Chapter 40 Is She the Substitute for That Woman?
"If you didn't care about me, you wouldn't be all up in my business every day. If you didn't have a thing for me, you wouldn't be telling Susan to whip up my favorite dishes, you wouldn't have your bodyguard snooping around my life, you wouldn't care whose kid I'm carrying, and you wouldn't be tracking my every move. So, Michael, just admit it—you like me." Elizabeth rounded on Michael, eyes locked with him.
Michael stared back, "Yeah, I admit it. But what about you? Elizabeth, do you like me?"
Elizabeth was caught off guard. "I don't know. I've never really thought about it. You're Michael. I feel like I should like you. But I'm scared to. I don't dare to. I won't let myself."
Michael chuckled, "Elizabeth, don't make me out to be some monster. Give me a shot. I'll treat you right. Over time, you'll see I'm way better than Anthony."
Elizabeth asked in confusion, "Why bring up that loser Anthony when things are going fine?"
Michael explained, "Didn't you used to be all about him?"
Elizabeth sighed, "That was ages ago. Back then, he was sweet. His eyes were all for me. He wrote me love poems every day and whisper sweet nothings in my ear. He'd give me gifts, take me out to eat, and we'd hit up art shows and concerts on weekends. We even watched movies together. We were happy then. Even though we broke up, I can't pretend those days didn't happen. When my parents didn't care about me, he made me happy. I can't just erase those memories because he later screwed me over."
Michael just looked at her, silent.
"What about you, Michael? Ever liked another woman?" Elizabeth asked, waiting for his answer.
She thought of the young woman in the pink dress in the photo. That woman was snuggled up in his arms. They both looked so happy. Elizabeth had never seen Michael smile like that. His softest smile was for that woman.
"No. Before you, I never liked any woman," he said.
Elizabeth was stunned. Could it be that the woman in the photo had passed away? She suddenly felt very sad. Did Michael think Elizabeth looked like that woman and wanted to make Elizabeth her replacement? The thought made her feel suffocated.
She had enough of this conversation. Elizabeth turned and called out to Susan, "Susan, I'm starving."
"Yes, Mrs. Thomas. Mr. Thomas asked me to save some food for you. I'll bring it out right away."
Elizabeth glanced at Michael on the couch. He even paid attention to such small details. It seemed he really did like her. Michael was already reading a financial magazine. Elizabeth turned her face and focused on eating.
After finishing her meal, Elizabeth opened her phone to check unread messages. They were all from Sarah: [The blind date is over! Neither of us is interested in the other.He's just a rich kid who doesn't do anything serious. He doesn't have much money. Are you sure he gave you a million dollars? Elizabeth, don't worry. I'll get to the bottom of this.]
That night, Michael returned to the room and called Daniel, "Daniel. Book me two movie tickets for tomorrow night."
"Yes, Mr. Thomas. Which movie would you like to see?"
"What movies are playing these days? Which one do you think would be good for a young woman?" Michael asked.
On the other end, Daniel got the hint right away. Why didn't Michael just say he wanted to take Elizabeth to the movies? Was there any other young woman worth his effort? But Daniel only dared to grumble these words in his head.
Just like today, Michael had been working in the company when a message came and the next thing Daniel knew was the piles of papers left on Michael's desk, however, waiting to be dealt with by him, Michael's assistant.
"Yes, Mr. Thomas. I'll send the e-ticket info to your phone," Daniel replied.
"Okay."
Michael hung up. He lay quietly on the bed, deciding to officially start showing his feelings for Elizabeth tomorrow.
The next day, Elizabeth got to school early. There was a lecture by the famous medical expert Emily Johnson in the school's auditorium. Elizabeth had always admired Emily and wouldn't miss such a rare chance to hear her speak up close.
As soon as the lecture ended, Elizabeth followed her all the way to the faculty office building. But she was surprised to see one of Michael's bodyguards at the entrance.
The bodyguard was just as surprised to see her. "Mrs. Thomas, what are you doing here?"
"I'm here to see Ms. Johnson. Why are you here?" Elizabeth asked.
"Mr. Thomas has business with Mrs. Johnson."
Michael was also looking for Emily? What for? Elizabeth was there to consult on medical issues. Was Michael there for treatment?
When Elizabeth entered the office, Michael had already finished talking with Emily and was about to leave. Emily looked up and saw Elizabeth. "What can I do for you?"
"Ms. Johnson, hello. I'm a student here, Elizabeth. I've always admired you. This is a paper I wrote earlier. It cites some of your clinical cases. I'd love for you to take a look and I really could use some of your advice," Elizabeth replied.
Emily sat down and carefully read her paper. Elizabeth waited quietly beside her.
After saying goodbye to Emily, Elizabeth left the office and called Sarah. "Sarah, let's grab lunch together."
They decided to eat at the school cafeteria.
"Graduation's coming soon. We won't have many more chances to eat here," Elizabeth sighed.
"Yeah, every meal here is a precious one," Sarah sighed, too.
Facing graduation, they suddenly felt a deep affection for the school.
While eating, Elizabeth asked, "Sarah, was last night at Crystal Oasis Retreat a blind date party?"
"Yeah, what's up?" Sarah asked.
"Then it's not really my scene."
"Why not?"
"I'm married now."
Sarah's jaw dropped. "When did you get married without telling me?"
"It's not something to brag about. My stepmother married me off for money," Elizabeth replied.
"Oh my God! What kind of stepmother do you have? That's awful!" Sarah shouted.
"It's not as bad as it sounds. And the groom was also forced."
"What? There are still arranged marriages nowadays?"
"Arranged? Yeah, you could say that," Elizabeth nodded.
"And your husband, he actually went along with it?" Sarah was shocked.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
