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Chapter 166
The next day, a black Rolls-Royce pulled over by the roadside just as Jonathan rolled down the window
and looked outside. Seconds later, he kept his gaze and probed Aidan, trying to sound out if the latter
was in a good mood. "President Pearson, it looks like the studio isn't open today. Mrs. Pearson must be
taking a day off over the weekend."
Aidan pursed his lips and looked up, asking, "Is she doing that on purpose?" After all, the fact that
Leanna's studio was closed seemed too much of a coincidence to him, especially after the day he told
her he would visit again.
Meanwhile, Jonathan only reacted with a brittle smile on his face while wondering about the answer to
Aidan's question. Shouldn't you know? She's your wife, and it's funny to think that I'd know the answer
to that.
Aidan then took a deep breath and said, "Give her a call and ask her where she is."
Jonathan heard his instructions and reached for his phone, but a few seconds later, he replied in a
small voice, "Mr. Pearson, I'm afraid Mrs. Pearson has blocked my number as well."
While Aidan was left speechless, Jonathan suddenly saw a notice on the studio's door, whereupon he
stepped out of the car to take a closer look. He then saw a number that he could contact in case of an
emergency, so he immediately dialed it. After ringing for a few seconds, someone answered the call.
"Hello, who am I speaking to?" Zoe asked.
Jonathan replied, "I'd like to order a custom-made necklace. I'm right outside your studio at the
moment, but it seems to be closed. Hence, I'm calling to ask when you'll be back."
"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that. We're closed because we are away for a gathering, so if you're not in any
hurry, I suppose we can discuss it tomorrow."
"I see." Jonathan looked back and caught sight of the man sitting in the black Rolls-Royce. "My boss
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtneeds it quite urgently, though. Would it be convenient for you to give me your current location so that
we can meet you there?"
While Zoe appeared to be hesitant about that, Jonathan sensed her reaction and immediately
explained himself, "My boss is going on a business trip tonight, and he'll only be back in half a month.
However, he needs this necklace as a present for his girlfriend quite urgently, which is why I'm here to
make the reservation ahead for him."
After a brief hesitation, Zoe agreed and said, "Alright then, I'll send you the address in a while. I hope it
won't trouble you too much to travel all the way here." Deep down, she didn't think there was a reason
for her to turn down a client who showed interest in engaging her services. Furthermore, she doubted it
would take long to discuss the designs anyway, so she eventually agreed to let Jonathan meet her.
"Please don't say that. I should be the one apologizing for the inconvenience." Once he hung up the
call, Jonathan heaved a sigh of relief, thinking he had just resolved his boss' problem. I know this is not
going to look nice, but I guess it should help me keep my job at the very least.
…
Zoe, who was in a private lounge with Leanna, spoke to the latter with a soft voice, telling her about the
call she just received. When Leanna learned of the situation, she nodded her head and replied,
"Alright, sure."
A lady who sat beside them said, "Wow, it seems like you're very busy with your new studio, even
taking work calls during our gathering, Zoe."
The lady's name was Maya Fox, and she had been raised in a modest family. Not long after graduating
from university, she married a man who was a part of the senior management in a huge company.
Since then, she had been living a comfortable life as a housewife. However, her relationship with Zoe
and Leanna had always been rather strained since she liked driving wedges between them.
Although Zoe only invited those with whom she and Leanna used to be close, she didn't expect Maya
to come along. Therefore, she smiled bitterly and replied, "I'm sorry that you can't feel how it's like
being busy."
However, Maya refuted Zoe and replied, "Well, I don't have to since my husband is working. Instead, I
spend most of my time staying at home and doing facials. I meet up with friends for tea during my free
time, or I'd have some fun gambling on a cruise. You know what they say about women—marrying the
right man is better than being born into the right family. You guys probably won't be able to relate to it,
though. Anyway, I heard Anthony cheated on you, right? Jeez! I thought I could attend your wedding or
something."
When Zoe heard that loathsome name, she could feel her temples twitching and pulsating.
Nevertheless, as soon as she thought about the purpose of organizing the gathering, she restrained
herself from losing her temper and decided to take the moral high ground.
At that moment, her classmates, who noticed the tension in the atmosphere, quickly interfered in an
attempt to defuse the situation. "Honestly, Anthony is such a douchebag. I used to think that he was a
good man, only to learn that he's actually a despicable two-timer."
"That's right. I heard that it was quite a scene when he was caught red-handed with the other lady. I
wish I were there to witness how pathetic the two of them were."
"Well, I have been told that Anthony subsequently realized he had been set up by someone whom he
has yet to find out until now. Were you behind that, Zoe?"
Zoe replied calmly, "No, there was no way I could have pulled something like that off. It was karma who
caught up to him instead, so justice was served." At the same time, she peeked at Leanna to observe
her reaction, only to notice a faint smile without any other unusual expression.
They continued to condemn and criticize Anthony's unforgivable actions until someone changed the
subject by shifting the focus to Leanna. "By the way, what have you been doing for the past three
years, Leanna? Some said you got married, while others said you went abroad. Someone even said…"
The person talking suddenly felt a nudge on his arm. He realized he was running his mouth off and
kept quiet.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"I'm now a divorcée." Leanna looked up with a smile.
As soon as she said that, the atmosphere was filled with silence for a while until someone said, "We
thought you were going to marry Zayn, but…"
Zoe suddenly interrupted to say, "Hey, where is Elijah? What's taking him so long? It's been half an
hour."
"I just asked him, and it looks like he's stuck in traffic. He's almost here, though," someone answered.
In fact, Elijah used to be Leanna and Zoe's classmate back in school. He had excellent grades and
wore a pair of huge, black-rimmed glasses, but his presence was hardly felt among his friends. His
parents were scientists, and he was a mild-mannered and amiable child who appeared to be reticent
and humorless.
However, Zoe had somehow learned that Elijah was still single and unmarried. Since she was aware of
his character and family background, she believed Elijah was the perfect person a lady could entrust
her life with.
As Zoe carefully observed her former classmates who were single, she noticed that they had either put
on weight or boasted about their careers. For that, she didn't think highly of them and could only count
on Elijah. As soon as the other person finished speaking, the door opened and someone stepped
inside. "I'm sorry for being late."
When they looked in the direction of the voice, some of the ladies appeared to be stunned. "Are you
sure you're in the right place?"
The man smiled and introduced himself, saying, "I'm Elijah."
Apart from the ladies, the men were equally shocked as they stood up in disbelief. "You're Elijah?
Gosh, you've changed so much."
It turned out that the nerdy boy who used to wear huge glasses had now grown into a handsome man,
stunning everyone when they noticed how much his appearance had changed. Meanwhile, Zoe
couldn't help but feel grateful for her decision and applauded herself on the inside. She then stood up
and made way for Elijah to sit beside Leanna. "Come here. We've been waiting for you. Have a seat."
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