Turning Of the Tide by Diana Sander

Chapter 438

Ava had her laptop in front of her, legs crossed, and head bowed as she earnestly replied to messages.

A stille of well wishing hung on her lips Inside the Fairy Fortress chat group, Sherri did the same thing,

saving and sharing Rose’s posts to the group chat.

She wanted to make sure everyone shared in the excitement, as she was concerned that someone

might miss out on this juicy gossip.

Good things were meant to be shared. It was a principle Sherri always held.

Ava smiled as she scrolled through the photos sent by Sherri One by one, she slid through them and

lightly nudged Frank’s arm with her elbow. Her gaze was still fixed on the phone screen. “Frank, look.

Rose is traveling.”

At her words, Frank squinted his eyes. His gaze shifted to Ava’s phone, and he was left speechless

because the sequence of photos Sherri had sent was exactly the same as the ones Hackett had sent

earlier.

These two were really a perfect match.

They were on the same wavelength.

With a faint response, he said, “Hmm.”

After looking at the photos, Ava scrolled down and could sense Sherri’s excitement from the captions

Ava wrote, [Rose, are you getting closer to being married?]

Sherri replied, (Oh, she’s my future sister–in–law.]

Natalie chimed in, (Be a bit more cautious. You’re still a pregnant woman.]

Sherri replied, [Can you understand the feeling of having a single older male in the family without a

girlfriend, and then hiny finally getting married off? I bless you with tears.]

Rose wrote, [Stop it, tone down the pretense. I’m afraid I won’t be able to handle it, sis.]

Sherri wrote, [Love you, my beloved sister–in–law.]

Natalie added, [Cheesy.]

Ava found the messages quite amusing and looked up at Frank. She noticed that his face had

darkened for a moment. His slender fingers kept tapping his phone, seemingly contemplating

something. She asked, “Should I reply?”

Seeing Frank’s irritated expression, Ava lost her motivation to reply to the messages. She pushed her

laptop slightly away. then turned and straddled Frank’s lap. She tossed her phone onto the ground and

wrapped one arm around his neck. With the other hand, she gently caressed his brow. “Don’t furrow

your brows like that. Look, Rose is really happy in the photos.”

After speaking, she gave a peck on Frank’s lips. Frank remained still, his deep, dark eyes narrowing

slightly. The gloom that had been lurking in his heart was dissipated by Ava’s kiss. He replied, “Yeah.

Frank held her with one arm. Ava had an alluring waist that fit perfectly in his grip, completely under his

control.

Unhurriedly, Ava leaned on his shoulder like a child, her weight pressing onto him. She played with her

hands on his back. completely unaware of their awkward position.

Suppressing his emotions, Frank picked up his phone and sent a message to Rose. [Are you aiming to

be a professional internet sensation, or are you preparing to be a target?]

Rose was playing with her phone at the moment. She quickly replied, [Speak human language.]

After reading the message, Frank’s brow furrowed, and his head throbbed. He wrote, [You could have

shared your posts more widely.]

Rose understood and replied, [I’m not that stupid. Others can’t see my posts. I’ve set the visibility

permissions so that only a few of you can see them. This time, I even added Grace and others. Am I

smart or what?]

Rose had no intention of revealing her private matters outside of their circle. She believed that her

romantic relationship was a normal and serious one, not some sort of reality show romance that

required attention or popularity. She didn’t want to make it known to others.

She only wanted the people who mattered to her and those who could genuinely wish her well to know

about it.

That was how Rose thought about it.

It turned out that her brother Frank shared the same sentiment. They were rarely on the same page.

After reading Rose’s message, Frank breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that his sister was quite clever. It

seemed she hadn’t lost her mind while dating.

However, he decided not to praise her in text form, lest he give her a big head [Why not change your

name to ‘Queen of Spamming“?]

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Chapter 428

Rose responded, That’s going too far. I don’t smoke or drink, and you still want to take away my one

hobby of spamming posts.J

Finally, Frank compromised after recalling Rose’s radiant smile, Stay safe.]

Rose replied, (Got it. Be happy with Ava, okay?]

It seemed Rose still had a conscience, and Edward could put up with it.

Edward, who was usually quite methodical, had actually thrown his work aside to goof around with

Rose. This was really a rare exception.

Frank pur away his phone.

Ava continued playing around behind him, sometimes fixing her hair, sometimes fidgeting with her

earlobes. Frank wasn’t typically someone whose mind was clouded by desire, but he couldn’t resist her

teasing in this posture. Combined with her actions, a sense of restlessness surged within him. “Baby

Ava, come down and play the game.”

Ava didn’t step back or come down. She encircled his neck with her arms and locked eyes with him,

their gazes aligned, her delicate face adorned with a faint smile. “Are you feeling better now?”

“Yeah

Frank responded lightly, unsure of what else to say at the moment.

Ava dismounted from him, taking a seat beside him, ready for a competition. “Alright, let’s start.”

Ava didn’t seem to notice Frank’s abnormality. Frank, on the other hand, was even more helpless. It

was like the person who had just teased him wasn’t her. “Let’s begin.”

Night had fallen.

Inside a mansion in Artroyland, the living room was filled with snacks, fruits, and beverages.

Rose didn’t drink alcohol, so there was no need for any. She loved Edward, but not to the extent of

throwing herself at him. Occasionally kissing him to change.his moody demeanor was sufficient.

