Chapter 194 A New Beginning
Since Lila had some urgent stuff to handle at Stellar Legal Advisors, I headed back to the apartment first. The live stream I did with Edward, Anne, and Aria blew up online. Now that Edward and I were officially divorced, I figured it was the perfect time to announce it and answer some questions from the fans to avoid any future drama.
My account had just been restored, and the stream was kind of last-minute, so the viewer count wasn't great. But that didn't bother me; I just wanted to get the news out there and let the internet do its thing.
Later that evening, I got to the restaurant Lila had booked for me, feeling pretty pumped. The place was decked out for a singles party, with fancy snacks and flowers all over the long table in the center. That's when it hit me—Lila's "work" was actually setting up this surprise for me.
Tears welled up in my eyes as I rushed over to Lila and hugged her tight. My throat felt all choked up, and I was so grateful I couldn't even speak. Lila patted my back gently and smiled, "Diana, think of today as a fresh start. We need to have a few drinks."
Just then, Nolan came over laughing, holding a bottle of wine. "Diana, congrats on getting your freedom back. The future's looking bright."
Even some college friends from the city showed up. One of them said excitedly, "Diana, it's been ages! I'm so happy to see you living your best life now." Hearing that, I was touched that Lila had managed to get so many old friends together.
Seeing me in high spirits, my friends got even more pumped. Nolan was the first to raise his glass and shout, "To Diana's new life, cheers!" Everyone joined in, and the room was filled with the sound of clinking glasses and laughter. We kept toasting and chatting, and the place was buzzing with joy.
The lively atmosphere lifted my spirits, and the gloom in my heart started to fade. With close friends around, a successful career, and freedom from my marriage, I felt like I was on the path to a bright future. But there was still a bit of sadness because my parents couldn't see this moment. Then I thought, if they knew how I felt now, they'd be happy I was living my true self.
Just as we were deep in the celebration, there was a gentle knock on the private room door. A friend near the door opened it, and there stood the hotel owner with a warm smile, holding a beautifully arranged fruit platter. I was momentarily stunned, still processing the surprise, when the owner calmly stepped in, placed the fruit on the table, and said, "Ms. Cooper, we heard you were celebrating today, so our hotel prepared this small gift as a token of our appreciation. We hope your future journey in life will be smooth and that you will have a joyful heart every day."
I knew this was a common way for the hotel to build rapport with guests, but it still caught me off guard since such gestures were usually for birthdays or other big celebrations.
The owner then introduced himself, "Ms. Cooper, I'm a huge fan of Eric and Alice. Today, I'm here not just on behalf of our hotel but also on behalf of Alice's many fans to extend our heartfelt congratulations. To be honest, I had made some unkind comments about you online after the incident with Alice because I didn't understand the whole situation."
At this point, the owner looked a bit embarrassed and scratched his head. He continued, "But after seeing some interviews and live streams about you, I realized what an extraordinary and admirable person you are as an independent woman."
Hearing the owner's heartfelt words, my friends all burst into applause. He then picked up a wine bottle from the table, poured himself a glass, and said sincerely, "Ms. Cooper, I truly apologize for my past harsh comments. Even though Eric has left the online world, we fans still feel a deep sense of loss. But the touching love story between him and Alice has moved us all, and it even rekindled my own hopes for a beautiful love. I also sincerely wish that you will soon find your own happiness and peace of mind." With that, the hotel owner raised his glass and drank it down in one go, and we all heartily followed suit.
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