Chapter 1533 A Wonderful Evening
Laura: [If you're not mad, why'd it take you so long to reply?]
Derek: [I was on the phone with Blair.]
Ticked off, Laura tossed her phone aside.
Derek: [Why aren't you replying?]
Laura scoffed. She'd messaged him on Facebook, and it took him an hour to get back to her. Now he was all curious why she wasn't responding right away. Did he even think about how long she'd been waiting?
Laura: [Didn't want to interrupt your chat with Blair.]
Derek: [I'm done talking.]
Laura: [Oh, so now you have time for me.]
Derek: [Why do you sound so weird?]
Laura: [I just can't stand people who ditch their family once they get a girlfriend.]
Derek: [You're not talking about me, right?]
Laura: [When I was on a blind date, I always made sure to reply to your messages. I even bailed on my date on Christmas to watch a movie with you. But now that you have a girlfriend, you've totally forgotten about me.]
Derek: [I don't have a girlfriend.]
Laura: [You already took her to meet your parents. She'll be your girlfriend soon. And last night, I wasn't blind; you two were all over each other.]
Five minutes later, Derek sent a long message: [Maybe Blair and I will start dating soon. Laura, you know the bad press before really hit me hard. My parents are pushing me to get married, and I need a partner. Blair's a nice girl. If I get married next year, I'll have to split my time between my wife and kids.]
Laura stared at the long message, feeling numb.
She got it. Derek was saying that if he got married next year, he wouldn't be able to chat with her on Facebook all the time, go out to eat, watch movies, or even walk Maeve together like they used to.
She'd be alone again.
Being alone wasn't a big deal. She'd prepared herself for it the day she divorced Michael.
But why did it hurt so much to think about Derek spending all his time with his future wife and kids?
She still wanted him to be with her like before.
But she knew it was impossible. Just like when Elliott got married and had his own family, most of his time was spent with his wife and kids.
She was happy for Elliott when he left to start his own family, but when Derek left her, she felt panic, helplessness, fear, reluctance, and sadness.
What was wrong with her? Was she losing it?
After a long time, Laura replied: [Okay, I get it.]
She wouldn't bother him like before.
In the following days, Laura went back to the Presidential Palace but didn't run into Derek. During meals, she overheard Magnolia and Carl talking about Derek.
Magnolia suggested, "Do you think Derek's place needs a renovation?" She said excitedly, "If Blair moves in, she might find Derek's bedroom too plain. Girls usually like warmer tones."
"Good idea, but if we renovate, where will Derek stay?" Carl asked.
"He can stay in the guest room or in our building. The Presidential Palace is huge; there's no shortage of rooms," Magnolia said with a smile. "What do you think, Laura?"
"Yeah," Laura replied, keeping her head down.
"You've been pretty quiet lately. Everything okay?" Magnolia asked, looking worried.
"I'm just thinking about the company's celebration this year," Laura forced a smile. "DreamDazzle Beauty Co. made it into the top three in Madison. Tomorrow night, we're having a big celebration, and there's a lot to handle."
"That's awesome. DreamDazzle Beauty Co. is really killing it. At the last party I went to, a bunch of Mrs. Judes couldn't stop raving about you," Magnolia said with a grin.
Laura nodded. "By the way, Magnolia, our company is on holiday next week. I'm planning to take Maeve to Silverwood for a vacation."
Magnolia thought for a moment and nodded, "That's a great idea. You should spend more time with your parents. I'll let Eric and the others know. You can visit them with Maeve during Christmas."
"Thanks, Magnolia." Laura felt a weight lift off her shoulders.
Even though Magnolia and Carl had always been kind to her, the vibe at the Presidential Palace had been stifling lately.
Laura really needed some space from Derek.
Maybe when she got back, she'd feel as calm and indifferent as she did after her divorce.
The next day, at the big celebration for DreamDazzle Beauty Co., Bernice, the brand ambassador and shareholder, not only showed up but also brought along some famous celebrities.
Among them, the most striking was a guy in a burgundy suit with a killer face, making Laura's previously dull eyes light up with excitement.
"Isn't that Levi Morgan?" Laura tugged at Cassie's dress. "You actually got him to come!"
"Yep," Cassie quickly smoothed out the wrinkles Laura had made in her dress and laughed, "Keep it together; you're a major shareholder of our company."
"You know I've been a fan of Levi for years. I want to get a picture with him, but I'm kinda nervous," Laura said, sounding like a total fangirl, her heart racing.
"If you like him, go say hi. Don't forget, you're the host of the banquet tonight," Cassie reminded her.
Bernice picked up a glass of wine from a tray and raised it towards Levi.
Seeing this, Levi smiled charmingly and walked over. "Bernice, long time no see. This must be the founders of DreamDazzle Beauty Co., Laura and Cassie. Nice to meet you."
"Levi, nice to meet you too," Cassie smiled, "You're even more handsome in person than on TV. I don't know much about the entertainment industry, but I know you because Laura loves watching your shows."
"Is that so?" Levi's smiling gaze fell on Laura. "I'm honored."
Laura blushed and said, "I love watching your shows. You're really handsome. Can I get a picture with you?"
"It would be my pleasure," Levi replied.
"I'll take the picture for you," Cassie said, pulling out her phone and stepping aside to snap a photo of the two. "Stand closer."
After taking the photo, Cassie picked a few pictures from the night and posted them on her social media. She captioned it: [A wonderful evening.]
The post included photos of Cassie with Bernice, Laura, and several female celebrities. One of the photos showed Laura and Levi standing very close, both smiling sweetly.
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