Chapter 325
"Thanks a bunch, I really dig 'em!"
Ella took the flowers, but honestly, it wasn't the flowers that were stunning—it was her that made 'em look so good!
For a sec, I was totally lost in the moment.
Ella looked a bit flustered, "What's up? Do I have something on my face?"
I snapped back, "Nah, just got a bit sentimental. Why's God gotta be so unfair?"
Ella giggled softly, "You're exaggerating!"
I shook my head, "Not even close, you're way prettier than those celebs."
Even without makeup, Ella was a knockout, and with makeup, she was just next-level gorgeous.
She was seriously stunning.
All women love compliments, and Ella was no different. But I knew there's a fine line. Overdoing it could come off as fake and might backfire.
Plus, she's part of the company now, so no need to go overboard.
Dinner was a blast, and we had a great chat.
We started off talking shop, but then we drifted into more personal stuff.
Especially when I told her how I used to ditch my counselor's classes to attend hers in college, she laughed so hard she almost fell over, "Was my class that popular?"
"Totally, Ms. Martinez is my goddess!"
Right after I said that, I kinda regretted it. It sounded a bit too much, "Ms. Martinez, even now!"
I felt a bit awkward.
Ella seemed a bit shy too.
She flicked her hair, "Really?"
"Lots of students used to think of Ms. Martinez as their dream girl."
Since we were on this topic, I had to keep going, "Honestly, back then, I always thought if I could ever take Ms. Martinez out to dinner, but I was just a broke student."
Ella smiled, "Well, did you get your wish?"
"I did, and it's like a dream being your partner."
I raised my glass, "Cheers."
Ella raised hers too. She didn't seem like a big drinker. After a few sips, her neck even turned red.
She looked at the dimly lit street below, "Never thought I'd be here having dinner with one of my students."
"Why's that?"
She gave me a look, "This place is for dates!"
I scratched my nose, "Got it!"
"It's just a marketing gimmick. But yeah, dining here is pretty sweet."
With her hands under her chin, she looked super charming.
Around nine, after a great meal, we left hand in hand. That's when I spotted a familiar face.
Lily, what's she doing here?
And she was sitting across from some guy in his thirties.
The dude had gold-rimmed glasses and looked all polite. He was chatting away, making Lily laugh.
I frowned. What's the deal?
She was all lovey-dovey before, wanting to be with me, and now she's out with another guy.
I just found it hilarious.
But whatever, we were done. No strings attached. We used to be boss and subordinate, now just colleagues.
Ella looked at me puzzled, "Do you know her? Should we say hi?"
I shook my head with a smile, "Nah, she's on a date. Let's not interrupt."
At that moment, the guy with glasses noticed me. He frowned, and Lily looked my way.
Our eyes met, and Lily looked stunned, then panicked.
I smiled at her, nodded, and said to Ella, "Let's go."
At that moment, I realized I was totally over Lily!
"John!"
I heard Lily calling from behind, and Ella nudged me, "Hey, someone's calling you!"
I stopped, turned around, and looked at Lily calmly, "Ms. Wilson, what a surprise, didn't expect to see you here!"
Lily caught up, "John, it's not what you think. You've got it all wrong."
Before she could finish, she noticed Ella holding my hand, and her face went stiff, "Are you two... together?"
Ella quickly let go of my hand, "No, no, it's not like that. Just being polite."
Right then, the guy with the glasses came out, "Lily, why'd you run out?"
As he got closer, he gave me the once-over. When he saw Ella, a flicker of interest crossed his eyes. He asked Lily, "Is this someone you know?"Lily totally ignored him; she turned to me, asking in an awkward tone. "Your date?"
I looked at her, "If there's anything, we can talk about it at work. I won't keep you."
With that, I turned to leave.
"John!" Lily grabbed my hand, a hint of desperation in her eyes, "Can't you just hear me out?"
"Is it really necessary? We're just colleagues now."
"What did you say?" She looked at me, stunned.
I wasn't in the mood to argue, "Ms. Martinez, let's go."
I pulled my hand away and walked off without looking back.
"John." Lily's voice cracked, and I felt a pang of discomfort, but this had to end.
Maybe I misunderstood her, but it didn't matter. Like Ella said, Crystal Cove Club was a dating spot, where people came with certain intentions.
In the elevator, Ella asked, "Your girlfriend?"
I shook my head, "Ex-girlfriend, but we broke up. Just didn't click."
"I see." Ella nodded, and the elevator fell silent.
"Let me drive you back."
"Want to take a walk by the seaside?"
Ella looked at me, "I love the beach when I'm feeling down."
"Sure thing!"
We drove to Gold Coast.
The sea breeze felt amazing.
She kicked off her high heels, tied up her skirt, and stepped barefoot into the water, "So comfy!"
I followed her lead.
"I didn't come to the beach much before, but these past two years, I've been here a lot."
She said, "Whenever I'm upset, I come here, shout at the sea, and all my worries just vanish."
Saying that, she put down her shoes, cupped her hands around her mouth, and shouted.
I joined in.
After shouting, I felt a bit lighter. She smiled and asked, "How was it?"
I nodded, "It actually works!"
I usually kept my feelings to myself because, you know, guys gotta stay tough.
"Then shout a few more times!"
She shouted until her voice was hoarse, "I feel so much better now!"
We walked to a quieter part of the beach and sat down on the sand. She said, "John, thank you."
"What for?"
"You gave me my confidence back, made me brave enough to face things."
She said, "If it weren't for you, I might've taken forever to figure things out, or maybe I'd be stuck blaming myself forever. I'm really grateful to you. Also, you're different from the others. In these two years, many people approached me for partnerships, even offering big money, but I turned them all down."
"Why?" I asked.
She looked at me, "I don't know, maybe because none of them were you."
It was a huge compliment, and it felt pretty good to hear.
"Now, I can finally start fresh."
Ella stretched lazily, her figure looking incredibly enticing.
But I always had this question in my mind. Even though Ella was my goddess, she actually had a fiancé.
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