Chapter 6
But when one was at their weakest and hungriest, a big meal would be too much, while a simple bowl of cereal could nourish the body.
She was eating while scrolling through her phone. She saw that a post about Sharon’s alleged prostitution had climbed to the top of Sharon’s school’s online page early in the morning. The post had pictures and seemed convincing, thrusting Sharon into the spotlight.
Sharon argued that the man was her boyfriend and wanted Steven to step in and solve it. But Yvonne knew Steven was busy making the company go public, and with the post gaining traction, there was no way he’d expose himself.
Sharon couldn’t explain herself and had to silently bear the blame. With everyone gossiping, she went through a round of online shaming, no matter what the real story was.
Just then, a message alert sounded from Yvonne’s phone. [Ms. Stark, does the plan continue?]
Yvonne chuckled softly and replied, [Yeah.]
After seeing the “read” notification, she erased the message and thought to herself, ‘Great. Everything is going according to plan.‘
In the afternoon, Yvonne went back to her matrimonial home. As she opened the door, the faint smell of disinfectant filled the room. She wrinkled her nose slightly and then opened all the windows and doors.
She then returned to her bedroom, glanced at the calendar, and started sorting out her belongings.
When Steven returned, he immediately noticed a cardboard box at her feet, and his heart skipped a beat. “What’s this? Planning to run away?”
Yvonne looked up at the man who now seemed like a stranger, sneering inwardly, After a trip to the police station, he’s now pretending to be all gentlemanly.’
“No, just sorting through some of my old stuff,” she replied, her voice calm and indifferent.
Steven’s gaze fell on a photo album in her hands from when they were young, and he felt a little relieved.
Yvonne loved collecting photos, meaningful or not; she liked having them printed and put into albums. She once said that photos on the phone lacked the real–time feel and only physical albums held truly special memories.
Steven’s expression softened, his eyes becoming more gentle. “I’m just back to change clothes. I’ve got an event tonight; wait for me to come back.”
Yvonne stayed silent, her eyes showing no emotion, as though she hadn’t heard a word he said.
Steven took off his shirt, and Yvonne saw the various hickies on him and lowered her eyes.
Steven seemed to realize something wasn’t right, so he put his shirt back on and walked toward the bathroom. At the door, he suddenly stopped and turned around to say, “Oh, I forgot. Reid’s downstairs. Can you go entertain him?”
Yvonne was startled, stopped for a moment, then closed the photo album and went downstairs.
Reid stood in the living room, sunlight outlining his tall, strong figure. He held a photo frame with a picture of Yvonne and Steven. Yvonne watched him from the bottom step.
Reid heard a sound, placed the frame face down on the table, and looked up. His eyes were a bit narrow, now filled with a deep, mysterious light, like a sky full of stars.
His gaze seemed to see through everything, landing right on Yvonne and making her heart skip a beat. “What do you want to drink?” Yvonne asked. “Something sour,” Reid said with a teasing tone.
Yvonne paused, shot him a look, then opened the fridge, took out a bottle of lemonade, and handed it to him.
Reid was momentarily stunned, squinted his eyes a bit, and a faint smile appeared on his lips. As he reached out to get the drink, he suddenly pulled her arm, drawing her into his arms, and they both fell back onto the sofa.
“Are you crazy? Let me go, Yvonne whispered sharply.
Reid held her close, leaned in, and whispered slowly in her ear, “Yvonne, you really think you can just leave after sharing a bed, huh? Planning to act like nothing happened?”
