liked had beco such a natural habit that they neither asked nor ntioned it.
’If only I had known he was Ray’s cousin,’ she thought. ’I would’ve checked in on him. But that doesn’t matter anymore, I guess?’
As Penny pretended to examine the ring designs, she couldn’t help but wonder. ’I wonder what he feels about this? Is he jealous? Or not? Although I don’t want him to feel jealous, it would be interesting to see him be jealous once.’
Once again, Penny glanced up at Zoren. His expression remained unchanged, and his gaze stayed fixed on the catalog. Since she’d arrived, his expression had barely shifted, making it hard for her to read him.
’Renren is amazing, isn’t he?’ she mused. ’I can usually tell what people are thinking, but with him... I have no idea.’
Perhaps it was because Zoren had proven himself to be unpredictable and a little manipulative. He was the type to make others believe one thing, only to later reveal it was what he wanted them to believe. She had learned that during her first visit to the Pierson Old Residences.
anwhile, Zoren remained quiet, watching Penny. He could sense her disinterest in the rings she was browsing.
’So, she doesn’t like this kind of selection?’ he wondered, shifting his gaze to Ray, who had been staring at Penny but occasionally checked his phone. Quite bold of him to take his eyes off her, knowing she didn’t even like him.
To be fair, Zoren was more amused than jealous.
Why would he be jealous when there was clearly a winner?
Even so, Zoren knew soone had to break the news to Ray. Otherwise, the poor guy would keep wasting effort wooing a woman who was already married. The thought made Zoren’s lips curve downward.
[Your wife is so perfect. If she leaves you, n will surely line up for her.]
Old Mrs. Pierson’s words echoed in his mind, reminding him that Penny was indeed a catch. Aside from her upbringing and family background, Penny was definitely one of those won considered ideal by n in their pri. Zoren had always believed his grandmother, but this situation gave him a deeper understanding of it.
’She already said she’s married at least three tis during the al, but he didn’t seem to care.’ Zoren stared at his cousin in disbelief. ’He’s hopeless.’
Just when Zoren thought Ray couldn’t disappoint him any further, Ray proved him wrong. Not only was Ray willing to ruin his reputation by pursuing a thirteen-year-old in the past, but he was also not afraid to go after another man’s wife.
’Now I feel unsafe,’ Zoren thought, snapping his eyes back to Penny. ’I need to do sothing about this.’
*********
The al ended rather interestingly for the three of them. Penny hadn’t picked any rings she liked, but Ray told her it was fine because he had already ordered two. Surely, he simply wasted everyone’s ti.
Afterward, Ray and Zoren offered to walk her out to her car.
Standing in front of the driver’s seat, Penny looked back at the two n, who were standing just a few steps away. "Thank you for the al," she said with a smile. "And thank you for walking out. I’ll head off now."
"Okay~" Ray smiled, his face practically lting in happiness. "Take care, Penny. If you want to drive you, I’m happy to do it."
Zoren was quiet, but he slid his eyes to the unsuspecting Ray.
"There’s no need for that," she chuckled before shifting her eyes to Zoren. "Mr. Pierson."
Zoren nodded, but just as she was about to get in, he called out. "Penelope."
"Hmm?" Penny slowly turned to him, only to find him already standing a step away from her.
"Cousin?" Ray furrowed his brows as Zoren approached Penny. What Zoren did next made Ray’s entire world crumble.
Zoren cupped her face with both hands and leaned down, planting a soft kiss on her lips. It was brief, but also deep and sweet. Penny froze for a second, wide-eyed as she watched him pull away.
He smiled, his thumb brushing on the side of her lips. "Take care, okay?"
"..."
Reviews
All reviews (0)