He was handsome, refined, and genuinely a gentleman, but sometimes he overthought things and was

too reserved.

Rose had a mild case of compulsive tendencies. Whenever Edward hesitated, overthought, or became

too indecisive, she would give him a quick kiss, causing his mind to momentarily blank out and leaving

behind all those complicated questions.

Wasn’t it okay to live happily and peacefully, resolving things with oneself?

Must one fill their mind with endless why, shouldn’t, couldn’t? All those words were just too exhausting.

Rose and Edward had showered and changed into their sleepwear in their rooms. Then, they sat on

the sofa, facing each other, each holding a deck of cards.

In this kind of setting, it was probably the first and only time in Edward’s life that he felt so relaxed and

at ease. He enjoyed it and felt happy. “Do you want me to let you win?”

Rose shot him a dagger–like glance, displaying her refusal to accept defeat. “You think I’ll lose?”

Edward wanted to ensure she wouldn’t be upset if she lost, so he honestly asked that question. “That’s

not what I meant.”

He didn’t know if she wanted to win or lose. He guessed she most likely wanted to win.

“Let’s play fairly. Besides, this game doesn’t require any brainpower. It’s simply a game of luck,

comparing card values. Let me explain the rules. If I play a 10 and you play an 8, I win and you have to

answer a question.”

Rose carefully explained the rules, not feeling that the game would insult Edward’s intelligence. After

all, she didn’t know how to play any card game.

Edward felt his intelligence was being lowered, but he had no choice. Rose was enthusiastic about it

and quite excited, so he just had to go along.

“Sure.”

“Then let’s get started.”

As soon as they started, Rose played a king and Edward played a jack. The first round went to her.

With both of them almost 60 years old combined, they were playing a simple game of comparing card

values and having a great time.

If Frank found out, he’d probably have to give Edward some admiration once again.

Frank would never play such a simple game with his sister.

The first round went to Rose. She excitedly swayed her hips, her flexible waist moving like a snake.

Edward glanced at her quickly before looking away, waiting for the impending question.

“Til ask then. When we were having pizza together, I suspected you were the person who saved me.

Why didn’t you admit it?

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Chapter 428

Were you afraid I would cling to you?”

Rose asked the question that had been on her mind.

Edward paused for a moment, recalling their candid conversation from the previous night. “When I

saved you, I didn’t know who you were. I didn’t expect any repayment from you. It was just a small

gesture.”

This was true. If it had been anyone else, Edward would have saved them as well, He couldn’t just

stand by and watch a girl get abducted. However, he hadn’t told Rose that his leg had broken during

the incident and he had spent a long time in the hospital.

Rose asked again doubtfully, “Really, you didn’t think I’d cling to you?”

“No.” Edward’s tone was quite certain.

With the first round of questions over, they.continued playing cards. The game progressed smoothly,

and they were polite

to each other.

In the second round, Edward won. He rubbed the back of the card with his fingertip as if contemplating

what question to ask. After a few seconds, he finally said, “Why did you choose to become a

pediatrician?”

Rose sat up straight, adjusting her posture. Her legs were crossed, with her right leg over her left, but

she shifted her position slightly, moving her hips. She was ready to explain, “This question, huh? I

thought you were going to ask me about feelings. Actually, it’s quite a coincidence. Do you know why I

went to Sapphire City?”

As Rose spoke, she raised her hand, showing the scar hidden by her watch. It indicated the reason for

going to Sapphire City. Edward’s interest in continuing the topic suddenly waned. His gaze dimmed

slightly, and he spoke gently, “If you don’t want to talk about it, we can change the topic and discuss

something that makes you happy.”

Rose shook her head. “It’s not as sad as you think. In fact, the story starts with an act of bravery on my

part. My initial intention to become a pediatrician was a happy one.”

Edward brightened his previously dimméd gaze. He listened intently with an inquisitive earnestness.

Rose said, “I guess it was my first year in Sapphire City. I was unfamiliar with the place and didn’t know

how to use public transport, but I needed to survive there. So, I explored the surroundings and the

buildings based on the map. I didn’t dare to venture too far.

“Coincidentally, I came across an artificial lake. It looked beautiful, so I went to take a look. There were

a lot of people gathered, and a woman was crying. As I got closer, I found out a child had fallen into the

lake. He had just been rescued by the people around, but he wasn’t waking up, and there was no

doctor around.”

Rose continued, “It’s even more coincidental that our teacher had taught us about first aid procedures

just a week before. With boldness, I walked up to the distressed mother and told her that I knew first

aid and could help. Perhaps she had no other options, so she trusted me. Then, I followed the steps

my teacher had taught us and properly administered first aid to the child. After about half an hour of

effort, the child finally regained consciousness.

“At that moment, I found myself. I felt a great sense of accomplishment and excitement. Seeing the

mother embracing her child in tears reminded me of Grace. I wondered if she felt as anxious about ine

after I committed suicide as that mother

did.”

Looking back on it now, it felt as if fate was reminding her that she had made mistakes, arranging this

incident specifically

for her.

As Rose spoke, tears welled up in her eyes. There was regret, self–blame for her past foolishness, an

apology to Grace, and a- sense of closure to the past.

The crystal–clear tears rolled down her cheeks and onto the sofa. Edward’s chest tightened. He

regretted asking such a question.

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