I stopped in my tracks and turned to look at Damon.
Damon glanced at , and our gazes were a bit odd.
"We’re not together," I was the first to explain.
The receptionist looked surprised, then apologized. "I’m sorry, I thought you guys were a couple because your clothes look like they match, so..."
I looked down at my outfit, then at Damon’s. They were indeed black and white, looking like a matching couple set.
Damon laughed it off, "No worries, I also think our clothes match pretty well"
The receptionist blushed at Damon’s smile and nodded apologetically. "Thank you for your understanding!"
I kept quiet until Damon finished booking a room. Then I booked another one and went to rest.
Damon’s room was across from mine. As I was opening my door, he reminded , "Rember to pick up when you go to Ben’ house tomorrow. My car is still there"
"Can’t you call a cab yourself?" I asked, annoyed.
"I can save money by riding with you," he replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world, as if he were an extrely frugal person.
I slamd the door shut, not wanting to deal with him anymore.
I didn’t sleep well that night. I was restless and had nightmares. I woke up several tis in a cold sweat.
By the wee hours, I couldn’t fall back asleep. I decided to leave early to avoid Damon and head to Ben’s house.
However, to my surprise, Damon was already waiting for at my door when I opened it.
He had on only a black sweater, holding his coat in his hand
"I knew you’d wake up early. I just didn’t expect it to be this early," Damon said, a hint of disappointnt in his eyes, "You’re avoiding like the plague."
"You’re overthinking. I just couldn’t sleep, so I left early" I said helplessly, "Aren’t you also putting in a lot of effort just to hitch a ride?"
Damon admitted without hesitation, "Absolutely, we can go now."
I didn’t know if I just hadn’t known Damon well enough before or if he had changed. But he was becoming more and more shaless.
I gave him the cold shoulder and headed straight for the elevator, with Damon following like a shadow.
What made it awkward was that the receptionist hadn’t changed shifts yet. Seeing Damon and together, the receptionist had a look that was hard to describe
We had said we didn’t know each other and that we weren’t together, yet we checked in together and then, we were checking out together.
It wasn’t until we left the hotel that I felt the receptionist’s gaze disappear.
I asked, "Where’s your car?" As we neared Ben’s house, I noticed Damon’s car was missing.
Damon got out of the car, looked at where he parked yesterday, and acted surprised, "I forgot I had soone refuel it and drive it away last night. Can you give a ride later?"
I was utterly baffled and felt incredibly irritated by that guy.
Damon reclined the passenger seat and comfortably laid down, "I haven’t slept enough. You go see Ben; I’ll take a nap in the car and wait for you."
"Damon, you’re being too much. I’m really busy right now, and you’re wasting my ti." Seeing Damon’s nonchalant attitude pissed off.
"I won’t stop you from doing whatever, nor will I waste your ti. Just pretend I don’t exist." Damon said calmly, comfortably laying in the passenger seat, even putting on sunglasses to block the sunlight.
He looked like a star on vacation, with perfect looks and mannerisms.
I wanted to kick him out of the car right away, but my phone rang. It was an ergency call from my assistant.
"Ms. Brooks, so shareholders want to sell their shares!"
That scared into a cold sweat. The company was in a critical situation. If more people started to sell their shares, the company might go bankrupt.
"Why are they selling?" I forced myself to stay calm
"They say the company has absolutely no future and want to sell!" My assistant was just as anxious.
I held my forehead, and my temples started to throb. I was extrely irritated, but I had to act like everything was fine. "Tell them the company won’t go under. We’ll talk about the rest when I get back."
After hanging up, my mood reached a new low. I didn’t have the energy to argue with Damon over trivial matters, so I went to Ben’s house alone.
Damon stayed in the car and didn’t accompany .
The door opened after a while, and my aunt was the one who opened it. Her face turned unpleasant when she saw , "Why are you here again?
Didn’t we tell you yesterday we didn’t want to deal with your family’s problems?’
"Susan, can we talk again?" I tried to make myself look humble by asking Susan
Susan was rciless, "No, we won’t. How did your mom treat us back then? When she sided with outsiders, didn’t she think of this day?"
I felt bitter. My father had dealt with Ben’s company strictly due to his principles. Although it was legally sound, it did ruin our relationship.
That incident had almost caused Ben’s company to go bankrupt. Later, he started over elsewhere and worked his way up to where he was,
You could say Ben’s family harbored deep resentnt for my father. They thought he was too rigid and didn’t leave any room for familial love.
"Susan, my dad had no choice back then. Ben’s violations were too severe. He felt guilty and uneasy about it. He’s wanted to apologize to you guys for those years, but you’ve been avoiding him." I clenched my fists, pleading in a low voice.
But Susan wasn’t convinced. Her attitude was very cold, even a bit hostile. "Your mom isn’t part of our family anymore after she married. She, you, and your dad are a family. Don’t co to us for help. I’m
annoyed just seeing you!"
Then she pushed and slamd the door shut.
I almost fell but managed to steady myself. That’s when I noticed Damon standing behind .
He must have seen how Susan treated . I had never been so humiliated in my life.
Damon’s gaze was deep, like a bottomless lake. He stared at , his brow furrowing in his usual manner, "Are you really okay with being bullied like this and not asking for help?"
"No!" I was so bumd out that I kind of lost my temper. I pushed Damon away. "There’s no way I’m asking for your help: you can save your breath!"
Luna and the gang had all given a heads-up. It was fine to ask Damon for help, but if I accepted his help, who knew how others might take it?.
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