Chapter 137
The dream orchid on the desk was giving off a fresh, candy-like fragrance. I was drawn to it the moment I walked into the office - after waiting so long, it had finally bloomed.
I leaned in for a closer sniff. It was refreshing.
It had been almost two weeks with no word from Levi. Instead, a female CEO had appeared at his company to handle things in his place. I hadn't met her yet, and I didn't want to.
I opened the breakfast Celestia had lovingly prepared for me - actually, I'd overslept and she'd packed it up for me to take to the office.
I poured out the water in my cup and refilled it.
Sunlight streamed in and I instinctively shielded my eyes. It was a beautiful day.
The company was planning to launch new products. The design department had submitted several proposals that I needed to review. I was also thinking about doing more design work myself while the baby was still small.
Focusing on my own work helped pass the time. Compared to overthinking, busy work seemed more comforting.
I opened my computer to look at the digital design drafts, while unwrapping my breakfast. Even if just for the baby's sake, I needed to make sure I ate properly every day.
A knock at the door.
"Come in."
I looked up to see Nola walking in with a smile, carrying a cup of coffee.
"Blair, just having breakfast now?"
I usually ate breakfast at home and rarely ate anything at the office, so she seemed a bit surprised.
I offered to share with her. "Have you eaten? If not, let's eat together."
Nola poked at the takeout bag. "Eating is the last thing I need to worry about these days. He practically wants to come to the office to watch me eat."
"He ordered the coffee and asked me to bring it to you." Nola set the bag on the desk.
I joked, "Looks like I'm benefiting from your relationship."
"I think he's trying to butter up Levi. He even said yesterday that while Levi's away on business, he's got your coffee covered."
Nola enthusiastically took out the coffee for me and put in the straw.
Sunlight poured in, warming up the office. It felt good to be thought of by friends.
"I haven't been into coffee lately. Don't let your John spend money on it - I just suddenly stopped liking it." I was being honest; I really did feel put off by coffee now.
"Hehe, I believe you. Same with me - my tastes have totally changed recently. Things I never liked before, I'm suddenly craving."
I smiled. "That's probably because of the pregnancy. It changes some of your preferences."
Nola nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, yes, yes! He looked it up online and it's probably related to being pregnant."
She talked and laughed, her hand unconsciously caressing her belly.
This was that subtle reaction of becoming a mother for the first time - that curious, happy feeling.
"By the way, I'm getting engaged this weekend."
Nola's eyes were full of anticipation, making me feel hopeful too.
I put down my food and asked her seriously, "Is everything ready? If you need help with anything, just say the word."
"It's all set. You forget what his family does for a living - he's handling everything. I'm telling you now, you have to come."
"Okay."
Nola grabbed my hand. "You're my best friend. You absolutely have to come. And if Levi comes back, please pass along my invitation to him too."
"If he comes back, it won't be my place to tell him. Your guy will have already mentioned it."
I patted Nola's hand. "Don't worry, I'll definitely be there."
Nola casually flipped through some documents on the desk and frowned.
"I've barely been coming to the office lately. You should have them handle some things - don't take everything on yourself." Nola looked a bit guilty.
But she'd already done more than enough. She was just taking a few days off for a major life event.
I tidied up the clutter on my desk and shook my head. "I'm not working hard at all. I do so little - you've basically arranged everything. I'm just sitting here at the office."
Nola puffed out her cheeks. "Blair, why don't you announce it after the holiday - that you're the CEO of Heartstrings Jewelry. It would make things easier."
Currently, I had to do everything under Nola's name, which was indeed sometimes inconvenient. But if I revealed my identity, I was afraid people would dig into my background and discover I was Levi's wife, which wouldn't be good.
"Let's wait a bit longer."
She smiled. "Okay, I respect whatever you decide."
Just then, her phone rang.
"I told you, I have no opinion. You make all the decisions, okay? Why do you keep asking me? I'm at work. I'm hanging up!"
Nola said it all in one breath. I wanted to offer her some water.
She gripped her phone indignantly. "I really can't deal with this. Every little thing, he has to ask me. I told him to just handle it himself."
"He does this because he respects you and cares about you. If he didn't care about you, he'd just do whatever he wanted without considering your feelings."
"Hey, he's just bored, making conversation. What's he even doing? His family's already arranged everything for him anyway."
Nola always liked to complain about John, thinking he was too carefree.
"He's good to you, so treasure that. Don't be so casual about it and dismiss his feelings as jokes. You two have similar personalities - you should know he actually cares a lot too."
"That's why you're my best friend - you really mean it when you say these things to me. I will treasure him."
I felt happy for her, like my own sister was about to find happiness.
Nola touched her belly. "Sigh, if it weren't for this little one, I wouldn't even be planning to get engaged. I feel like I haven't had enough fun yet. Now it feels like a shotgun wedding."
"Don't overthink it. People are open-minded now - no one's going to gossip about you. Besides, you two are already legally married. Getting pregnant is a completely natural thing."
I patiently comforted her. I understood her better than anyone - pregnant women are emotionally vulnerable and easily fall into anxiety.
"It's not that anyone's criticizing me. I just can't get into the right mindset. Like when we're together, I often unconsciously want to go back to my place, not his place."
"Haha, come on, it's not his place - it's your place together."
Thinking about this, I remembered when Levi and I first got married and he brought me to our current house. He didn't give me a sense of security, but he also didn't make me feel like I didn't belong.
Nola stood up and checked her watch. "Blair, I'm going to sort out some work stuff. I won't be coming in for the next few days."
"Okay. Stay happy, alright? Pregnancy makes you sensitive. If anything comes up, communicate with him right away. Don't bottle things up."
She smiled mischievously. "You know, don't just talk about me. You should communicate with Levi too. I'm waiting for your family of three to come to my engagement party."
"Goodbye."
I waved at her with a speechless smile.
Our family of three had never attended any event together publicly. Even if Levi came back now, we could only attend as friends.