I set a small goal for myself: if I could go ten days without thinking about Gabriel, I would buy myself the necklace I’d been eyeing in my online
shopping cart for months.
At first, it was impossible. My mind kept drifting back to his good moments, to the promises he never kept. But soon, my life was consumed by
work. The days blurred into a whirlwind of projects, research, and late nights.
The next time I looked at a calendar, a whole month had passed.
The day the necklace arrived in the mail was the same day the marketing campaign I had spearheaded went live. I had poured everything into it,
studying social media trends, pestering the design team for graphics, and staying up until dawn.
But after the launch, there was… nothing. Crickets. The campaign flopped.
After the debriefing meeting, I felt like a deflated balloon. Seeing my gloomy face, Leo suggested I run an errand with him to pick up some new
product samples..
It wasn’t until we were leaving that I realized he was driving me there himself.
We left the congested city behind, driving for over an hour until we reached a small town surrounded by a vast network of serene, glistening lakes.
We got out of the car and walked through a pearl farm.
Along the way, a farmer greeted Leo warmly. “Leo, you’re back! And you brought your girlfriend with you this time, eh?”
I waited for Leo to correct him, but he just smiled and gave a noncommittal “Mm–hmm. All I could do was offer the man an awkward smile, my cheeks burning as I followed a step behind Leo.
While my mind was still racing, he suddenly asked, “Do you know how long it takes to create a single pearl?”
I looked at my reflection in the water and shook my head, clueless.
“For a cultured pearl with a nucleus, the gestation period is one to two years,” he explained. “For a natural pearl, without a nucleus, it can take four to five years.”
“That’s so long,” I murmured.
Leo smiled and led me to a nearby processing facility where we selected a batch of samples.
On the drive back to the city, he asked, “Do you know why I brought you out here today?”
“To show me where the pearls come from? The production process, so I can understand our products better?”
06:33
Chapter 2
“That’s so long,” I murmured.
Leo smiled and led me to a nearby processing facility where we selected a batch of samples.
On the drive back to the city, he asked, “Do you know why I brought you out here today?”
“To show me where the pearls come from? The production process, so I can understand our products better?”
He looked at me then, his gaze direct and incredibly sincere. “You’re a pearl, too, Vivi. One that’s still forming. You just have to give yourself time.”
His stare was so intense I had to look down, flustered. “No, I’m not.”
If I were a pearl, how could Gabriel have only ever seen Cora? Girls like her–Ivy League degrees, high–powered careers–they were the pearls.
“You are,” Leo said, his tone firm. “You’re not slow, and you work harder than anyone I know. You just need time.”
He gently patted my head. “If you don’t believe me, just wait and see.”
الا الله الله الله الله الله الله الله
The sudden intimacy of the gesture seemed to catch him off guard, too. Before I could react, he had turned and walked away.
I’m not a child, I thought, a blush creeping up my neck. Why is he patting my head?
I trailed slowly behind him. My phone buzzed. I answered without looking. It was Cora.
الله الله الله الله الله الله الله الله الا الله
wwwwwwwww
wwwwwwy
mama ja ma www.
www.
“You’re the one who broke up with him, so why can’t you just let go?” she screeched, all her usual sweet composure gone. “Gabriel went to your
university and raised hell, demanding they revoke Chloe’s job offer!”
“Do you have any idea that Chloe’s father is my boss? If he keeps this up, my promotion is s completely screwed!”
I was stunned. I had no idea Gabriel had found out about the anonymous letter, let alone that he would cause a scene over it. But I felt no gratitu-
de, only annoyance. “And how is that my problem?”
“Don’t think you can just sic Gabriel on them and get your job back. If this continues, it’s going to blow up in everyone’s faces.”
“You’re giving me way too much credit, Cora,” I said, my voice dripping with ice. “I blocked Gabriel ages ago. If you have time to call and yell at me, maybe you should spend it talking to him. He always listens to you, doesn’t he?”
She was probably shocked to learn that I hadn’t been the one to tell Gabriel, that he’d figured it out himself. She was silent for a few seconds befo-
re her voice returned, laced with insecurity.
