Chapter 123: The One Who Is Different

"Don’t be too kind to Gita. I’m afraid your kindness will be misunderstood by her. Especially what happened in front of the library earlier. I saw everything, Kenn."

Was Tomi referring to when Gita almost fell earlier?

Suddenly, the pain came again. I slowly clutched my chest while regulating my breathing. Remembering that incident made my heart feel as if it were being pierced by hundreds of needles. I really wanted to hear Kenn’s response to Tomi’s words. I sharpened my hearing, hoping I could hear his answer clearly.

Kenn remained silent, staring at Tomi, who had now leaned forward in his seat. Tomi looked very curious, but a few seconds later, he leaned back against the sofa again because Kenn gave no response.

"Alright, putting all that aside, I’m actually happy that you’ve finally stopped doing illegal street racing. Where did you get this enlightenment from?"

Kenn smiled. I was stunned. Was my vision correct? I rubbed my eyes to make sure.

Yes, Kenn was smiling while looking at the cigarette in his hand, his elbow resting on his right thigh.

"Your best friend," he answered briefly.

Instantly, my feelings surged violently with indescribable happiness.

That must be me, right?

"You mean, Frel?" Tomi asked to make sure.

Kenn nodded, while I cheered inwardly.

"So, you quit at Frel’s request? You obeyed everything she said? Seriously?" Tomi bombarded him enthusiastically. "Are you delirious? Since when are you willing to follow a girl’s wishes? Weren’t you very averse to them before? A Kenn would never let himself be controlled by anyone, especially by a girl. You yourself once said that all girls are troublesome, complicated, and spoiled."

"She’s different, Tomi," Kenn interjected.

I immediately covered my mouth so I wouldn’t scream from being too happy.

"What? You said she’s different?" Tomi’s laughter boomed again. "Different in what way? If you mean different in height, I agree."

I felt annoyed at Tomi. I really wanted to teach him a lesson.

Kenn shook his head while smiling amusedly. "She’s not like other girls. She is—"

"No need to continue. I already know how your sentence ends," Tomi cut in.

I grumbled inwardly because Tomi interrupted that sentence. I really wanted to know how it would continue.

"So, basically, you like Frel, right?"

My heart seemed to stop beating when I heard that question.

I observed Kenn’s movements again. He fell silent for a moment, tapping the tip of his cigarette against the ashtray.

"What do you think?" he asked briefly before calmly taking a drag from the cigarette.

"Damn you. Instead of answering, you’re asking me back," Tomi cursed.

I couldn’t see his expression, but his curt voice was enough to explain that he was overwhelmed by extreme annoyance.

Silence immediately descended. No more sounds came from either Tomi’s or Kenn’s mouth. My gaze was now fixed on the back of Tomi’s head that peeked out from behind the sofa. Thick white smoke billowed from his direction. I let out a heavy sigh.

How long would he keep destroying himself like this? Waiting until all the cigarette factories in the world went bankrupt? That was impossible.

"If you truly like Frel, chase her, Kenn. Never let her go. Don’t let yourself end up regretting it like me," Tomi said, breaking the silence.

Those words instantly made my eyes widen.

I quickly turned my head toward Kenn. He pressed the cigarette butt into the bottom of the ashtray, then left it there.

"You used to like her?" Kenn asked afterward.

"Not just once. We were in a relationship for a while. Yeah, even though it only lasted for a month. It all ended because of my own stupidity." Tomi chuckled.

In this hiding place, I really felt like pulling his hair. Did he really intend to tell Kenn the reason for our breakup?

"Do you want to know why we broke up?" Tomi asked while lighting yet another cigarette.

I stared blankly at the smoke drifting in front of me. My mind was no longer focused on what Tomi was going to say next. An old memory suddenly crossed my mind.

Back when we were still together, I had once managed to make Tomi stop smoking. However, after our relationship fell apart, all my nagging seemed to lose its power. Every time I warned him, he always argued that only cigarettes could make him feel calm.

Was Tomi feeling frustrated right now?

"On our first anniversary, instead of celebrating, I foolishly cheated with another woman at my own restaurant." Tomi tilted his head up, staring at the gazebo ceiling. "At that time, with such a fierce expression, she tore my restaurant apart."

"She really is different." Tomi took a deep drag on his cigarette, but a second later he bent over and laughed loudly. "Just imagine it. She came there wearing only a shabby T-shirt and flip-flops. Of course, two of my security guards stepped in to drag her out. But what I still can’t understand is that even though she was restrained by two grown men, she could still scream like a possessed person, hurling harsh curses while shouting my name. I’m sure that if I hadn’t come down immediately, Frel wouldn’t have stopped causing chaos."

On the other hand, I could only lower my head and cover my face with both hands. Remembering that incident again made me want to bang my head against anything hard just to erase that embarrassing memory.

Oh God, that was really ridiculous.

"I’m not surprised. Considering her actions when she got back at Farah, I believe she’s capable of going that far," Kenn said.

I lifted my face and looked at him. He smiled faintly, but a moment later his gaze turned sharp.

"Do you still have feelings for her?"

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