Chapter 543 As Long as we Met, I'd Like you
Benjamin held her close, his eyes radiating pure contentment.
Daphne suddenly sat up and called his name, "Benjamin."
"What's up?" Benjamin asked.
"If our first meeting had been different, would you still like me?" Daphne pressed.
"Absolutely," Benjamin replied without hesitation.
Daphne was curious. "Why?"
"In this lifetime, I've met a lot of people, but you were the only one who caught my eye from the start," Benjamin explained. "As long as we met, I'd like you."
Daphne bit her lip but stayed silent.
While they were still cozy in bed, Louis knocked on the door, his soft voice coming from outside, "Mom, it's time for breakfast."
"Okay," Daphne responded, quickly getting out of bed.
Ten minutes later, they were all having breakfast together outside.
After breakfast, Benjamin and Daphne took Louis and Diana to school.
On their way back, they ran into Jesse.
"Jesse?" Daphne was surprised to see him since he hadn't visited much in the past two years, spending most of his time at the company.
Jesse greeted them briefly.
Seeing Daphne happy now, he felt relieved.
"I'd like to take a few days off," Jesse, still as cool and handsome as ever, now exuded more steadiness. "Mark is getting married the day after tomorrow, and he wants me to be his best man."
"You don't need to ask me for leave for something like this," Daphne smiled slightly, knowing how close the two were. "You're now the boss of HorizonTech Group. You can decide where you want to go."
After getting pregnant, she had handed over the CEO position to Jesse.
Jesse was talented, capable, and had shares in the company. Everyone respected him, so letting him manage the company allowed her to focus on her pregnancy and raising her children.
Jesse still considered Daphne the true boss of HorizonTech Group. "You are the real boss of HorizonTech Group."
Daphne smiled slightly.
When Jesse was about to leave, Daphne asked him to bring a wedding gift to Mark for her.
After all, Mark had always been good to her, and it was only natural to give him a gift for his wedding.
"By the way, Mark is getting married. When do you plan to find a partner?" Daphne asked, showing her concern for Jesse.
Jesse paused and then replied coolly, "No rush."
He had no intention of getting married; he couldn't marry just for the sake of it.
Such a life was not what he wanted.
"Let me know when you find someone you like. I'll manage the company, and you can go date," Daphne offered sincerely.
Jesse didn't want her to worry too much. "Okay."
That afternoon, Jesse took leave and went to Ivrea City. He had known Mark since childhood, attended the same high school and college, and although they didn't keep in touch often, their relationship remained strong.
When he arrived, Mark personally picked him up from the airport and took him to the pre-booked restaurant.
At first, they simply caught up.
Later, Jesse gave Mark the gift from Daphne.
Seeing this, Mark wanted to refuse, as he hadn't invited Daphne.
"You can still invite her now," Jesse uttered simply.
"I can't invite her," Mark's smile faded, and his eyes showed some complexity. "Mr. Lancelot hasn't said anything over the years, nor has he shown his feelings, but I can tell he's hung up on Ms. Murphy."
If Daphne came and he saw her with Benjamin, it would be too painful for him. It was better not to provoke him.
Jesse paused. "The heartbroken one has moved on. Why hasn't he?"
"I don't know," Mark admitted, still puzzled. "Maybe it's guilt, regret, or just nostalgia for the time they were together."
Jesse didn't say much; he wasn't one to understand the complexities of the heart.
All he wanted was for Daphne to be happy.
"What about you?" Mark switched gears. "You've been single for so long. Haven't you thought about finding a girlfriend?"
"No," Jesse replied honestly. He had no such thoughts.
Even when he agreed to be Daphne's fake boyfriend, it was just to help her out.
He had never genuinely wanted to date.
"You don't actually like Ms. Murphy, do you?" Mark handed him a glass of water, his eyes filled with suspicion.
Jesse admitted openly, "I like her."
Daphne was so good; why wouldn't he like her?
"I'm not talking about admiration or gratitude. I mean the kind of like where you want to date her, hold hands, hug, and be intimate," Mark clarified, surprised by Jesse's straightforwardness.
Jesse shook his head. "No, not like that."
Mark was curious. "If you don't like her that way, why are you so devoted to her?"
Someone who is devoted to another person is either in love with them or has significant benefits.
Jesse clearly didn't fit either scenario; he wasn't in it for profit or love, which made Mark very curious.
"She was good to me," Jesse said simply.
He would always remember that cold night when he was a child. His parents had a fierce argument, and his mother left home in disappointment, abandoning him. His father didn't stop her and even told him to leave with her.
At that time, he was only four or five years old, not yet in elementary school. His father locked him out and told him to leave, and his mother didn't want him.
Jesse cried alone in the cold night for a long time.
He cried until his tears dried up, his teeth chattering from the cold, and no one cared about him.
If Daphne hadn't appeared, he might have frozen or starved to death that winter night.
She gave him a cup of water that warmed his heart, gradually thawed his frozen heart, and allowed him to go to school steadily.
He remembered these things, while Daphne did not, because at that time, she was just a two or three-year-old child.
But that didn't matter; it was enough that he remembered.
"Indeed, Ms. Murphy is a boss worth following." Mark had a good impression of Daphne and understood her relationship with Jesse. "But in the future, we might see each other less and less."
They lived apart, one in Ivrea City and the other in Gedser.
After Mark started a family, his focus in life had to shift.
"True." Jesse nodded.
That night, Mark stayed with Jesse.
In fact, he didn't want to get married either, but he had no choice.
With each passing year, the pressure from his parents to marry intensified, their pleas becoming more insistent. In the past two or three years, every time he went home for a holiday, he was either on a blind date or on his way to one.
Later, Mark understood that not getting married was impossible. Since that was the case, he might as well get married.
So he changed his mindset and seriously went on blind dates, eventually meeting his current fiancée. Although it wasn't the passionate love of his youth, it was suitable.
"Mark," Jesse suddenly spoke.
Mark, sitting beside him, responded, "What's up?"
"Don't become the second Charles," Jesse reminded him seriously, "Treat your partner well."
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