Chapter 344 Resolving Future Troubles

Chapter 348 Tears Are Very Salty

Rachel was busy - her role wasn't just as a bride. A grand gathering like this was the perfect opportunity for socializing.

So despite her reluctance, she quickly pulled herself together and went to greet other friends.

Amy stood at the edge of a terrace a bit further away, holding half a glass of juice. Her gaze cut through the noisy crowd, locked firmly on Rachel, who was smiling and chatting with several elders.

The genuine happiness on Rachel's face shone brighter than any jewelry she wore.

As Amy watched, her vision blurred, and warm liquid rolled down her cheeks without warning.

It was relief, it was blessing, it was excitement that Rachel had finally found happiness after all her hardships, mixed with a faint sadness about her own upcoming departure.

"You're this upset about Rachel getting married?" A lazy, teasing female voice with a foreign accent suddenly sounded beside her, the breath almost brushing her ear.

Amy jumped, turning her head sharply, and crashed into a pair of eyes deep as night, filled with playful amusement.

It was Rose!

She was here too!

Wearing a stunning black leather dress suit that made her skin look beautiful, her curly hair cascading down - she was gorgeous in an aggressive way, completely out of place among the refined and elegant guests, yet strangely captivating.

When had she gotten so close? Amy hadn't noticed at all.

"You, how are you here?" Amy hurriedly wiped away her tears with the back of her hand, her voice a bit choked, her heartbeat inexplicably skipping a few beats.

Her feelings toward Rose were complicated - there was fear, curiosity, and a hint of flutter.

That outfit inspired by Rose, which had unexpectedly won the design competition, was still treasured by Amy.

Some people's appearance only takes a moment.

That night when Rose had driven away the bad guys for Amy, that breathtaking beauty had struck Amy's soul like an arrow.

Amy had never had a boyfriend before. She found boys her age childish and annoying, while older men were full of schemes and disgusting.

It wasn't until meeting Rose that Amy realized she didn't like those men not because they each had flaws, but because—

She liked women.

Women like Rose.

Rose didn't answer her question. Instead, she extended a finger painted with bright red nail polish and naturally wiped the undried tear tracks on Amy's cheek.

The touch was somewhat cool.

The movement was so quick it almost seemed like an illusion, yet it made Amy's whole body stiffen. Blood seemed to rush to her head instantly. She couldn't hear any sounds around her. She wanted to say something - her lips moved, but no sound came out.

Rose looked at Amy's instantly flushed face and panicked eyes, her red lips curving into a deeper, ambiguous smile. Then she withdrew her hand and, right in front of Amy, touched it to her own lips.

Amy stared blankly at Rose's moist lips. Rose acted as if she hadn't just done something earth-shattering, as if that intimate gesture was merely brushing away a speck of dust.

"Tears are pretty salty." Rose dropped this random comment, no longer looking at the frozen Amy, and turned around, walking gracefully toward Elodie, who was talking with several ladies nearby.

Amy stood rooted to the spot, the place on her face that had been touched still seeming to hold that invasive sensation. Her heart pounded like a drum, mixed with shock and embarrassment.

Amy watched Rose's figure merge into the crowd, then suddenly snapped back to reality, instinctively moving a few steps toward Elodie's direction, but not daring to get too close.

Over there, Rose had already reached Elodie's side.

Elodie had a gentle temperament. Seeing Rose, a flash of complex emotion crossed her eyes, but more than that was the sentiment of old friends reuniting.

Elodie gently patted Rose's arm and said softly, "You came too."

"Came to see how you're doing." Rose's tone was casual, but her gaze swept over the fine wrinkles at the corners of Elodie's eyes and a strand of white hair at her temple, her brow furrowing almost imperceptibly.

"I'm doing well. Brandon and Rachel both treat me very well." Elodie said warmly, then looked toward Amy, who was still a bit dazed in the distance, her eyes showing affection. "Amy is a good kid too. After what happened to her family, she's grown up a lot. She's very sensible and takes good care of her mother."

Rose followed Elodie's gaze to Amy.

Amy stood at the boundary between light and shadow, her profile soft, her eyes still slightly red, carrying a fragile strength after just weathering a storm. She seemed out of place in this luxurious, noisy setting, yet strangely eye-catching.

Rose gave a scoffing laugh, though her tone held little mockery: "Well-behaved? Sensible? This kind of hothouse flower can't withstand any storms."

Elodie shook her head, looking at her disapprovingly, her voice softer but very serious: "Rose, no matter what happened between you and me, no matter what you are now, you're still my best friend for life. I truly hope you can find your own happiness too, have someone to be with you, instead of always being alone."

Rose's body paused almost imperceptibly. A nearly wistful emotion flashed across her beautiful face, but was instantly covered by her usual nonchalance.

She looked at Amy again, watching Amy's slightly nervous appearance from hearing their vague conversation, and something in a corner of her heart seemed to be touched very lightly.

However, Rose's words remained cold and hard: "Happiness isn't for me."

Elodie laughed: "How will you know if you don't try?"

Rose snorted, her red lips curving into a lazy, distant arc. "Come on, Elodie. I hate crying kids who need taking care of the most. Too much trouble."

Having said that, Rose seemed unwilling to continue this topic. She casually took a glass of liquor from a passing waiter's tray, raised it to Elodie, and downed it in one gulp. The harsh liquid slid down her throat, as if swallowing certain unspoken emotions.

Then Rose said no more. She turned and, like a moving flame, quietly merged into the deeper shadows of the guests, leaving behind a thoughtful Elodie and Amy in the distance, whose heartbeat still hadn't calmed down.

Amy hadn't heard their entire conversation clearly, but the phrase "troublesome kid" vaguely reached her ears, making the strange ripple that had risen in Amy's heart from Rose's abrupt touch instantly cool down, turning into an inexplicable sense of grievance and self-mockery.

Rose really did see her as an immature child.

Amy gripped her glass tightly, lowered her lashes, and forcefully pressed that indescribable flutter back into the depths of her heart.

Night slowly fell.

Guests from afar were properly settled, and Rachel was brought onto the huge yacht Brandon had rented.

The daytime noise completely faded, leaving only the subtle sound of waves caressing the hull.

The door closed behind them, shutting out the world.

Brandon undid the first button at his collar, his movements slower than usual.

Rachel had her back to him, trying to remove the diamond studs behind her ears, but her fingertips trembled slightly.