Chapter 88
Kaneeta nodded gently. “Yes, I’ve already spoken to Cora.”
Miguel pushed the strawberry tiramisu in front of Kaneeta,
then chuckled softly. “Ms. Drayton, to be honest, I hope you
won’t laugh at me, but the reason I gave Ms. Hale two tickets
was because I knew she was your close friend. I was holding
onto a sliver of hope that she might bring you along.”
“Actually, you could have just told me directly,” Kaneeta said
with a helpless smile. “I would have agreed.”
“Back then, I didn’t have the courage,” Miguel replied, his fingertips trembling slightly as he forced a joke. “You mustn’t
tell Ms. Hale about this, or I’ll have truly offended her.”
Kaneeta thought to herself that Cora had probably already
guessed as much.
In this matter, Cora really was quite perceptive.
“Ms. Drayton, do you still like the painting I gave you?”
“I like it very much.” Kaneeta’s fingertips gently traced the rim
of her coffee cup. When she looked up, she met Miguel’s gaze,
filled with delight.
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For a moment, she didn’t know how to respond, so she joked, “If
Mr. Hartwell’s fans found out, I think I’d become the object of
their envy.“”
Miguel laughed softly at her words, his long fingers
unconsciously tapping on the table, as if sketching invisible
lines. “My fans shouldn’t envy you–they should envy me.”
His gaze was intense, looking straight into Kaneeta’s eyes.
“Being able to give my painting to someone who truly
understands it is far more gratifying than holding ten
exhibitions.”
“Mr. Hartwell, your words make me feel unworthy,” Kaneeta
admitted honestly. “I do really like the painting, but as for
understanding it, I don’t know much about art.”
“That’s all right,” Miguel said softly. “As long as you like it, that’s
enough.”
After they finished their meal, Miguel drove Kaneeta home.
In fact, he had wanted to take the opportunity to suggest going
somewhere else together.
But on second thought, he knew he couldn’t
things.
Besides, just being able to share this meal with Kaneeta already
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made him very happy.
When they arrived at the entrance of the Drayton villa,
Kaneeta said goodbye to Miguel and turned to walk through the
gate.
Only after the gate slowly closed behind her did her tightly
wound nerves finally begin to relax.
In truth, she didn’t feel at ease around Miguel, nor had she
developed any feelings for him.
She told herself that this was just the beginning–how could one
meal lead to feelings?
Affection needs to be cultivated slowly.
When she entered the living room, Regina was sitting on the
sofa drinking herbal tea. Seeing Kaneeta return, she asked with
concern, “Did you have dinner with a friend?”
“Yes!” Kaneeta ran over to sit beside her grandmother, resting
her head on her shoulder. “I had dinner with Mr. Hartwell.”
“Mr. Hartwell?” Regina looked puzzled. “Didn’t he go abroad on
business?”
“Abroad? Who?” Kaneeta lifted her head.
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“Woodrow! I just spoke with his mother, Elara, on the phone
today. She said he had to go abroad urgently. Not many people
know about it yet, and she said it shouldn’t be made public.
From Elara’s tone, it sounded like something serious.”
Kaneeta recalled how Woodrow had hurriedly left after taking
a phone call last night.
So it really was something serious.
Her fingers tightened, and a wave of anxiety suddenly surged in
her heart.
Woodrow should be all right, shouldn’t he?
She still owed him so many favors she hadn’t repaid.
He absolutely couldn’t let anything happen to him.
“Grandma, do you know which country he went to?” Kaneeta
asked.
Regina shook her head. “Elara didn’t say.”
Seeing how anxious Kaneeta looked, she smiled and said, “Don’t
worry. Woodrow is a very capable young man. If he dared to go,
it means he’s confident he won’t get into trouble.”
Then, looking puzzled, she asked, “So which Mr. Hartwell did
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you have dinner with tonight?”
“Miguel, Kaneeta replied absentmindedly, still preoccupied
with thoughts of Woodrow’s safety.
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