Chapter 48
Hayden narrowed his eyes slightly at my words. I hurried to clarify, “Don’t get me wrong, I really don’t care who you’re with. I just want to know if you visited my mother’s gravesite last night.”
But Hayden dodged the question. “You don’t care who I’m with?”
“Besides Joanna, are there other women?” I tilted my head at him, surprised a bit, but it quickly made sense; a guy who cheated once could cheat countless times.
Hayden seemed to have a headache, pinching his brow as he turned away from me, not looking my way anymore. Your mom’s funeral needs to be redone. It requires some paperwork
“You’re moving her gravesite? That’s really not necessary.” I immediately blurted out my thoughts. Since she was already buried, there wasn’t any need to disturb her resting place.
But this funeral.. it was something I needed to handle for my mom. Back then, there hadn’t been enough time for the ceremonial procedures. My father had stubbornly refused to arrange a wedding so soon after the funeral, and that was how things got left hanging.
Hayden looked up when he heard me. “You’ve made up your mind?
“Yeah1 nodded, gazing steadily into his eyes.
In the past, once Hayden decided on something, no amount of persuasion affected him. I’d even gotten ready to argue my point, but instead, he didn’t bring it up again. He just lowered his head and flipped through a file on the desk. ”
1 waited for a long time without him saying anything, finally unable to hold back and asking, “Aren’t you going to say something?”
Hayden coldly shot back. “Close the door when you leave.”
I silently clenched my fists, no hesitation at all as I turned and quickly walked out. It seemed I just didn’t mesh well with him.
At noon, Jamie had invited me to lunch. I chose a restaurant near the office, and by the time I arrived, he was already waiting for me.
“Yvonne! Over here!” he called out enthusiastically, waving as soon as he spotted me.
I followed the sound of his voice and saw Jamie in a Yosefer giving off an artistic vibe.
He was around my age, with that healthy wheat–colored skin. His features were striking from a distance, you might think he was some kind of celebrity.
I hurried over, feeling a bit awkward. “Sorry! Got held up with work. What do you want to eat? Order away!
“I know you’re a busy person now, with a real job and all, Jamie chuckled, shaking his head, not at all bothered. He signaled the waiter to come over “I checked the menu; the beef looks good.”
“Then let’s go with beef 1 wasn’t picky and really didn’t have much of an appetite, so it didn’t matter to me,
After we ordered, we started charting casually.
“I have an art exhibit next week. Are you free to come?” Jamie said, pulling out an invitation from his Yosefet pocket and handing it to me.
I widened my eyes in surprise. “You’re really putting on an exhibit now! That’s impressivel
When I first met him, he was just a little–known artist, and now, just half a year later, he was already hosting an exhibit.
Jamie smiled shyly. Thanks to you sending Cici abroad back then, I could focus on my painting. I’ve had some great ideas lately, I didn’t
waste them.”
Citi was his girlfriend.
Want to
Back then, Nevin had also liked Ck and pursued ber for several months without success. In the end, Cici chose Jamie over him. That had left Nevin feeling sour, and after a few drinks, he ended up beating Jamie up.
The Parkers had plenty of lawyers for legal issues, but this was essentially family trouble. It wouldn’t look good if it got out, especially since Nevin was Hayden’s brother, so I decided to talk to Jamie.
At first, Jamie refused to see me and was prcity defensive. After making several visits, I found out that Cici had always wanted to go abroad but
Extra Check–in
Ad–Time Arolina
Chapter 48
didn’t have the means. So, I pulled some strings and got her a spot to study overseas.
That led to Jamie being willing to meet with me, and to my surprise, we clicked and ended up becoming good friends.
“By the way, how’s Cici doing lately?” I casually asked.
Just then, the server came by to serve our food. Jamie placed some delicious dishes in front of me and said, “She’s doing well. I just talked to her yesterday. She sounded really happy, though she’s lost a bit of weight. The food over there doesn’t suit her taste.”
The cuisine abroad was way too different from home, so it’s understandable that she wasn’t used to in
“Why don’t you take some time to visit her? Bring her something tasty,” I suggested.
“Maybe later,” Jamie replied with a smile, quickly brushing the topic aside.
I didn’t press further. After a few bites of my meal, I asked, “What’s happening with Nevin’s situation?”
“They’re going through the process. But I heard the Parker family’s lawyers are really good,” Jamie’s brows furrowed with concern as he talked about it The Parker family’s legal team might just be all talk, but they definitely knew how to get things done when they were getting paid.
I quietly pulled out a business card from my bag and handed it to him. “This is my cousin. He’s really skilled with criminal cases. You should go talk
Do him.”
Jamie glanced at the card and fruze. “Why didn’t I hear about this before?”
“Didn’t you say you were done with the lawsuit?” I said casually, then took a couple more bites of the spicy beef. When I wasn’t feeling hungry. something spicy usually helped stimulate my appetite.
As Jamnic mucked the card away, a thought suddenly crossed his mind, and his eyes widened “No wonder you advised me to drop the lawsuit. If you brought your cousin into this, I’d be done for, right?”
I shrugged, pointing at the delicious food in front of us. Just eat up. It’ll get cold.”
In truth, I didn’t even need my cousin to intervene; the Parkers would find a way to convince Jamie to withdraw his lawsuit. With a history stretching back hundreds of years, this enormous family knew how to navigate both light and shadow
Talking to Jamie was just a way to ensure he wouldn’t get
Jamie studied me for a long moment before suddenly standing up to pour me a cup of coffee. He looked serious when he said, “Yvonne, thank you”
“What are you thanking me for! I can only do this much,” I said, quickly brushing it off.
Jamie sat back down and reflected on what had just happened. Then, he asked. “But why did you suddenly stop trying to stop me from suing Nevin! And why did you help me find a lawyer?”
“Doing something wrong should come with consequences. Besides. I’ll soon have nothing to do with Hayden,” I smiled, but even I didn’t notice the bitterness behind that smile.
Jamie, knowing about my situation with Hayden, seemed at a loss for words on how to tomfort mr.
Just then, the atmosphere froze as Nevin’s loud voice suddenly burst in from behind us. “Jamiel What the hell are you discussing with Yvonne? You two trying to get rid of met Let’s see if I don’t knock you out today!”
Before I could react, Nevin charged over, gripping Jamie’s collar as if he meant serious trouble
2/2
08
SINO GUIT
COMMENT
Chapter 49
