Chapter 20

It began to pour when Olivia returned to school. She sat by the window, watching the rain outside and feeling as gloomy as the pouring rain itself.

She was discreet about not taking the clothes Tyler had bought her home. Instead, she left them in her school dormitory.

After washing the lingerie, she hung it on the balcony. The wet, white lingerie swayed in the wind.

As Tyler drove away from the hospital, he felt annoyed. He continued driving for a while before pulling over under a tree by the street.

The rain poured down, and the car windows were tightly shut. Inside the car, he sat and smoked. The smoke filled the car, and his expression remained blank amidst the silent swirls of smoke.

Thoughts of the previous night unexpectedly filled his mind as he smoked. He continued to smoke, one after another, in the pouring rain, until he crushed the last cigarette in the ashtray.

His life felt as trapped as the relentless downpour.

While sitting by the window, Olivia contemplated her situation. Eventually, she decided to send Tyler a text message, consisting of only two words: “Thank you.”

Her heart raced after she sent the message, and she remained silent, lips pursed.

The rain poured until midnight, gradually stopping the next morning. By that time, Tyler had replied with four words: “Don’t worry about it.”

She thought about it and texted him again. “Tyler, can I buy you a meal? To thank you for what you’ve done for Jacob.” She was actually quite nervous after sending that text.

He responded later in the afternoon: “Let’s do it tonight. I’ll pick you up.”

Her heart felt like it was on a rollercoaster ride. At that moment, it was at its peak, and she knew it would plummet in the next second.

She quickly replied, “Sure.”

In the evening, Tyler arrived at her school precisely at 6 P.M. He was driving a different car she hadn’t seen before, and she didn’t know the license plate.

Whispering as she got into the car, Olivia asked, “What would you like to eat?” She wrinkled her nose as she detected a faint smell of cigarette smoke in the car.

Tyler rolled down the window to let the smoke dissipate, then turned to her. He noticed she was wearing the dress he had bought for her, which looked perfect in white.

Their eyes met briefly, but Tyler looked away first. He responded to her question, “Are you sure you.

want to buy me dinner?”

She nodded with seriousness. She also wanted to return the money he had given her, but she hadn’t mentioned it yet.

“Where are we going?” Olivia was unsure. She couldn’t afford expensive restaurants, and cheaper ones might not suit Tyler’s status. She was feeling troubled.

Tyler, in his usual cold manner, cut off her self–imposed trouble. “I’ll pick the place since you’re treating me.”

Starting the car, he drove away from the school. Olivia expected that she would have to spend a lot judging by his tone, but she didn’t really care where they were going. The breeze felt refreshing after the rain.

After half an hour of driving, they arrived at an exclusive establishment. Olivia was taken aback by the place he drove into.

Tyler got out of the car first. She hesitated as she slowly exited the car, realizing that it was an expensive place.

He glanced at her and said coldly, “What, you’re unwilling to spend so much?”

“No, I’m wondering if I brought enough cash with me,” she replied.

“I thought you wanted to thank me for Jacob? Where’s your sincerity?” Tyler remarked, leaving Olivia perplexed and a little frustrated.

Tyler then walked into the establishment. She followed behind, feeling that he seemed colder today, though she wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination.

Trying to shake off her distracting thoughts, she followed him inside.

When they arrived, uniformed staff approached them and greeted them, inquiring how many people would be dining.

“Two people,” Tyler replied.

They were led to a courtyard, and Olivia followed along. Tyler sat down naturally in a private room, but she hesitated.

He looked at her after taking his seat and asked, “What’s wrong? You dare not sit?”

The staff also watched her, so she quickly took a seat across from him.

He handed her the menu, and she glanced at it briefly, feeling overwhelmed. It was so expensive!

“Is there anything you’d like to eat?” Tyler asked, looking at her.

She shook her head quickly and passed him the menu. “You’ll order, I’ll pay.”

Tyler nodded and perused the menu. He placed an order without looking up. “One lobster thermidor, squid paella, cheese platter, duck confit, grilled oysters…” He almost wanted to order more.

“It’s just the two of us. Isn’t it a little wasteful to order so much food?” Olivia asked, feeling a bit shy.