Alexander Summersâs fingertips were gentle yet firm, massaging in such a way that Purple felt very comfortable.
She half-closed her eyes in contentment, enjoying the manâs service, and asked lazily, âWhatâs the matter?â
âAfter school tomorrow, Iâll pick you up,â Alexander whispered, lightly biting her earlobe. âWe need to meet with Lily Howard.â
Purple was momentarily startled, then suddenly became fully alert, sitting up straight and asking him, âYou mean, your fiancée Lily Howard?â
At the mention of the word âfiancée,â Alexander looked somewhat uneasy and nodded with a frown.
Purple felt awkward. âDo we have to meet? â¦But after we meet, what will we talk about?â
No matter the topic, it all reeked of awkwardness and dissonance.
But Alexander said, âWe definitely should meet. If you donât see her, sheâll go to the school to find you. Itâs better for everyone to sit down and talk things out clearly, so you stop overthinking.â
Purple pouted and said, âWhatâs there for me to overthink.â
A fleeting smile played on Alexanderâs lips as he watched her.
Purpleâs face flushed with a suspicious red, and she turned her head away, ignoring him.
After a while, though, she couldnât help but ask, âAre you going to marry her?â
Alexander paused, and then his expression darkened. He said with furrowed brows, âIâve told you, sheâs already married abroad.â
Purple bit her lip, wrestling with herself for a while, and then nodded. âLetâs meet then.â
It was quite astonishing.
Had it been her past self, she would have stayed miles away from someone who had a fiancée. How could she be like she was now, enduring his having a nominal fiancée and even having to meet and lay cards on the table with herâ¦
Maybe love was a kind of poison that could dull the senses.
Once it gripped your heart, even if the other person didnât say a word, you would still look for excuses for them.
He must have his hardships⦠he holds me in his heart⦠his relationship with that woman is just for show⦠heâ¦
Sigh.
Purple sighed in her heart, feeling destined to lose sleep tonight.
â¦
The next day in class, Purple couldnât find her rhythm. She was distracted during lectures, and her notes were a mess.
She glanced at the time now and then, and as the end of school approached, her anxiety grew.
There was nothing to be scared of.
She told herself internally.
But she couldnât help feeling uneasy⦠Maybe it was because of the awkwardness of their positions. No matter what, the other woman was the legitimate fiancée! If she acted haughty, Purple really wouldnât know where to put herself!
In her last and current life combined, sheâd never been in such an embarrassing situation.
What would todayâs meeting be like, a peaceful talk or a fierce confrontation?
Even though she didnât want to, school ended, and Alexanderâs car quietly waited at the school gate, impossible to ignore.
Purple got into the car and noticed that Alexanderâs expression was rather grim.
She thought: Could he also be nervous?n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
The car left the school and slowly made its way through the congested traffic.
Purpleâs mind was in a turmoil.
At one moment, she imagined a glamorous woman with fiery red lips arrogantly tilting her head up, looking down on her from above, âI am a lady of a reputable family, graduated from top colleges in France, fluent in several languages; what are you? Daring to fancy Master Xander is simply preposterous! Take this money and get lost!â
After saying that, the woman threw a check at Purpleâs face! â¦
At another moment, she pictured a tender, pitiable woman with red-rimmed eyes looking at Purple, on the verge of tears, âMs. Summers, I truly love Master Xander, please, let us be together! I canât live without him⦠Iâm begging youâ¦â
With that, she started to cry, tears streaming down like rain, almost kneeling down to Purple.
Purple reached out to help her, but the woman collateral fell to the ground, appearing for all the world as if she had been pushed by Purple. This scene was witnessed by many; they began to whisper, âMy, these mistresses nowadays are so brazenâ¦â
As Purpleâs mind wandered through these scenarios, her face alternated between pale and flush.
âWhatâs wrong?â Alexander, sitting beside her, asked.