Chapter 186 Working Agian

Chapter 186 Working Agian
The next day, I woke up early. It was a rare occasion to find Ellie sleeping soundly in her bed. I smiled as I watched her lying on her tummy. Even though she looked so cute, I couldn't help but notice that she slept in the same position Spencer usually did, which gave me a bittersweet feeling.
After I finished in the bathroom, I checked my clothes. Mum had ordered a few sets of women's suits, even though I had told her it wasn't necessary. The nice material reminded me of the evening I spent in the shelter, when I left my expensive suit in the trash can.
I dressed up and styled my hair. As I looked in the mirror, I saw a woman who was similar to the one who returned from Oxford after a long time to work for the Astor Corporation. This woman was identical, but not the same. I had gotten a little older, maybe a little wiser. Two years of struggling left their mark on my face and body, but the best part was that I didn't mind it. When I looked in the mirror, I felt proud, and for some reason, I found myself thinking of my biological mother. I hoped she was proud of me, too.
"Mummy!" Ellie's sweet voice pulled me out of my daze, and I rushed to her. Her sleepy eyes scanned the room, showing a hint of fear on her cute face as she likely didn't understand where I was. However, when she saw me, a broad smile spread across her face.
I picked her up and took her to the bathroom to get her ready for breakfast.
"Did you sleep well?" Mum asked me as we sat at the dining table.
"Yes," I replied.
"Are you excited?" she asked, and I shook my head.
"How come?" She frowned.
I sighed. "Spencer will be there."
Mum stared at me for a few moments, as if trying to read my thoughts, then she sighed. "I'm happy about that because you can get used to each other again. Maybe you two can become comfortable being near each other once more."
I only glanced at Mum, deciding it was better not to respond.
After we finished breakfast, Ethan arrived. Mum took Ellie from me, and they bid farewell to Ethan and me.
We stopped at a shop to buy snacks for the day. Before heading to the office, we visited a coffee shop on the corner; Ethan mentioned that this shop served coffee just as good as Amy's. I smiled at that.
My heart began to race when I saw Spencer's car in the parking lot of the building, and it intensified as we entered the office. Spencer greeted us warmly.
When Ethan first told me about this business, and I checked the office with him, there were two desks, but this time, there were three. "This is all yours, Cora. I didn’t do any decorations, so you can arrange it however you like."
"Thank you," I smiled at him and stepped closer to the desk. Even with some experience behind me, I felt a rush of emotion. When I visited the job centre in Manhattan and learned I couldn't get a job like this without my certificates, I thought I'd never find a comfortable job again.
I sat down and opened the laptop. "It’s brand new. You can set it up," Ethan said, and I started to do so immediately. While I busied myself with the laptop, I overheard them discussing business. Once I finished setting up, Ethan sat me down next to Spencer, who began explaining everything to me.
Seated so close, I could smell his cologne, which I had longed for over time. He explained everything patiently, just as he had before, and I had to admit that even though the surroundings were entirely different, it felt as if we had travelled back in time. It felt like we were in his office, sitting next to each other closely, which made it harder to focus on the tasks.
Soon, lunchtime arrived, and the boys took me to a nearby restaurant. They claimed the food tasted similar to what we used to get at our old favourite spot.
The food was indeed tasty, but my appetite wasn’t what it used to be. Spencer ordered a few pieces of cake and requested the waiter to wrap them up for takeout.
After we drove back to the office, everyone began working on their projects. As I reviewed everything, a few ideas came to me, which I shared with Ethan. He smiled at Spencer, who returned the grin.
"I told you she would see things that we wouldn't in a lifetime," Ethan said, still smiling at Spencer.
We worked for a while when Spencer's mobile phone rang. He checked the caller ID, frowned, and then answered the call. The office was small and quiet, so that we could hear everything, but it seemed like Spencer didn’t mind.
On the other end was a woman—a real estate agent—informing him that they had found a buyer for his house in Santa Monica. They arranged a meeting, and Spencer thanked her before hanging up.
Ethan grinned at him. "You’re going to have to pay for everything from now on," he joked.
However, Spencer crumpled a piece of paper and tossed it at Ethan. "Dream on!"
Even though it was nice to see the brothers joking like before, I felt uncomfortable around them. It seemed that I had changed so much that I couldn’t go back to the way things used to be.
After we finished our work, Spencer offered me a ride home. When I hesitated, Ethan chimed in, saying that it would work better for him as well since he had a meeting with his girlfriend.
Not wanting to hold either of them back, I accepted Spencer's offer. He tried to start a conversation during the ride, but I only replied briefly.
After he parked the car, Spencer turned to me and asked, "Would you mind if I go in and say hi to Ellie?"
His question hit me hard. He asked in a way that seemed to break my heart, as if he didn’t want to annoy me. Yet, his expression revealed just how much he longed to see his daughter.