Chapter 614 People Turn Bad, Really Fast
Winona paused for a moment, scanning the crowd, but Zachary was nowhere to be seen. "We're still in the same gallery as before," she said.
They had been examining the exhibits for half an hour, only managing to see three items, and were less than sixty feet from where Zachary had left them. Their group was large and diverse, making them quite noticeable among the other visitors.
Zachary's breathing grew heavier, but his voice softened even more. "Send me your location. I took a call and wandered off too far. I can't find my way back."
His voice, already deep and magnetic, became even more tender, almost indulgent.
As Winona sent him the location, she teased, "Didn't expect Mr. Bailey to have such a terrible sense of direction."
"I'm not familiar with the layout here. When I was studying abroad, I often got lost trying to find my classrooms."
"Do you remember which gallery we were in earlier?" Winona's voice was light and filled with laughter, but her finger hovered over the 'send location' option, hesitating to press it.
"I didn't notice. I just followed wherever you went."
"Aren't you afraid I'll lead you somewhere to sell you off?" Winona huffed, her tone more playful than angry, like a couple bantering. "By the way, the bracelet you brought me from Aetheria during your business trip, where did you buy it? Rebecca keeps saying it's beautiful. Since I'm here for work, I thought I'd get her one as a gift."
"What kind of bracelet? Let me see if there's a store here that can deliver it."
As Zachary asked, he pulled out a small notebook from his pocket. He had written down everything related to Winona, categorized and dated, fearing that one day he might forget everything.
Winona mentioned the bracelet from Aetheria, but he had no recollection of it. He didn't trust his memory much these days, so he checked his notebook to confirm.
He used to review his schedule before bed; now he flipped through his notebook.
"The lily-of-the-valley pearl bracelet, light green."
Zachary had already found the page about bracelets, but there was no mention of a light green lily-of-the-valley bracelet. If it was something he had given her before, it would likely have been a diamond bracelet, because it was more expensive.
His lips pressed together. "I never gave you that bracelet."
Winona was surprised. "I must have remembered wrong."
Zachary didn't respond immediately, then asked, frustrated, "Who gave it to you?"
Winona didn't have any lily-of-the-valley bracelet. She was just trying to test Zachary. The idea that he couldn't find his way back after taking a call seemed odd to her.
People could be directionally challenged, but it didn't seem to fit someone as academically accomplished as Zachary.
On the other end of the call, Zachary was still waiting for her answer, occasionally hearing the navigation system's voice. Winona snapped, "No one gave me a lily-of-the-valley bracelet. When a woman mentions something like this, she's indirectly asking for a gift. What's your emotional intelligence?"
To avoid further questioning, Winona turned the tables. "We've been together for so long, and you don't know what jewelry I have? You're not a very qualified boyfriend."
Zachary, experiencing his girlfriend's unreasonable firmness for the first time, fell silent.
Though he felt exasperated, he quickly apologized, fearing that if he delayed, Winona might say, "You're fired" or "Send me a picture, I'll buy it."
He had already reached the gallery entrance and spotted Winona on the phone. She was facing away from him, so he couldn't see her expression. She said, "Forget it, it's not that pretty."
Zachary walked over and asked, "Where's the picture?"
Winona was startled by the sudden voice behind her, turning quickly and almost bumping into him.
Zachary steadied her, but since she was at work and it wouldn't look good if someone saw them, he let go once she was stable. "Where did you see it?"
His fingertips still felt the softness of Winona's touch, and he subconsciously rubbed his fingers, wanting to hold her again.
Winona said, "Online, on Amazon."
She didn't actually remember where she had seen it, probably while shopping with Rebecca. The name just popped into her head when she mentioned the bracelet to Zachary.
Zachary pulled out his phone, but he didn't have the Amazon app and had to download it.
Winona said, "No rush, even if you buy it now, I won't receive it. Let's wait until we're back home."
"It can be shipped directly here."
He was afraid he might forget later.
Winona watched him focus on the download progress bar, feeling both touched and sad. She hadn't expected her casual remark to be taken so seriously. She didn't care for the lily-of-the-valley bracelet but couldn't admit she was testing him, worried about his health.
She glanced at her colleagues, seeing no one paying attention, and gave Zachary a big hug, "Zachary, you're so sweet. Let's ship it to our home. International shipping takes time and customs checks."
They had a two-hour lunch break, and it was evening back home. Winona video-called Rebecca, as their conversations had been out of sync due to the time difference.
Winona noticed the unfamiliar background and asked, "Did you buy a new house?"
"No," Rebecca replied, just as a dog's head appeared, trying to lick her face.
She dodged and tried to stop it, exclaiming, "Anthony, don't lick me! My face is covered in makeup, you might poison yourself."
Zachary remained silent.
Winona asked, "Should I call back later?"
Rebecca climbed onto the couch, finally escaping the enthusiastic dog. Her hair was messy, and she was out of breath. "I was talking about the dog. The dog's name is Anthony. Can you clear your mind of dirty thoughts? You've definitely been corrupted by Zachary."
She shook her head in disbelief. "People can change so quickly."
Winona pondered for a moment and asked, "Do you have a crush on Mr. Lewis?"
Rebecca replied, "No, I don't. I'm not a masochist. Why would I like him?"
"Then why did you name your dog after Mr. Lewis?" Winona recognized the dog that had followed Rebecca after eating two hot dogs. "Are you at Mr. Lewis's house?"
Rebecca had said she would give the dog to Anthony.
Rebecca sat on the couch's backrest, looking like she was on a throne. "Yes, we're having a farewell dinner."
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