Alana asked deliberately, “What if I don’t wear it?”
Stephan raised an eyebrow. “Then I’ll just have to resort to some unconventional methods to make you obey me.”
She scoffed.
Fine, he won.
They didn’t have time to linger; the young couple said their goodbyes and parted ways.
Stephan was going on a business trip for two or three days, but he didn’t know exactly how long it would take.
But the moment he left, she couldn’t help but to start missing him.
Being apart during the honeymoon phase was a bit of a torture.
Still, she hoped she could channel those feelings into her work to make the difficult time a little easier.
When she arrived at the office and stepped into the elevator, she ran into Cole, whom she hadn’t seen in nearly a month.
Cole was wearing a gray suit and a pair of silver-rimmed glasses, still looking every bit the refined yet rebellious intellectual.
He looked at Alana, a gentle smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “Lana, it’s been a while.”
Alana paused for a moment, instinctively taking him in. “Are your arm and leg all healed up?”
A month ago, when she’d seen him at the hospital, both his calf and arm had been in casts.
She had assumed his recovery would take at least three months.
Come nodded. “Yes.” His gaze fixed on Alana, his eyes holding a certain depth.
Alana felt a bit uneasy; her slender fingers unconsciously tightened around her handbag to distract herself.
The elevator was dimly lit.
But a glimmer of light appeared on Alana’s finger, catching the eye.
Cole couldn’t help but look over and was immediately drawn to the sparkling diamond ring on her little finger.
His eyes darkened slightly. “Lana, what is that on your finger?”
The pink diamond ring on Alana’s pinky finger sparkled so brightly it was impossible to ignore.
Seeing that Cole had noticed it, Alana nodded openly and admitted, “It’s a diamond ring.”
Staring at the dazzling pink diamond, Cole’s throat tightened involuntarily. “Did...he give it to you?”
Had their relationship progressed this quickly in such a short time?
Alana nodded again. “Yes, my boyfriend gave it to me.”
Cole stared at her, his tone becoming somewhat confrontational. “Why would he give you a ring?”
Alana was at a loss for words. “Cole, please don’t ask me anything about this anymore, okay?”
But Cole couldn’t control himself. He stepped forward and grabbed her shoulders.
“Answer me!”
“Are you going to marry him?”
Alana looked him straight in the eye, her tone serious. “Whether I marry him or not has nothing to do with you anymore.”
His current panic stood in stark contrast to her composure.
Cole’s eyes flashed with fury as he gripped Alana’s shoulders, unable to resist
tightening his grip.
Alana felt the pain in her shoulder and frowned, but she gritted her teeth and endured it.
Cole couldn’t help but ask, “Lana, have you met his family yet? Are you sure his family would approve of the two of you being together? I’m begging you...please think this through carefully, okay?”
“Don’t gamble away your lifelong happiness so lightly. Stephan isn’t the kind of man you can entrust your life to!”
“Cole, don’t grab me like that...it hurts!”
Only then did Cole notice that Alana’s face looked off, and he quickly pulled his hand away.
He took a step back. “Sorry...I lost control again.”
Alana pressed her lips together and said nothing.
It felt as though the elevator was rising exceptionally slowly at that moment.
Cole stopped pressing Alana for answers, and his demeanor gradually returned to calm, though he seemed dazed and hadn’t yet recovered from the news he’d just received.
They stood on opposite sides of the elevator, neither of them speaking. Until the elevator doors opened.
Alana hurried out.
Cole’s deep voice suddenly rang out behind her.
“Lana, that man, Stephan, he’s not as simple as he seems.”
Alana frowned, didn’t turn around, and kept walking away.
But Cole’s words kept echoing in her mind: “That man, Stephan, is no ordinary man.”
What did Cole mean by that?
Was he trying to sow discord? Cause a misunderstanding between her and Stephan?
No matter what he said, she wouldn’t believe him.
Meanwhile, Cole’s gaze fixed intently on Alana’s retreating figure as he clenched his fists so tightly that the veins stood out.
Alana returned to her desk, turned on her computer, and went about her work as usual.
She had already chosen to block out what had just happened, treating it as if nothing had occurred.
Someone noticed the ring on her finger and let out a gasp.
“Wow, Alana, you’re actually wearing a ring!”
One by one, colleagues began to gather around, curiously examining the diamond ring on her hand.
“Is that a diamond ring on your finger?”
“Did your boyfriend give it to you? It’s so sparkly...this must be a real diamond ring, right?”
Alana hadn’t expected that simply wearing a ring would attract so much attention.
“My boyfriend gave it to me.”
“Wow, your boyfriend really treats you well...he actually gave you a diamond ring!”
“And it’s a pink diamond...doesn’t that make it even more expensive?”
“Alana, your boyfriend is quite a mystery. You’ve been dating for so long, yet you’ve never brought him out to meet people. Is he really that rich?”
“He’s not some rich kid, is he?”
“How did you meet your boyfriend?”
Listening to her colleagues’ chatter and gossip, Alana felt awkward and didn’t know how to respond.
Seeing Alana remain silent, Danielle suddenly spoke up, “Lana, you don’t actually have a boyfriend, do you? Are you just a kept woman?”
Alana frowned and warned, “Danielle!”
Carla spoke up in Alana’s defense, “Danielle, I know you’re jealous of Alana for having such a generous and wealthy boyfriend, but just because you’re jealous doesn’t mean you have to spread rumors about her, does it?”
Danielle pouted. “I was just guessing. It’s not my fault she took it seriously.”
Carla retorted, “Fine, I’ll guess that you’re being kept by an older man and you rush off to serve him the moment you get off work!”
As soon as Danielle heard that, she flew into a rage. “Hey, Carla, that’s going too far!”
“Who was the one who went too far in the first place?”
Danielle was momentarily speechless and didn’t say another word.
Alana glanced at Carla, approving of her boldness. “Carla, I’ll treat you to lunch.”
Carla smiled. “Hehe, thanks, Lana. I’ll gladly accept!”
*************
At lunchtime, Alana treated Carla to a meal at a hot pot restaurant.
While they were eating, she received a message from Stephan.
Stephan: [Reporting to my dear wife: I’ve gotten off the plane and arrived at the hotel.]
Attached was a photo of his hotel room.
Alana’s smiled and immediately replied,
Alana: [Got it.]
She didn’t even realize that, without noticing, she had grown accustomed to his use of... “My dear wife.”
After a moment’s pause, she updated him on her own situation.
Alana: [I’m having hot pot with my colleague.]
Then, following his lead, she snapped a photo of the hot pot and sent it to Stephan.
Stephan’s message arrived the very next second.
Stephan: [Is your colleague male or female?]
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