Chapter 35: Episode 35
Chapter 35
Victor’s car stopped right in front of a café with a semi-outdoor concept that was quite crowded during lunchtime. Small trees lined the sidewalk, while the sounds of cutlery and customers chatting blended together. Emeli stared out the window for a moment before letting out a soft sigh. At least the atmosphere here was comfortable enough to make her head feel a little lighter after an exhausting first day at work.
“We finally arrived,” Emeli murmured softly while letting out a long breath.
Victor turned off the engine and looked at her. “You’re tired, huh?”
“A little,” Emeli answered with a small laugh. “Turns out the first day of work is pretty stressful too.”
Victor smiled faintly. “You’ll get used to it eventually.”
Emeli nodded slowly, then looked down when she realized her seatbelt was still fastened. Her hand was about to reach for the buckle, but Victor moved closer first.
“Let me,” he said casually.
“No need, I can—”
Click.
The seatbelt had already been released first. But the sudden closeness between them instantly made Emeli’s voice shrink. Her breath caught for a moment when Victor’s face was only inches away from hers.
Victor also fell silent.
Their eyes met without any barrier.
Emeli’s heart beat rapidly. That feeling returned again… just like before when Victor was still her lecturer at campus. When the man stood in front of the class in a neat shirt and a calm voice that always made it hard for her to focus.
And now… the distance between them was far closer than any classroom ever was.
“What’s wrong?” Victor asked softly, his eyes still not looking away.
Emeli quickly shook her head. “N-Nothing… it’s nothing.”
But her voice sounded too soft to be convincing.
Victor smiled faintly. “You look nervous. Why?”
Emeli’s face immediately turned red. “mmm no, I’m not nervous at all…”
Victor chuckled softly.
Emeli reflexively turned her face away, but it only made Victor move even closer. Her heartbeat became even more chaotic. She could even feel the warmth of his breath now.
“Victor…” she called softly.
“Hm?”
Emeli did not answer.
For some reason, her eyes slowly closed instead as Victor moved closer. The next second, their lips met softly.
The kiss felt warm and brief, but enough to make Emeli’s mind go blank for a moment. Her fingers unconsciously gripped the hem of her skirt, while Victor restrained himself from moving any further.
But—
Tringgg!
The sound of a phone suddenly filled the car.
Emeli immediately jolted and opened her eyes wide. Her face instantly turned red as she hurriedly pulled away.
“Oh my God…” she murmured in panic.
Victor let out an annoyed sigh while glancing at his phone screen. His father’s name appeared there. His jaw immediately tightened.
“It must be because of Rachel…” he muttered lazily.
Meanwhile, Emeli had already hurriedly opened the car door. “I’ll get out first!”
“Emeli—”
But the girl had already stepped out first with a face that was still bright red. She did not even dare look at Victor again.
“Why did this turn out like this…” she whispered shyly while biting her own lip.
Her hand reflexively touched her lips softly.
It was already the third time.
The third time she had kissed Victor.
And what was worse… this time she did not resist at all.
“Is this what it feels like to kiss the man you like…?” Emeli thought chaotically.
“Emeli!”
A woman’s voice instantly made Emeli turn around. Her face spontaneously brightened when she saw the figure standing in front of the café entrance.
“Ivy!”
Without thinking, Emeli immediately approached her best friend and hugged her tightly. Ivy laughed softly while returning the hug.
“Oh my God, we finally met again!” Ivy said excitedly. “You’ve become even prettier now!”
“You too!” Emeli replied while laughing softly.
Ivy then glanced toward Victor’s car that was still parked by the roadside. Her eyes immediately narrowed mischievously. “Hmm… who’s that?”
Emeli instantly became awkward. “A friend.”
“A friend?” Ivy raised her eyebrows high. “A friend you were almost kissing in the car just now?”
“You actually saw that?!” Emeli immediately lightly hit her best friend’s arm.
