Ellinor snapped back to reality. âI wasnât Thinking about anything You wait here for Mr. Blanchet, Iâm taking off.â
With that, she prepared to hall a cab and leave Byran instantly grabbed Ellinor, âWhy are you leaving first? Theo just said heâd take us both, why are you trying to get a cab?â
âI need to get back to the office ASAPâ
Byran didnât buy her excuse. âWhatâs the rush? Youâre done with work, arenât you?â
Ellinor forced a smile, âMy morning work is done, but I still have work to do in the afternoon! Mr.
Howard, you think work is that simple?â
Byran didnât believe her at all and he had his eyes fixed on her face.
âEllinor, are you in such a hurry to leave because youâre afraid to face Theo?â
Ellinor fell silent.
Byran thought heâd uncovered a secret and arrogantly said, âIâm right, huh? Now that Theoâs with my sister, you canât handle it, can you? I told you ages ago that you and Theo arenât right for each other and that heâd end up choosing my sister but you didnât believe me!â
Ellinor chuckled lightly, âMr Howard, can you stop making assumptions about other peopleâs thoughts?â
Byran arrogantly answered. âWhy would I need to make assumptions? If itâs not as I said, then wait with me for Theo to take us both! Otherwise, you must be hiding something!â
Ellinor was taken aback by Byranâs actions and ended up being dragged back to the antique store.
Inside the antique store Theo was already sitting there waiting and being personally attended to by the storeâs owner.
âMr. Blanchet, have a look! This is an antique I brought in especially for you, do you like it?â
Theo glanced at it with an indifferent expression but he agreed readily. âSure, wrap it upâ
The owner was thrilled, âGreat, quickly wrap it up for Mr. Blanchet. Remember to be careful!â
âYes, sirâ
Byran, curious, also went over to see the gift.
Ellinor didnât go over. She really didnât want to leave with Theo, but she couldnât resist Byran, who dragged her back.
If she left now, it would seem like she was too nervous to face Theo.
The truth was, she wasnât scared, she just didnât want to.
But since she was brought back, she decided to just roll with it and started browsing around the store.
Out of boredom, Ellinor picked up a small wooden horse sheâd looked at earlier, admiring the workmanship.
The wooden horse was delicately carved, but the surface was a bit worn, probably by the previous owner. It was a deep color with a glossy finish.
She really liked the wooden horse and had been debating earlier whether to buy it, but felt it wasnât really practical.
Just then, a store clerk came over and told her, âIâm sorry, maâam, but the item youâre holding has been purchased by another customer; could you hand it over for wrapping?â Someone had bought it?
Ellinor looked at the clerk, then glanced around the store. Besides her and Byran, the only customer was Theo; had he bought it?
Theo was still leisurely sitting in the store. As an honored guest of the antique shop, he didnât need to browse around, the owner would have staff bring the most valuable items for him to choose from. He looked like a typical rich guy Moreover, his deep, narrow eyes were slightly squinted as if watching her, or maybe not.
Ellinor looked away Feeling a little disappointed, she handed the wooden horse to the clerk, then walked further away to look at other items.