Cindy dropped her head and stayed quiet for a bit before finally saying, “They’re nothing alike, really. I’m just super lonely.”

Phoebe saw the sadness on Cindy’s face and felt a pang in her heart.

She’d been so swamped lately that she just remembered Caleb’s death anniversary was around now. No wonder Cindy hit the bar and got wasted last night.

Phoebe felt a knot in her chest. “Cindy, you still not gonna visit Caleb this year?” she asked.

Cindy’s fingers tensed up, and her smile faded. She stared blankly at the carpet. “No.”

Phoebe called out, “Cindy.”

Cindy looked up, her eyes full of pain as she stared at Phoebe. “Phoebe, I still can’t accept that he’s gone for good. So I won’t go. As long as I don’t see it, he’s still alive and will come back.” “Why do you put yourself through this?” Phoebe asked, worried. “If Caleb could see you, he wouldn’t be at peace.”

“Then he can never be at peace!” Cindy’s voice was a mix of pain and anger.

Phoebe wanted to say more, but seeing Cindy’s stubborn look, she knew it was pointless. She asked, “That guy treating you well?”

Cindy was caught off guard.

Phoebe said, “Your contract lover, is he good-looking?”

Cindy nodded. “Yeah, especially his eyes. They’re the most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen. Sometimes I wanna take them out and keep them.”

Phoebe was speechless. ‘Cindy’s tone is kinda creepy, what’s up with that?’

Then she said, “Cindy, you shouldn’t have such dangerous thoughts.”

Cindy laughed. “I’m just messing with you, look how freaked out you are.”

Back then, Caleb died in a car crash. He was a med student and had signed an organ donation agreement. After he died, his healthy organs were donated, saving seven lives. The first time Cindy laid eyes on Patrick, she felt a surge of emotion.

It was as if she was seeing her Caleb, gazing back at her through a stranger’s gaze.

Phoebe sighed, and they sat in silence for a while before Cindy spoke again, “Didn’t Mr. Reynolds scold you last night?”

“No, he carried me back,” Phoebe said.

The bar was far from the Imperial Apartment, and it had snowed last night. The streets were cold and quiet in the early morning. She lay on Theodore’s back, her heart pressed against his, feeling his steady heartbeat. For a moment, she wished Theodore could carry her to the end of the world, away from all the chaos.

“Mr. Reynolds is quite the romantic,” Cindy teased.

Phoebe was speechless.

“Seriously, Phoebe, did you pretend to be drunk to get back at him last night? I saw you bite him so hard that blood came out. I was afraid he might kill you,” Cindy said.

Phoebe didn’t want to dwell on the events of last night, so she stated, “It wasn’t that awful.”

Cindy sighed, “Mr. Reynolds was the untouchable star in school, with so many girls after him. I never thought you two would end up together.”

Phoebe replied, “Neither did I.”

Cindy looked at her. “Phoebe, what are you thinking now? I can see he loves you.”

Phoebe held her face. “Even if you keep a pet for four years, you’ll have some feelings for it.”

“Are you a pet dog?” Cindy rolled her eyes. “Besides, for a guy like Theodore, if you caught his eye, you must at least be his type. Why don’t you believe he loves you?”

Phoebe said, “It’s not that I don’t believe.”

Theodore had straight-up told her he hated her. She didn’t dare to hope, fearing that hope would just lead to a bigger letdown.

“Phoebe, you gotta believe in your own charm. Back in school, so many people had crushes on you. The ones chasing you were no less than Theodore.” Cindy reminisced about the folks who were into Phoebe back then, still somewhat astonished.

Actually, Phoebe wasn’t drop-dead gorgeous. Her features were delicate, and she had that sweet, first-love kinda face. Especially when she smiled, her eyes seemed to sparkle.

In college, girls like Phoebe were more likable, making people feel like they could actually approach her and maybe have a shot.

Phoebe pinched her brow. “Do you know why I went to the bar to drink with you last night?”

Cindy shook her head.

Phoebe might’ve mentioned it last night, but she didn’t remember.

Phoebe explained, “Because he hasn’t been home for days. Vanessa’s mom, Sophia, is sick, and he’s been staying at the hospital with her for days. I don’t know if he wants to stay with Sophia or Vanessa, but either way, he hasn’t let go of Vanessa.”

Cindy felt a pang of heartache seeing Phoebe’s downcast eyes.

Over the years, Phoebe rarely mentioned Theodore in front of her, but every time she saw Phoebe, she could feel her unhappiness.

Cindy called, “Phoebe.”

Phoebe looked up and smiled at Cindy. “It’s okay, I’m just venting. You don’t have to take it seriously.”

“When it comes to feelings, if you like him, don’t let go. After all, you and Theodore are the legit couple,” Cindy said. Phoebe responded in silence.

Cindy picked up her phone and started scrolling through Facebook, only to see that Patrick was trending, with a “hot” tag.

#Patrick, buttoned wrong.#

Cindy’s heart skipped a beat. She quickly clicked in and saw a candid photo of Patrick. He was wearing a hat and mask, getting out of a car, his handsome face covered tightly.

Patrick’s eyes showed a hint of irritation, contrasting with his cold demeanor. His shirt collar had two buttons crossed, clearly buttoned wrong.

Cindy covered her face.

She had hurriedly pushed Patrick out the door earlier, not caring if the buttons were right, just making sure they were all buttoned. Now she had embarrassed Patrick in front of his global fans. Patrick likely wanted to throttle her at this point. Phoebe noticed Cindy staring at her phone with a strange expression and leaned over. “Cindy, what are you looking at?”

Cindy quickly turned off her phone. “Nothing, just a funny Facebook post.”

Phoebe replied, “Oh.”

Suddenly, Phoebe’s phone rang. She glanced at the caller ID and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window to answer, “Carol, what’s up?”

Carol said hurriedly, “Ms. Ziegler, you need to come to the office quickly. Something big has happened.”

Phoebe’s heart skipped a beat. “What happened?”

Carol explained, “Bishop and the shareholders are demanding Mr. Reynolds step down as CEO. You need to come to the office now. I’ll hang up first.”

Phoebe’s heart raced. She grabbed her phone, coat, and bag. “Cindy, something’s come up at the office. I need to go.”

Cindy stood up. “Do you need me to drive you?”

“No, I’ll take a cab. Let’s catch up later.” Phoebe put on her shoes, opened the door, and hurried out.

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