Ivy laughed loudly. “I’m not blind, Emeli! That’s Mr. Victor, right? That handsome lecturer.”
Emeli’s face became even redder. “Stop it already, don’t talk about it…”
Victor finally stepped out of the car while putting his phone back into his pocket. His expression still looked annoyed because of the earlier call, but the moment he saw Emeli, his face softened slightly.
“Your friend?” he asked while approaching them.
Emeli nodded quickly. “Yeah, this is Ivy.”
Ivy immediately extended her hand with a wide smile. “Hi. I’m Ivy. Don’t tell me Mr. Victor forgot about me?”
“Oh Ivy, yeah yeah I remember,” the man answered.
Ivy glanced at Emeli again with a meaningful smile. “No wonder…”
“Ivy!” Emeli protested immediately.
Victor instead smiled faintly seeing Emeli’s panicked reaction.
“I should head back,” Victor said afterward.
“Huh? You’re not eating anymore?” Emeli asked reflexively.
Victor shook his head slowly. “I still have something to do.” He glanced briefly at his phone before looking back at Emeli. “Be careful.”
Emeli nodded slightly. “Yeah…”
Victor looked at her for a few seconds longer before finally getting back into the car. But before truly leaving, he lowered the car window slightly.
“Emeli.”
“Hm?”
Victor smiled faintly. “Don’t get robbed again.”
Emeli immediately pouted. “Yeah, yeah…”
“Don’t be careless.”
“Why are you blaming me instead?”
Victor chuckled softly. “I’m leaving now.”
The car finally drove away from the café area. Emeli still watched it for a few seconds until the vehicle disappeared around the corner.
Ivy immediately nudged her arm lightly. “You like him, don’t you?”
Emeli instantly turned quickly. “Don’t just say random things.”
“But your face is red.”
“That’s because it’s hot!”
Ivy laughed in satisfaction. “This is the first time I’ve seen you like this.”
Emeli let out a long sigh and pulled her friend inside the café. “Enough, let’s just go in.”
Meanwhile, at the Alexander Group company, the atmosphere inside the CEO’s office felt much colder than usual.
Ken stood near the large window in his office while staring at his phone screen. He had already tried calling Emeli several times.
And not a single call was answered.
His gaze slowly became sharp.
“How dare she ignore me…” he muttered in a low voice.
Juna, who was standing not far from him, remained silent for a few seconds before finally speaking carefully. “Maybe Miss Emeli is busy, Sir.”
Ken let out a rough breath before throwing his phone onto the table. “Find out where she is.”
Juna paused slightly. “Do you want me to track her location, Sir?”
“Yes.”
“Understood.”
Juna immediately moved quickly. A few minutes later, he returned with a tablet in his hand.
“Sir,” he said while handing over the screen.
Ken looked at the location information displayed there. His jaw instantly hardened when he found out where Emeli was now.
“A café?” he murmured softly.
His gaze darkened even more.
Without saying much, Ken immediately grabbed his car keys.
“Are you going there now, Sir?” Juna asked.
Ken walked past his assistant without stopping his steps. “I’m going to teach that stubborn girl a lesson.”
Meanwhile inside the café, Emeli and Ivy were already sitting near the window while ordering food. Ivy kept staring at Emeli with a mischievous smile the whole time.
“So… tell me now,” she said casually.
“Tell you what?”
“What happened earlier.”
Emeli pretended to be busy opening the menu. “Nothing happened.”
Ivy leaned her face slightly closer. “I saw you almost kissing.”
“What almost…” Emeli denied weakly.
Ivy immediately laughed. “So it really was a kiss then?”
Emeli instantly covered her face with the menu. “It’s embarrassing, you know…”
Ivy became even more curious. “You definitely like him.”
Emeli fell silent for a few seconds.
Then unconsciously, she smiled softly.
And that smile was enough to become the answer.
“Yes, I really have liked him for a long time, ever since the first time I met him,” Emeli thought.