125
On New Year’s Day, Eloise returned to the Dominguez home with Cosmo for a family dinner. Everyone was present. In the middle of the meal, the elder Dominguez asked Gabriel and Ciela when they planned to get married, suggesting they could at least have an engagement first.
But Gabriel, clearly distracted, said Ciela was still young and he wasn’t ready for marriage. Though he didn’t say it directly, some of them, especially Eloise, could sense the truth: Gabriel didn’t really want to marry Ciela because his heart belonged to someone else.
Eloise chose not to comment. She didn’t want to cause a scene in front of everyone, and besides, Chloe might get caught up in it.
Two days after the three-day holiday, Cosmo received news about a problem with a foreign project. He had personally handled the negotiations before, so the client insisted that he be the one to come and resolve the matter.
He needed to fly to a country neither of them was familiar with. Naturally, Eloise felt uneasy, not just because of the place but also the possible risks they couldn’t foresee.
“Isn’t there anyone else who can go?” Eloise asked.
“No,” Cosmo replied, shaking his head. “The others don’t have the right level of authority, and the client might think we’re not sincere. Most of the contract terms, I personally negotiated last year. So it really has to be me.”
“Then I’ll go with you,” Eloise said firmly. She didn’t want to be apart from him at a time like this.
Cosmo smiled but gently declined. “I appreciate your concern, but I won’t take you with me this time. I don’t want you to set aside your own time just to follow me around. Don’t you want to focus on your own work too?”
Eloise fell quiet. She couldn’t deny the anxiety she felt about his leaving. “Are you sure? You really don’t need me to be with you?”
“I’m sure,” Cosmo said, holding her hand. “Stay home, go out and relax. I’ll be back soon.”
Eloise helped him prepare his things. Two days later, Cosmo left with Paolo and Jiro.
The moment she walked out of the airport after sending him off, Eloise felt restless. Back at home, she stayed quiet until Sasha called, inviting her out for hotpot.
“Didn’t Attorney Andrade go with you today?” Eloise asked as they walked toward the restaurant.
“He just took on a big case, so he’s really busy right now,” Sasha replied while dipping meat into the broth. “You know, it’s actually good not to always be together. When you’re apart for a while, your next meeting feels more refreshing.”
Eloise didn’t respond.
As they chatted, Sasha noticed a group at another table, Lilian, Aries, Lander, and a woman wearing glasses.
“There’s Lander. Do you think that’s his girlfriend?” Sasha asked.
“Probably,” Eloise answered briefly. They hadn’t been in touch for a long time, and unless Lander approached her first, she wasn’t planning to go over.
“He used to make you circle around him. I bet when his mom found out, she pushed him into a blind date right away,” Sasha said with a shake of her head.
“People should just move forward. There’s no point wasting time on something you know won’t happen,” Eloise replied firmly.
“You’re right. You’re good at letting go. If it were another woman, she might still be hanging on until now,” Sasha said.
Eloise only nodded while chewing on her food. She glanced at her phone. Cosmo still had a long flight ahead, but she couldn’t help checking the time again and again.
“Eloise,” Sasha asked, “if you’re not going to let me be your agent, what’s your plan next? Are you going to start your own clothing brand? You’re so good at designing clothes, it would be a waste not to continue.”
Eloise smiled. “I’ll tell you later.”
Sasha didn’t press further and changed the topic while continuing to reply to Faro’s messages.
After dinner, Eloise went to the restroom. On her way, near the smoking area, she saw Lander. He was leaning against the wall, a cigarette in hand. With each puff of smoke, the sadness on his face was clear, quiet, withdrawn, deep in thought.
When Lander spotted Eloise, he froze for a moment, then dropped his cigarette to the ground and took a few steps toward her.
“I saw you earlier with Sasha, but I felt too awkward to come over and say hi,” he said.
“There’s nothing awkward about that. It’s just a hello,” Eloise replied.
“I thought maybe you wouldn’t want me to. I guess I was just overthinking.” He smiled faintly.
Every time he saw Eloise, she seemed even more beautiful. He sighed to himself but kept a calm expression.
“Did you notice the woman I was with earlier? My mom introduced us. It’s a blind date. Nothing’s decided yet, we’re just meeting.”
From his tone, it was clear he also wanted to close the chapter of his past with Eloise.
“That’s good,” Eloise said with a smile.
Lander wasn’t sure what she meant by “good.” But for him, taking this step was a clear signal, their story was over, and he had no plans of turning back. Maybe he should even be relieved that the woman who no longer wanted him was also someone he didn’t need to hold out hope for anymore.
"She’s simple. And kind," Lander added.
Eloise didn’t say anything.
After a short exchange, they parted ways. Eloise went to the restroom before returning to her seat.
"Wait, did you see Lander? What did you two talk about?" Sasha asked.
Eloise was caught off guard. "How did you know?"
Sasha smiled. "You were gone for several minutes. And the smoking area’s right next to the restroom. Of course, you’d run into him."
Eloise fell silent again.
After dinner, Eloise drove home. While waiting at a red light, she noticed a black car behind her.
At first glance, something felt off. Looking more closely, she saw the driver wearing a hat and a mask, clearly trying to hide his identity.
Eloise grew tense. She quickly tried calling Paolo, but found out he was still on a flight with Cosmo. In that moment, she didn’t know who else to call.
She acted as if nothing was wrong, all while thinking of how she could escape or get help. The stalker was skilled, no matter how many cars cut between them, he never disappeared from her rearview mirror.
She decided to call Faro.
"Someone’s following you? Are you sure?" Faro asked.
"Yes. I’ve been watching him for over ten minutes. I’m sure," Eloise replied.
"I’ll give you an address. Drive straight here. I’ll wait for you," Faro instructed.
As Eloise turned onto the road heading to Faro’s hotel, the black car suddenly sped up and rammed into her. Heart pounding, she hit the gas, but the stalker struck her car again.
Shaken, she swerved onto another street, nearly getting sideswiped.
The last time she was in this kind of danger, Gabriel had been with her. But now she was alone. The fear was different, it felt real, overwhelming.
All she wanted at that moment was to reach Faro as quickly as possible.
Suddenly, a white car shot out from a side street and crashed into the black car tailing her.
Eloise immediately recognized it. Her eyes widened when she saw the driver, it was Lander.
When did he start following her? And how did he know she was in danger?
Lander forced the black car to stop. It hesitated for a moment, then quickly backed up and sped away.
"Are you okay?" Eloise asked as she stepped out of her car and knocked on Lander’s window.
"I’m fine," he answered with a smile as he lowered the glass. But his sweaty hands gripping the steering wheel betrayed how tense he really was.