I walked toward the cashier in a poor mood, curious about the person who had snagged such a great outfit.
When I saw the couple paying for the outfit, though, my heart sank.
Emma had just come over as well, and her eyes followed my gaze. “What are you looking at?”
When she saw them, her reaction was stronger than mine. She took in a few deep breaths to calm herself down.
Our eyes followed Hunter in utter disbelief as he entered the elevator, holding hands with a mysterious lady as he held a large shopping bag in his other hand.
Under our watchful gaze, it seemed that Hunter felt a twinge of guilt at his actions. By chance, he glanced in our direction and met our stares. Awkwardness flashed across his features before the elevator doors closed.
“Letty, please pinch me and wake me up from this nightmare. I must be seeing things, right?” Emma’s jaw had dropped at the scene.
I frowned, my emotions a chaotic mess.
Emery and Hunter’s relationship had always been the envy of many. Emma herself was always going on and on about Hunter’s penchant for romance and humor. What we had seen today was a huge blow to her fantasies.
Maybe I should be reflecting on my taste in clothes. If Anthony’s wearing the same suit as Hunter, might we be in a similar situation ourselves?
I had always thought that keeping secrets from someone was nowhere near as difficult as pretending nothing was wrong in front of them.
Emery’s attention had been consumed by Audrey and Gregory these few days. She brought Xavier along with her on her daily visits, and she typically spent an entire day at our house. Before Emma and I had even left the mall, we were bombarded by a slew of WhatsApp messages from her, urging us to go back.
Emma and I were terrible liars. We exchanged looks and prepared to stay out until it was late.
We had only just settled down in a cafe when Hunter showed up.
He found us easily thanks to his towering height. He then started walking toward us.
Emma gave up her seat and sat on a chair directly next to mine.
The cheating men that I had encountered in the past typically behaved in a stiff, panicky, or furious manner. I had never seen one as calm as Hunter.
He sat opposite us, exuding the confident and cultured charm of a university professor. His courteous exchange with the waiter almost made our meeting seem like a casual get-together rather than a damage control session for our awkward encounter.
I guess we were all fooled by his polite manners.
Once the coffee was served, Hunter looked at the cup for a moment before lifting his gaze to us. Upon seeing my impatient gaze, he spoke sheepishly. “You saw everything just now.”
We didn’t ask any questions.
Hunter sighed before taking a sip of his coffee. He stared directly at me and said, “I’ll talk to Emery about this, so I hope you won’t intervene.”
“When are you going to tell her?” I asked calmly.
He took a deep breath and adjusted his glasses. He answered resignedly, “Soon.”
“Good. I hope you keep your promise, Professor Zane, or you’ll lose whatever little respect we have for you.”
He had pushed his glasses up his nose bridge countless times in the past, but the action merely disgusted me now. I placed a few bills on the table to cover the cost of our drinks and left with Emma.
On the way home, my emotions were in turmoil.
From what I could see, I couldn’t understand how that woman was better than Emery. Yet this had happened.
Maybe in the world of the literati, love is but a cheap commodity to be discarded once it has run its course.
We reached home at about seven at night. We thought Emery had left, but there was a hubbub in the living room when we walked in. Louis was here.
“Mommy, let’s eat dinner!” Summer ran toward me and dragged me toward the dining room.
I exchanged a look with Emma before we sat down at the dining table.
Emery happened to be seated on my other side. She nudged my elbow gently and asked, “Where did you two go? You didn’t reply to my WhatsApp messages either. Was there an emergency?”
“I’ll tell you about it later.” I glossed over her question, pretending I couldn’t talk about it openly in front of the others.
Emery had always been an easygoing person to begin with, so she dropped the topic good-naturedly.
Clink!
Louis suddenly tapped on his wineglass with a fork, catching our attention.
“The incident this time has taught me many valuable lessons!” Louis was the picture of a natural leader as he raised his voice before continuing, “Most importantly, I’ve learned that steering clear of others doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll remain unscathed. I’ve always been proud of my morals, yet I never expected to be a victim of sabotage, let alone dragging my own grandchildren into this mess. I’ve disappointed my own family and the Stanhope name.”
He shot me a regretful look before he continued in better spirits, “From this day on, I promise not to put my family in harm’s way again. I vow to spend the rest of my days getting rid of Ezra’s syndicate!”
On the first day of my apprenticeship, John insisted on sending me to the office.
The car stopped in front of the office. I took off my seatbelt and was about to alight from the car when John shouted, “Don’t move!”
He then exited the car and came around to my side. Opening the door in a valet-like fashion, he completed his act by offering his hand to assist me out of the car. He teased, “Ms. Stanhope, we’ve arrived at the office. Please.”
I burst into laughter as I laid my hand in his. “Why are you joking around? I’m just a legal apprentice, not a full-fledged lawyer.”
Passing the lawyer qualification exam was only the start. I also needed to undertake a year-long apprenticeship to obtain a license to practice. Within this year, I would need to complete ten cases independently as well. Only then I could officially practice law.
“You’ll be one soon enough. I need to start practicing now,” John teased playfully.
“If you’re that bored, you should spend more time with Emma. I don’t know why you’re playing games with her when you’re obviously crazy about her,” I deadpanned.
John arched a brow at me before stuttering, “Y-You… Hey, you’re going to be late! You should go in now, go on then!”
John didn’t give me a chance to retort as he pushed me into the revolving doors of the building. He smiled mischievously at me after forcing me into the lobby. I couldn’t tell if he had taken any of my advice to heart.
After I registered at the reception, I was brought to Zander’s office. “Mr. Hoffman is in a meeting now. Please wait here, Ms. Stanhope.”
I smiled in acknowledgment. I looked around the office casually after the receptionist had left.
I heard that Tinsel Group was the best law firm in all of K City. Yet the office that had been assigned to Zander was barely a hundred square feet. There were two desks in his office. While the decor was decent, it was a far cry from what I had imagined.
About fifteen minutes later, the door opened from the outside. Zander entered the office with an older man in tow.
“Good morning,” I greeted with a smile.
“Mr. Baker, this is Sienna, whom I’ve mentioned on several occasions. We went to school together. Sienna, this is Mr. Eugene Baker. He’s one of the most prominent property lawyers in the field.” Zander quickly introduced the two of us.
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Baker.”
“The pleasure’s all mine.” Eugene continued, “Zander has very high praise for you; I hope you don’t let him down.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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